Siege of Padua (1509)

Infobox Military Conflict


caption=
partof=War of the League of Cambrai
conflict=Siege of Padua
date=September 15 - 30, 1509
place=Padua, present-day Italy
result=Venetian victory
combatant1=Holy Roman Empire,
France,
Papal States
combatant2=Republic of Venice
commander1=Maximilian I
commander2=Nicolo di Pitigliano,
Andrea Gritti
strength1=40,000,
120-200 cannon
strength2=15,000
casualties1=
casualties2=

The Siege of Padua was a major engagement early in the War of the League of Cambrai.

On July 17, 1509, Venetian forces commanded by Andrea Gritti seized the city of Padua, which had been garrisoned by some landsknechts hired by Emperor Maximilian I. The emperor, whose forces had just captured the city several months before, raised an army, composed mainly of mercenaries, and invaded the Veneto in an attempt to reclaim Padua.

In early August 1509, Maximilian set out from Trento with an army of some 35,000 men and headed south into Venetian territory; there he was joined by French and Papal contingents. Due to a lack of horses, and generally poor organization, the army did not reach Padua until mid-September, which allowed Nicolo di Pitigliano to concentrate what remained of Venice's army after Agnadello, as well as several companies of volunteers from Venice, in the city.

The siege began on September 15. For two weeks, Imperial and French artillery bombarded the city, successfully breeching the walls; but the attacking troops were driven back by determined Venetian resistance when they attempted to enter. By September 30, Maximilian, unable to pay his mercenaries, lifted the siege; leaving a small detachment in Italy under the Duke of Anhalt, he withdrew to Tyrol with the main part of his army. The defeat was a major loss of face for Maximilian, and the Holy Roman Empire would not attempt another invasion of Italy until 1516.

References

* Norwich, John Julius. "A History of Venice". New York: Vintage Books, 1989. ISBN 0-679-72197-5.
* Taylor, Frederick Lewis. "The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529". Westport: Greenwood Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8371-5025-6.