Battle of Pavia (1525) - Italian Wars DOCUMENTARY 

Show notes: 0. If a particular video is popular, we have a reason to produce more content in that era, so sharing the videos you like is a good idea. :-) 1. This is one of the most frustrating periods of the world history, things change fast and it is extremely difficult to explain everything. But, as usual, we will be here to answer any and all of your questions, don't hesitate to ask them. 2. The main problem of the period is the Holy Roman Empire. Technically all of Germany, Austria, Northern Italy (not Venice), Benelux, Provence, Czechia, Slovakia, probably other places that I can't remember right now, were part of the empire. But practically it was a conglomerate of states and different princes within it might support the emperor or fight against him. In the case of this video, by 1520s Spanish Trastamara and German (Austrian) Habsburg dynasties had the same heir - Charles I of Spain, and he ushered a centuries-long era of the Spanish-Habsburg rule. Technically, Spain wasn't part of the Holy Roman Empire, but practically the same person ruled Spain, Austria, Benelux and other territories. 3. Most of Burgundy was part of the Empire, but it was ruled by the French lords for centuries at that point, Charles the Bold was a cousin to Louis XI, for instance. Culturally both Burgundy and Flanders (Benelux) were French, but as they were also part of the empire, that made the wars over it inevitable. You can trace these wars all the way to the WWII. 4. We keep calling the forces of de Lannoy "Spanish", and that is historically correct. At that point, the Habsburg dynasty shifted from "German" to "Spanish", and often the seat of power was in Spain. Still, it is worth mentioning that majority of troops in both armies were from Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, with the exceptions like the tercios and gendarmes, of course. This particular battle was a mess on a tactical level, so the famous tercios were not able to fight in their preferred style, but, as promised, we will cover the evolution of these armies. 5. The alliance between the French and the Ottomans is fascinating, we will talk about it more in our Ottoman series.

Italy: "Alright guys, let's have some peace and stability, cmon" *Austria,Spain,France and Ottomans joined the game*

Fun fact: Richard De la Pole, nephew of Richard III and Edward IV and last member of the House of York to actively seek the throne of Throne of England died in this battle.

The Italian Wars was one of the most under rated occurrences in history in terms of historical significance, the first great international leagues in european history, the first official state marine force in history, the first integrated fire arms units in history etc.... Here in the U.S. the Italian Wars were never mentioned once in grades 1-12, please Kings and Generals, cover this time period for us more.

Sad that the Italian Wars are mostly unknown... well done on showing a subject like this

Now this is the kind of battle I love hearing about. Relatively obscure period, lots of political backstabbing, complex military maneuvers, high stakes.

The size of the war is nearly the size of the hapsburgian chin

-30% shock damage unlocked from Spanish Tercio.

Spanish Tercios were awesome killing machines on those times. Hope you make more videos about that. Great job!

4:11 The battle of Bicocca was so one-sided towards the Spanish troops (with more firepower and having the high ground) that in Spanish we say something easy to obtain "is a Bicocca". Really, the Spanish troops only suffered 1 casualty: one soldier who was wounded by a mule.

3:53 ''And that made a war inevitable'

When the Landknechts were created by Maximilian of Habsburg, he created them as mercenary regiments, to save money in peacetime. Still they had a rule: never to oppose the German Emperor in battle. Francis managed to hire a regiment tho, a "black" regiment of Landsknechts. When the Landsknechts of both sides met at Pavia, the black regiment was killed to the last man for their treason.

It's fascinating how they still used the pike as a primary weapon during this awesome battle!

As a spanish gotta love this battle 😉 Awesome work

I am a classical archaeologist and I find your videos to be not only informative, but also of very high quality. Thank you so much for giving the breakdown of the battles AND the background.

Les "agradezco muchísimo" el detalle de poner también aquí subtítulos en español... lo de hacerlo en árabe sobre una batalla librada por mi país en suelo europeo, pero no en mi idioma, lo entiende cualquiera. Siendo además una clásica entre las habidas durante la época imperial española qué menos que subtitularla en la jerga de Simbad (esto seguro que debió de pergeñarlo a propósito alguno de ustedes). Siguen demostrando ese "especial afecto" que llevan quinientos años profesando a España y a todo lo español, y digo ésto porque el acento del narrador me suena a británico (el mismo acento del indeseable que le dijo a Parker a propósito de su obra sobre la Gran Armada, Invencible para ustedes, que no le interesaba la realidad histórica sino el uso que Inglaterra había hecho de ella para su propio beneficio; es decir: mentir). Mi lengua, por si no lo saben (lo saben pero les importa en la proporción entre el cero y la nada), es una de las principales habladas en el mundo, literariamente está a la altura de la inglesa (y estoy siendo generoso en la afirmación), e históricamente mi patria no es menos en ningún concepto que la de ustedes por más que se hayan pasado la vida denostándola, eso cuando no mintiendo sobre ella sin empacho alguno (el juicio último es de Stanley G. Payne). No es la primera vez que hacen ustedes esto de omitir en su serie los subtítulos en la lengua de Cervantes, y lo lamento tanto como no lo entiendo por mi condición de español y enamorado de la Historia... porque en otros videos sí los han hecho constar pese a ser batallas libradas por otras potencias (Friedland, por ejemplo). No obstante les felicito por la enorme calidad de su trabajo y les deseo de todo corazón que vendan muchas tazas y camisetas. Reciban un cordial saludo. Allahu akbar.

François was a very interesting king. He began as the traditionnal knight-king, and ended up as a great patron of the arts. Since these are both things that cost a lot of money, one could say he was the most Valois of all the Valois kings, a notoriously spending dynasty.

That moment when you are fighting the spanish but is El Siglo de Oro

I think that the Battle of Biccoca would be a very good video demonstrating the superiority of the newly incorporated arcabuz (guns) and mobility over the static pikes of the Swiss mercenaries. In the battle it is said that only one spaniard died (and that due to a kick from a donkey, not by the enemy) and 3.000 swiss pikemen died. It was a turning point in warfare. Even today in modern Spanish a good bargain is called a "bicoca."

The French/Hapsburg rivalry would define European history for the next 400 years.

This must have been frustrating to do! Anyhow, good job on it. As usual, top notch quality from a top notch channel. A big WELL DONE to all you guys and gals at Kings and Generals, you deserve it.

"Of all things there remains to me only honor and life which is safe." - Francis I in a letter to his mother, Louise of Savoy, during his captivity. (Also the origin of the popular misquote "All is lost save honor".) Great job! I'm assuming Marignano will be eventually covered, but will other events such as the Battle of Fornovo and the League of Cambrai, or that the French invasion of Italy in 1494 were supposedly among the first to incorporate cannons into their army be discussed as well?

Very well explained and all, but just a thing: the Kingdom of Navarre was part of Spain since 1512.

*Absolutely Nobody* Spain in the XVI Century: *𝗖𝗢𝗪𝗔𝗕𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗔 𝗜𝗧 𝗜𝗦*

Wow..italian war series ..awesome work Kings and Generals

I definetly was waiting for this first time pike and shot tactics were used and one of first modern wars

Yeah do more about tercios and italian wars. Like Ceriñola, Garigliano, Gravelines, St-Quentin and many more 😊

Greetings from Pavia!

A very interesting and intricate period of history, thoroughly told. I love these videos!

YES, Another Kings and General video. Time to dine like a King and listen like a General.

Just as messy as Italy’s politics

Thank you K&G for this excellent video! I truly cannot wait for future Italian Wars videos. The Borgia’s, the Sforza’s, the Medici, and of course the Habsburg and the Valois... it doesn’t get more political than this. “There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.” -Machiavelli

One of the Most decisive yet still one of the most underrated wars in Europe.It Shaped Military and Political History of Europe For Generations to Come.

I was looking forward to see a video about the tercios

I just love the Battle of Pavia, and thank you Kings and Generals for making a vid on it.

Yes!! One of my favorite periods in history! I love Renaissance Italy and its politics/art/warfare. More please!

Interesting trivia : this battle ended up giving the french word "lapalissade" (the equivalen of truism, when you say obvious things with too many words), due to a song about the deceased general La Palice. "Alas, La Palice is dead He fell before Pavia Alas, if he wasn't dead He would still be alive now" (Hélas, La Palice est mort il est mort devant Pavie Hélas, s'il n'était pas mort Il serait encore en vie).

Felt so excited when I saw this was uploaded. Last week I mentioned that the Battle of Pavia is the battle I’d like to see most when K&G asked us to answer some questions about the channel, so for it to be the next video had made me so happy.

For centuries, the strategic dilemma of France has been the following: either increase its land forces to win against the continental states, and then lose the seas for the benefit of England. Either increase its fleet to compete with England but risk weakening against the continental powers. Prussia, Austria, Poland or Russia had almost no navy. England had only a weak infantry (after 1453 it could only intervene on the continent with the support of coalition). For its part, France had to make efforts in both areas.

Perfect video. You need to make one about the Battles of Cerignola and Garellano. The last of the medieval battles, and the first of the modern age

Finally a Spanish battle,nice one!

Man I love this period, Landsknechts, Swiss Mercenaries, pike and shot and all that! I'm very excited to learn more about the Italian wars. I've tried to on my own in the past, but I got lost in all the reading, and it easily gets confusing. Thank you guys!

The pope is Clement VII, not XII. Anyway great video

The Italian Wars are a fascinating topic. Well done K&G, if anything only for approaching such a period. Kudos!

Medieval 2:Total War "The Battle of PARviAHH"

The capital of Aragon was Zaragoza, not Barcelona. Also, the capital of Castille was not yet Madrid.

A little fact : The picture of Suleiman at the end of the video is his earliest known portrait, made in his first years of reign and probably by one of Bellini's (he made the famous portrait of Mehmed 2) students.

Bro I know I am asking much but hear me out, these video's are seriously addicting. We demand more because we NEED it!! Keep up this fantastic piece of art.

3 Guarantees in this life: 1) Taxes 2) My wife's spending 3) A wicked awesome upload from Kings and Generals when I log in on Monday Mornings Cheers!

FINALLY... i have been waiting for this, since i subscribed.. thank you, and good job!!.. the italian wars are mostly unknow, but are a very important part of the history.. "the empire where the sun never sets"

I was waiting for this episode, I love the Italians wars period. Great video K&G, keep it up 👍🏽

In the battle of Biccoca the spanish only lose 1men.

France vs Central Europe - part 1 of 100 - Episodes may be staring: Austria, the Germans and in the East Russia, and to the West, Spains and then to the North, England!

A Kings and Generals video a day keeps boredom away.

The italian wars would be the perfect setting for the next TOTAL War SAGA

Really cool video, the narrator keeps you interested in the story and the visuals clarify very well what's going on. Very good job on this one!

Ah! One of the most awesome battles of the age! I am a huge golden century Spain fan.

I would have loved to have known more about this time in history. Nice job to whoever made this video a reality.

French scouts basically handed the win to the Habsburgs

Great topic to make a video thanks kings and generals

Hi! I forgot to mention in the questionary that i am very interested in the great siege of malta!!

I remember this battle being briefly mentioned in the tv show the tudors. Nice job of explaining what really happened

Hey. Love your videos. Could you please make a video on the Battle of Cannae? I feel like we don't learn much about Carthage or Hannibal Barca in history classes. It'd be amazing to see a video from you guys about it.

I know this battle for so long... But I never had a complet vision of the battle like this. Great job.

I enjoyed this video I love the Italian Wars and the rivalry between France and the Holy Roman Empire. I was wondering if you are working on a series dealing with the Thirty Year War of 1618-1648?

great video , thankyou. 3 battles were important in this period: Garellano 1503,Ceriñola 1523,Bicoca 1522 Would be great if you can make video about this

Next battle of Lepanto please

The visual detail here is amazing, a real eye candy. I'm also happy to hear of the Italian wars, very interesting time. There are other interesting things to cover in Italy earlier in the middle ages BTW- The early Muslim raids, Charlemegne's war against Desiderius the Lombard, The Viking Sack of Luna, The Arab and Norman conquests in Sicily and the south. Very eventfull location all in all.

I would love to visit Visconti Park today.

This battle is one of the historical battles in Medieval II. Back then, it was the first battle I managed to beat, lol.

We've got the Valois in the left corner the Habsburg in the rigt corner as they try to outmarry and outwar each other.

Hell yeah. Please do more on Charles V's battles and wars. (Same with ones in Spanish history). Charles V is my favorite monarch in all history and I am overjoyed that you are having him here now. For the Italian Wars (1494 to 1504) please go into special detail on the great genius and Machiavellian tactics of Ferdinand and Isabel the Catholic as well as the military victories of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba. You should talk about the other wars during Charles's reign, such as the attacks on France, the siege of Algiers, battles against the Ottomans, etc. The Schmalkadic War.

Nice to see a battle that shows the military might of the Spanish. I feel they are currently the most underestimated historical power. It makes sense in that their final rival was the American "Empire" (Phillipines, Puerto Rico, Pacific Marianas, Formosa/Taiwan/Taipei). The winner writes history and they've written out the Spanish as a historical power.

Hey I suggested this a few days ago in the survey, awesome! There's quite a lot of interesting battles in this period, interesting to see Charles V fight the French, Ottomans, Princes, and colonize the new world at the same time.

Thank you Kings and Generals for your remarkable work! Would you like the idea to do a video on the siege of Vienna in 1683 as well? Clearly, that's a fascinating story and a decisive moment for european history. Btw: Today was the 335th comemoration of the lift of the siege :)

Thank you a lot Kings and Generals, I asked you months ago for Italian wars, and you're doing it =)

Great quality!

I remember watching this series of events play out in the Spanish show Carlos Rey Emperador. It was really good and I recommend it.

Sometime,if I ever tired of fantasy show on netflix, I came here for the real story of humanity

Again you guys attempted to upload right before my shift. Little did you know I have the day off and can watch immediately!

What a duo François and Charles made. Both were warrior-kings and lovers of the arts. Both were french and shared a common ancestry. And they spent 25 years fighting and plotting to find out who was better.

More videos on the Italian Wars please!!

3% battery left.. i should put them to good use

Are the Italian wars gonna come back?? This series looks very interesting and I hope that you will be able to get back to it in the future 🙏

I wonder how the peasants felt living in the disputed areas. Having your livelihood and nationality constantly changing all because some greedy Kings kept fighting

What a complex battle, awesome video man

Maybe the french have the best calvary in history. But the spanish have the best unit that counters that particular unit

Favorite time period, more shows like this please!!

Letter of Suleiman The Magnificent to Francis I “I, sultan of sultans, king of kings, the shadow of God who bestows the crown to the monarchs on earth, the supreme ruler of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the Balkans and Anatolia, Azerbaijan, Damascus and Halep, Egypt, Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem, and all of the Arab dominions, and Yemen, and the sultan and the supreme king of many nations, I am the son of Sultan Selim Khan and grandson of Sultan Bayezid Khan, and you, King Francis, are the governor of the French province. You have sent to my Gate, the sanctuary of many kings, a letter by the hand of your faithful servant Frangipani. He has made known to me how the enemy overran your country, so you are now a captive. You have asked aid, for your deliverance. All this your saying having been set forth at the foot of my throne, which controls the world. Your situation has gained my imperial understanding in every detail, and I have considered all of it. There is nothing astonishing in emperors being defeated and made captive. Keep your heart content and do not grieve. In these situations our glorious predecessors and illustrious ancestors, may God keep alight their tombs, never ceased from making war to drive back their foe and conquer his lands. We ourselves have followed their path; we have at every time conquered provinces and citadels both great in strength and in difficulty of approach. By night as well as by day our horse is always saddled, and our saber ever girded on. May God the Most High advance righteousness! May His will, whatsoever it portends, be accomplished. For the rest, ask it from your envoy and be informed. Know that it will be as said.”

Thankyou! Enjoyed very much! Always enjoy the channel! Have a good morning.

I kindly request you do a video on the Somali/Ottoman vs Portuguese wars. Thanks.

Great work so many things i don't about this period. Continue the excellent work

Santiago!!!!

Thanks for the great video!. I really love this period of the history of Europe

Make more 16th and 17th century related videos

Please continue with this series Kings and Generals!

It's strange how long the Ottoman's reigned. In several videos you have done in different centuries of European history, the Ottomans have always played a part. Then to think they continued up to around WWI in the 20th Century. Looking forward to more of your future videos, keep it up!

Awesome video! Quick comment - Pamplona (Navarra) was already part of Spain when Charles the I was king of Spain

After the letter of French Queen Regent Louise, Sultan Suleyman established a campaign against Hungary, which was close ally of the Habsburgs, to broke Habsburg hegemony over Europe. He defeated Hungarian Army at Mohacs within 2 hours and dispatched Habsburg forces in Europe. You should make a documentary as soon as possible about this battle in your Ottomans series! By the way this video is very good 👍🏻

The Italian Wars are a great topic of exploration and analysis. I can't wait for the next installment.