Battle of Pavia 1525 - Italian Wars DOCUMENTARY 

The first 100 people to download Endel app.adjust.com/b8wxub6?campaign=kingsandgenerals_may&adgroup=youtube will get a free week of audio experiences! Italian Wars #1 Fornovo: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ct43H3MW_DA.html Italian Wars #2 Cerignola and Garigliano: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YjC43E4wiPI.html Italian Wars #3 Ravenna: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4PoYRN4Y4oo.html Italian Wars #4 Novara and Marignano: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nxy7keZaYUU.html

"The Electors gladly took the french money and voted for Charles" This has to be the best line ever utterned in the history of this channel

I like how post-Roman Italy was nothing but a mad max battleground for everyone in and outside the peninsula

To this day the term "Bicoca" is used in Spain to define something as easy to win ,on the other hand in France it has the meaning of something disastrous or a ruined house. The Spanish records says that only 1 soldier died on the Imperial side and was killed due a kick of a mule , not in the battle. Bicoca marks the new era of warfare where mass use of arquebuses changed the rules of war forever. Pavia was a huge victory for the Empire , the French army and most of their nobility was destroyed and the King of France was captured alive., its arguably the most crushing defeat in the whole history of France.

This battle also led the way to the fall of Kingdom of Hungary: After his capture, Francis I was forced to sign the Treaty of Madrid. So he formed a formal Franco-Ottoman alliance with Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent as an ally against Charles V. The French-Ottoman strategic, and sometimes tactical, alliance lasted for about three centuries. To relieve the Habsburg pressure on France, in 1525 Francis asked Suleiman to make war on the Holy Roman Empire, and the road from Turkey to the Holy Roman Empire led across Hungary. The request of the French king coincided well with the ambitions of Suleiman in Europe and gave him an incentive to attack Hungary in 1526, leading to the Battle of Mohács. In the Battle of Mohács, Hungarians were defeated decisively, their army was annihilated and 20 year old King Louis II (Lajos) of Hungary died while retreating from the battlefield. This was the end of the independent Kingdom of Hungary as a unified entity. [Summarized from Wikipedia]

Fun fact: the expression "this is a Bicocca" still remains in the Spanish language as a synonym of "a piece of cake", both in Europe and America.

Fun fact: Richard de la Pole, nephew of Edward IV and Richard III and last member of the House of York to seek the English throne died fighting for Francis in this battle

Legend says that during this battle an Italian dish called "Zuppa alla pavese" (Pavia-style soup) was invented. It is said that when Francis I was captured, he was held prisoner in a nearby farm, and the woman who used to work the land had to prepare, with the poor ingedients they had, (Just bread, eggs, broth, and a bit of butter) a dish worth for a king. The king eventually liked the soup and the dish became popular in france as well. Fun fact n.2: the farm where Francis the 1st was held captive is still standing to this day, in the countryside near pavia, it has a marble stone commemorating the fact. I had the luck to see it while on the train, as it rests near the railway.

Its amazing to me that this occurred 5 years AFTER Cortes conquered the Aztecs in Mexico and 3 years after the completion of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. The Italian wars seem so medieval while the New World conquests seem so early modern.

This is a scary coincidence. Here in Sweden I had my national test in the English language this morning, and the battle of Pavia was mentioned in the test…

"The French king ordered a charge." Here we go again.

My wife is a high school teacher. I am now sequencing your videos with in accordance with her lesson plans. She says that teaching geography and AP Euro History when she does this and frame it as a modern day reality show/family feud, she’s able to keep their attention.

I live in Pavia, in one of the farmhouses around which the battle was fought, and very close to where Francis I was held prisoner, 5 mins from the Castle of Mirabello, and it is astonishing how big was the private park of the duke of Milan. Also, the castle of Pavia stands today, with one of the 4 sides fully destroyed by the french artillery.

This man churns out high-level military strategy content every other day, massive props man. This is the best channel I've seen in ages.

You can make an entire series only about the reign of Charles I and V, with all his battles. Our "Chin Guy" was always fighting against other powers, from France to the Ottoman Empire. "I must be the most ambicious man in the world, because I just want a moment of peace!" - Charles I and V.

The saddest thing for an Italian, seen with today's eyes, it wasn't that Italy was a battlefield (it was normal, was a very rich country, the city-states and as if it was not enough there was the Pope) but that, while the Spaniards fought for Spain, the French for France and also the Germans, even if divided, at least had the HRE (the Swiss, even in those days, knew how to make money), we (Italians) were always divided and one against the other, the only who gained something, as usual, was the Pope and maybe a 'bit even the condottieri (but at least they risked and died on the battlefield, weren't safe in Vatican). Even today, despite the Risorgimento and fascism (that like all dictatorships was centralized and unitary), we are divided like no other european countries probably (sometimes in a serious way, sometimes less). Sorry for "eng" (I use Google).

Francis: "Summon the elector counts!" Aide-de-Camp: "Sire, they voted for the other guy..." Francis: "Merde..."

I live in pavia so an episode on the rich history of my city is always apreciated.

"I can at least agree in one thing with my cousin, Francis I... He wants to win this war, and I want to win, too". - Charles I of Spain, and V of the HRE.

Oh look...Pavia...my city. Fun Fact: According to tradition when Francis I of France was taken prisoner he was brought to a nearby farm for refreshment (Cascina Repentita). Legend says that a peasant woman, finding nothing better to serve the illustrious guest, made a soup with the poor ingredients she had available at the moment, thus cooking a soup now known as "Zuppa alla Pavese", which became a sort of provincial dish in that part of Italy. Find online and try to cook. It's not bad.

Siglo de Oro Spain is one of my favorite periods! Looking forward to this one! 🇪🇸

One of my best friends is an Urbieta. A direct male line descendent of the man who captured the French king.

The history of Italy and France has always been interesting to me. Greetings to everyone from Azerbaijan.

I have learned about this by continually playing medieval 2 demo. It was such a great experience in 2006.

The Italian Wars. Fought bitterly for over 30 years by the Holy Roman Empire and France. Both sides claim ties by blood and deed to various Italian city states and seek dominion over all of Italy. Spain, joining forces with the Holy Roman Empire prompted a desparate France to launch an all out assault on Milan, the wealthiest Italian state. After successfully wresting Milan from Imperial control, King Francis moves his French army towards the last corner of Imperial resistance. The city of Pavia. King Francis waits in his camp with his formidable Gendarmes cavalry, near the main road into Pavia. He has deployed the majority of his army across the park, including a force of infantry to guard Mirabello manor. The greatest challenge awaiting the Imperial force is the heavily-guarded French cannons, positioned to protect the French King. However, all hope is not lost for Pavia's Imperial garrison. Even now, General Charles de Lannoy leads a relieving army of Imperial and Spanish troops. Amongst them musketeers and arquebusiers equipped with new, powerful firearms. Under orders from General de Lannoy, the Spanish army boldly moves to destroy the French cannons to the left of the manor. The Imperial forces move toward the French King's camp, determined to capture or kill the French sovereign. The Spanish musketeers shoulder their arms and move to support their Imperial comrades, bracing for the bloody battle to come. The situation for the Holy Roman Empire is desperate, but defeat against the ambitious French is not an option. Here. Today. At Pavia. THE EMPIRE MUST PREVAIL!

To be fair to the Swiss, Bicocca seems to be one of the few times in this conflict where attacking the well-defended enemy didn't work out.

Thank you for this video. I am familiar with English history from the Norman invasion and a bit about French history of the same period, but my understanding of the post Roman history of Europe is vague. My mother was born in Milan and often told us told us stories about Lombardy’s history. These stories remain a jumble in my mind. I am trying to remedy my confusion as my heritage is from northern Italy as my paternal grandparents were born in Schio, a small town north east of Lake Garda. Fortunately, the internet, including your channel, has been an excellent and entertaining teacher. My discipline is chemistry, but I love history, too.

The success of Spanish and Imperial arms at Pavia is a tribute to the doctrinal changes of Gonzalo de Cordoba, El Gran Capitan. It was he who changed the battlefield equation by introducing more aquebushes into the Spanish army. He believed that the outcome of wars was when your opponents army was destroyed. It is assumed that the principal Spanish commanders at Pavia started their careers as junior officers under De Cordoba or had been taught by his subordinates. Either way Pavia is a master piece.

You did cover this battle 3 years ago! That’s why the setup seemed familiar but W the quality obviously increased, good work

The Italian Wars are probably the peak of Spanish military dominion in Europe. Time and time again Spain time came out on top in this conflicts, despite gradually loosing allies and gaining enemies. It has always seemed super weird to me how Emperor Carlos is not more talked about outside of Spain and Germany, in my opinion he is a figure on par with any of the great emperors and conquerors of history. Loving the series btw.

The picture of Francesco Guicciardini at 6:49 is really a famous painting of Sir Thomas More, he is even wearing the chain of office of the Lord Chancellor of England. Checking google images there is one indeed page that mislabels the Moore painting as the Italian but it shows many accurate images of Francesco Guicciardini.

Great Video Kings And Generals. You are Number one 👑 ! Great Offensive 🇹🇷 (1922) And Kosovo War 🇽🇰🇦🇱 Please !

The Landsknecht Leader of the German side was called Jörg von Frundsberg and one of the most famous Landsknecht songs is about him and the battle of Pavia - "Jörg von Frundsberg führt uns an" or "Lerman vor Pavia"

was waiting for this battle for so long! anyone else remember playing this battle in the medieval 2 total war demo?

After the battle, he defeated and imprisoned Francis I in his desperate search for allies, he did something that at the time seemed unthinkable, he begged for the help of the Ottomans. The Swiss historian Carl Jacob Burckhardt (1891 - 1974) called "the sacrilegious union of the lily and the crescent", the alliance marked the first major undertaking between the Ottoman Empire and the Great Kingdoms of Europe. I would really like to see a documentary video made by you about this event, thanks and keep up the good work!

Although the main point of the video is the battles themselves, I must admit that I love seeing how you describe the political and strategic situation in the different maps that you show, being my favorite part of the video, you gave an excellent summary. The battle of Biocca is an example of why you cannot trust in making up the backbone of your army with mercenaries like the Swiss, the French paid dearly for that mistake; and with respect to Pavia (which is a fairly decisive battle by leaving control of Lombardy in Spanish hands), it seems to me an acceptable description, based on what you say about the contradictions that exist in the sources, an example being the debate of the number of the forces (others say that there were 32,000 on the French side, while on the Imperial side there were 22,000 outside the city) and the exact place of the combat, since the books I have read put the main confrontation in the northwest near Mirabello Castle, while to the East (the place where in the video you put the main confrontation) it is said that only the confrontation between the Landsknechts and the Swiss took place (the Germans, after defeating them, moved to the place where the main battle took place), everything else is practically the same as you describe: the entry of the Imperial army, the capture of Mirabello and the capture of the Spanish cannons. What I do think should be corrected in the video is that the Marquis of Pescara was not inside Pavia, but in his place was Antonio de Leyva, who remained under the command of the Garrison; Pescara, on the other hand, personally directed the entrance to the Park at dawn and the battle itself, which at first was only planned as a skirmish to cover the entry of supplies into the city, while leaving the French in a bad position to withstand the winter, forcing them to retreat, however in the end it became a huge pitched battle due to the determined French reaction.

This is one of the events that led to the Franco-Ottoman Alliance.

Interesting also the description of the battle of the Bicocca. The Bicocca is a Renaissance hunting pavilion still existing near to the Pirelli offices, and it gives the name to the entire neighborhood of “Bicocca” which is part of Milan today, and that’s where I live.😊

Spain and France: Hey Germans and Italians which side would you like to fight on? Germans and Italians: Yes.

Apparently in the battle of Pavia it was a basque from the province of Gipuzkoa, Juan de Urbieta (surname roughly meaning "Place with two waters" in basque) who captured the king of france

Interessting or curious use of the 1527 Holbein portrait of Sir Thomas More to represent Francesco Guicciardini on 6:51

Phew... there was an insane power struggle in Europe in those times. Great video and narrative 🙂👍

The icon of Francesco Guicciardini is actually the most famous portrait of st Thomas More of England.

Imagine your own soldiers going so kill crazy that you have to cut them down in order to take your enemy hostage. I mean...they got the message, if anything they were TOO enthusiastic.

The Duke of Gelre was called Charles (not Charles the Second) van Egmond. He fought in the Guelders Wars (de Gelderse Oorlogen) in the Low Countries with his Frisian allies against the Habsburg crown. It would be amazing if you guys could make a series about that war, which in my opninion has been overshadowed immensely by the 80 Years War, which started not long after.

Thank you for reporting on Italy!

I love this series. Please more

Italy exists European countries: “It’s free real estate”

I had a feeling on who would win from the start. Nice video. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

Great vid as usual guys, well done. Any chance you guys can put together something about the Assyrian-Kushite Wars. Not only does it feature hostilities between two fascinating yet extremely underrated civilizations (ancient Kush and the Neo-Assyrian empire) it's also one of the few ancient conflicts from those regions that are pretty well detailed. I've even read Pharaoh Taharqa's personal accounts from his engagements with the Assyrians. So should be doable, right? Right??

Great insight into the Battle of Pavia! The detailed account of the conflict and its aftermath provides valuable historical context. It's fascinating to see how such pivotal events shaped the course of European history during the Italian Wars.

King Charles: I am the Caesar of the Romans! Grand Prince Vasily III: I am the Caesar of the Romans! Sultan Suleiman: I am the Caesar of the Romans! All three of them at once: No! I am the TRUE Caesar of the Romans!

Looking forward to the rest of the series

Spain already controlled Naples and Sicily and after this and capturing Francis with the decisive victory of the Hispanic Monarchy won hegemony in Europe and in Christianity. Francis I later allied himself with the Pope to fight against the Hispanic Monarchy and the Holy Roman Empire, which caused Charles V to attack and loot Rome in 1527 (Sack of Rome). This came to an end when Francis's children were imprisoned in Madrid and the Cambrai peace treaty was signed, known as the peace of the ladies, since it was Louise de Savoie, and Margarita de Austria who carried out the negotiations, the result was that Spain obtained the Milanese, Burgundy, Flanders, Artois and Lens.

Great video. But to be absolutely fair and honest... after the German Lansknechts, Netherlandic infantry and Swiss mercenaries, it wouldn't kill you to say Spanish arquebusiers, would you? xD Especially since they were literally the deciding factor on both battles described. I absolutely love your channel and all the detail you put on the vast majority of your videos. But there's just that one single thing itching on my back while I watch. And is that when the matter regards to the Iberian Peninsula and its nations you suddenly become half blind. The maps become simplistic and sometimes blatantly wrong, the characters lack descriptions in comparison to the rest, they are barely mentioned when acting in coalition independently of their level of importance or participation, etc. Like that video of yours about the Battle of Cartagena de Indias, which I clicked on full of enthusiasm but finished absolutely disappointed for the lack of detail (or research) put on the winner side when compared to the loser side.

Such a great work! Can you imagine how strong Italy would have been if it was a united country? That's obviously a very wild fantasy

Great video! What a tempestuous period of European history.

Such a complex historical event, but yet again, explained in a clear and fun way !

Your videos are always great, but seeing this battle twice was just too sad for me.

Francis I: "There is no way they would attack... It is too audacious..." A french commander with common sense, replying the king: "There are spaniards in their ranks... To them, it just another tuesday".

It is surprising and a little disappointing that Georg von Frundsberg is not mentioned even once especially since the Battle of Pavia presumably was his greatest success before and during the Italian Wars. Charles III. de Bourbon took direct command over the 'Landsknechts' from von Frundsberg on 16th March 1527 at Bologna after the latter suffered a stroke. Under Prospero Colonna he fought the Swiss Reisläufer, as the captain of the 'Landsknechts', in the Battle of Biocca on 27th April 1522 during which the Swiss suffered such losses, in great part due to the Spanish arquebusiers and artillery, that they left the French army. During the Battle of Pavia he was in command of 6000 veterans from Swabia and Tyrol and seemingly had a notable impact on the Battle. Georg von Frundsberg was nominated 'field captain' of Tyrol by Maximilian I. and after forming a Pike based infrantry (Landsknechte) after the Swiss example (Reisläufer) was nicknamed Vater der Landsknechte (Father of the 'Landsknechts'). This obviously happened before Charles I. (Karl V. / Carlos I.) became Holy Roman Emperor. Georg von Frundsberg was a successfull field commander and military theorist. On the 17th April of 1521 he met Martin Luther in Worms and encouraged him.

The Italian wars are like not seemingly stopping drama episodes with new and unexpected results every time one side engage the other!

The manner in which narrator transitioned from the intro to the sponsorship was sooo smooth 👍

Fantastic again!

I love this period pretty much all across Europe. Great video.

Thank you Kings and Generals Team!

I think Francesco somehow has the portrait of Thomas Morus by Hans Holbein. Otherwise a great summary!

Yesss!! Loving this series!

I just watched the other Italian Wars videos and the old Pavia video yesterday, and was thinking, "They must be making a new Pavia video" , and here it is!

The EUIV soundtrack fits perfectly with the video!

Was thinking about this just yesterday.

Must be hard makeing a video about a SPAIN's great victory, trying to avoid saying Spain or Spanish... I give you that!

Amazing video, you could have talked about the Spanish tercio, created a few years before and really effective at bicoca and pavia

Great videos! Would like to see a documentary of the Haitian revolution which was an epic war. I think you would make it even more epic. Also the muslim conquest of Spain will also be a epic one to watch.

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

Keep it up guys love you’re content!

This is a great video but so confusing at the same time! Europe should have been focused on the ottomans!

RIP Chevalier de Bayard my ancestor D:

As someone with family roots in Abruzzo, and with family from Vasto in particular, I am very pleased by how well the condottieri from Abruzzo performed.

Pretty sure the image the video displays for Francesco Guicciardini is actually of Thomas More, may want to update or offer a caveat for accuracies sake. Great video!

I never knew Thomas More commanded the Papal army! XD

When’s the next Alexander’s conquest and the second part of the Greek independence? 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Damn those Swiss Mercenaries were fickle and impatient as hell 😂

Just wondering, have you made a video about the war of the bucket?

Now the Landsknecht song about this battle is stuck in my head

greetings from Pavia

Giavonni was such an opportunist.

Very nice video! I love it, keep up the very good work!

Awesome! Wonder with The Northman out in theaters will you guys do a Vikings series?

Congratulations. Great video.

cool man francis gets captured and his mama writes a letter to Suleiman I for help after that... can't wait the narration, I hope you guys will mention it!

Guns were such a game changer. Surprised that the French had not adapted them yet since they were so quick to use canons.

@8:31 The music is so intense here, feels like the build up to some great catastrophe.

What was Thomas More doing in Italy at this time lol?

Pope :Never make MUSLIM FRIENDS! SPAIN:OK FRANCE:OK FRANCE PLEASE ATTACK VIENNA OTTOMAN EMPIRE! OTTOMAN EMPIRE :OK SPAIN :PLEASE SFAVID EMPIRE ATTACK THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE! POPE :WHAT ARE YOU DOING😱😱😱? FRANCE :CAN'T HARE YOU POPE. SPAIN :CAN'T HARE YOU POPE.

This series are amazing 👌

Excellent video, just a small detail that was ringing to me a bit, namely the suppose death of the Chevalier de Bayard who did not die until several years later defending his lands in France, ironically located in the Provence region.

1525, Mirabello park near Pavia. The Italian Wars... fought bitterly for over thirty years by the Holy Roman Empire and France. Both sides claim ties by blood and deed to various Italian states and seek dominion over all of Italy. Spain joining forces with the Holy Roman Empire prompted a desperate France to launch an all out assault on Milan, the wealthiest Italian state. After successfully wrestling most of Milan from Imperial control, King Francis moves his French army toward the last corner of Imperial resistance, the city of Pavia. King Francis waits in his camp with his formidable Gendarmes cavalry, near the main road into Pavia. He has deployed the majority of his army across the park, including a force of infantry to guard Mirabello manor. The greatest challenge awaits the Imperial force is the heavily-guarded French cannons, positioned to protect the French King. However all hope is not lost for Pavia's Imperial garrison, even now General Charles de Lannoy leads a relieving army of Imperial and Spanish troops. Amonst them: Musketeers and Arquebusiers equipped with new powerful firearms. Under orders from General de Lannoy, the Spanish army boldly moves to destroy the French cannons to the left of the manor. The Imperial forces move toward the French King's camp, determined to capture or kill the French sovereign. The Spanish Musketeers shoulder their arms and move to support their Imperial comrades... bracing for the bloody battle to come. The situation for the Holy Roman Empire is desperate, but defeat against the ambitious French is not an option. Here... today... at Pavia. The Empire must prevail!

Hey! At 6:50, the person shown as Francesco Guicciardini is actually Thomas More

As a Spaniard it's always nice to hear how the French got their asses kicked P.S. C'est une blague, j'aime la France, mais mon coeur espagnol ne me permet pas de ne pas le faire 🇪🇦❤🇲🇫