Battle of Novara (1513)

For the 1849 Battle of Novara, click here.

The Battle of Novara was a battle of the War of the League of Cambrai fought on June 6, 1513, near Novara, in Northern Italy.

The French had been victorious at Ravenna the previous year. Nevertheless, the French under King Louis XII were driven out of the city of Milan the following month by the Holy League.

In 1513, the French army of 10,000 under Louis de la Trémoille was stationed at Novara, which they still held. Novara, 28 miles west of Milan, was the second most important city of the Milanese duchy. However, the French were surprised at their camp there on June 6 by a Swiss army of some 13,000 mercenaries (Reisläufer).

The battle was particularly bloody, with 5,000 casualties on the French side, and heavy losses for the Swiss pikemen. Additionally, after the battle, the Swiss executed the hundreds of German mercenaries they had captured who had fought for the French.

The French defeat forced Louis XII to withdraw from Milan and Italy in general, and in the restoration of Duke Maximilian Sforza.

Sources

Eggenberger, David. A Dictionary of Battles (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1967), p. 313