The siege of Crema in 1514 was a significant military engagement set within the broader context of political and martial upheaval in early 16th-century Italy, particularly during the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

Background

French invasion and return to Venetian control

In the wake of the decisive

Battle of Agnadello The Battle of Agnadello, also known as Vailà, was one of the most significant battles of the War of the League of Cambrai and one of the major battles of the Italian Wars. Background On 15 April 1509, a French army under the command of Louis ...

in 1509, a French herald approached the walls of Crema, demanding the city's surrender under threat of siege and annihilation by the French army. After heated debate, the city's Grand Council, swayed by the eloquence and pressure of Socino Benzoni, opted for submission. The French appointed Bernardo Ricaudo as governor and the Milanese Pier Antonio Casati as

podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

, who formally welcomed King

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

on June 27, 1509. The king stayed for two days in the Benzoni Palace. The French occupation did little to quell longstanding tensions between the

Guelphs and Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...

, with the latter faction enjoying French protection. Arms smuggling flourished; Bernardino Bonzi, a boatman caught transporting weapons, was tried and brutally quartered. Fearing external Venetian loyalists intent on reclaiming Crema, and with supplies dwindling, the French governor Duras expelled all males aged 15 to 60. Meanwhile, Socino Benzoni, sent to secure provisions from a French camp between Este and Montagnana, was ambushed by

Stradioti The Stratioti or Stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of Southern Europe and Central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They were largely of Albanian origin (about 80%), others ...

mercenaries, taken to

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, and hanged. Many expelled ''Cremaschi'' fled to Montodine, where they received Venetian reinforcements. They regrouped near

Ombriano Ombriano (called Umbrià in the local dialect) is a village which forms a suburban district of Crema, in the province of Cremona, in the region of Lombardy in Italy. It is located 1.95 kilometers west of Crema proper, along the road to Lodi. H ...

, aiming to ambush French foraging parties raiding nearby villages. Additional support arrived as a tax of one-and-a-half

soldi "Soldi" (; ) is a song recorded by Italian singer Mahmood. It was released on 6 February 2019, as the fifth single from his debut studio album, '' Gioventù bruciata'' (2019). Mahmood co-wrote the song with Dario "Dardust" Faini and Charlie ...

funded the recruitment of

Bergamasque The Bergamasque dialect is the western variant of the Eastern Lombard group of the Lombard language. It is mainly spoken in the province of Bergamo and in the area around Crema, in central Lombardy. Bergamasque has official status in the p ...

infantry and

Val Trompia The Val Trompia (also: ''Valle Trompia'') is a slightly more than 50 km long valley in the Province of Brescia, northern Italy. It consists of the valleys of the river Mella and its tributaries, north of the city of Brescia. It is situated be ...

arquebusiers. Two camps were established at

and , complete with wooden bridges over the

Serio Serio may refer to: *Sério, a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil *Serio (river), a river in Lombardy, Italy ** Cascate del Serio *11022 Serio, a main belt asteroid People with the surname *José Sério (1922–2010), Portuguese footballer ...

river to pressure the occupiers. A peasant contingent, led by Franciscan friar Agostino Giliolo, encamped at Campagnola Cremasca. Venice then dispatched Captain

Renzo da Ceri Renzo da Ceri, true name Lorenzo dell'Anguillara (1475 or 1476 – January 1536) was an Italian condottiero. He was a member of the Anguillara family. Born in Ceri, a small village in Lazio (now part of Cerveteri), he was the son of Giovan ...

(Lorenzo Orsini), who constructed two bastions to intensify the siege. Inside Crema, troops and residents struggled, yet Duras resisted surrender, urged on by the pro-French Crema native Guido Pace Bernardi. However, French commander Benedetto Crivelli turned the tide: he assassinated his colleague Gerolamo da Napoli and negotiated with Renzo da Ceri, surrendering Crema to Venice on September 9, 1512. This capitulation narrowly preceded reinforcements led by Milanese captain Sante Robatto, who halted with 10,000 Swiss troops between Pandino,

Palazzo Pignano Palazzo Pignano (Eastern Lombard, Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Palazzo Pignano borders the follow ...

, and Scannabue. Outmaneuvered by the Venetians, he withdrew beyond the Adda river.

Shifting alliances

Crema remained heavily militarized, serving as a Venetian bridgehead to reclaim territories lost after Agnadello. In 1512, Cardinal

Matthäus Schiner Matthäus Schiner (or Schinner; – 1 October 1522) was a bishop of Sion, Cardinal and diplomat. He was a military commander in several battles in northern Italy. Biography He was born in Mühlebach (in what is now the Swiss canton of Valais ...

, newly appointed

Bishop of Novara The Diocese of Novara () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.Ercole Massimiliano Sforza to Milan. The city's authorities acquiesced to avoid a Swiss sack. Sforza entered via

Porta Ticinese Porta Ticinese (formerly known as Porta Cicca, and during Napoleonic rule as Porta Marengo)Porta Cicca' (in Italian) is a former city gate of Milan, Italy. The gate, facing south-west, was first created with the Spanish walls of the city, in the ...

, flanked by Schiner and Spanish general

Ramón de Cardona Ramon Folc de Cardona i Anglesola (Italian: ''Raimondo di Cardona'') (1467 – 10 March 1522) was a Catalan general and politician, who served as the viceroy of Naples during the Italian Wars and commanded the Spanish forces in Italy during the W ...

, a

Holy League Commencing in 1332, the numerous Holy Leagues were a new manifestation of the Crusading movement in the form of temporary alliances between interested Christian powers. Successful campaigns included the capture of Smyrna in 1344, at the Battle of ...

commander and Viceroy of Naples. Meanwhile,

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

urged Venice to cede

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

and

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

to Maximilian I, but the

Venetian Senate The Senate (), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, ), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or less likely shortly before that date. ...

indignantly refused, determined to recover all territories lost post-Agnadello. In a dramatic reversal, Venice allied with France in the League of

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

on March 23, 1513, aiming to divide Lombardy: France would claim the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

, while Venice would regain

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

and the Gera d'Adda. A Franco-Venetian army of 14,000 besieged Milan, forcing Sforza to retreat to

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

, defended by Swiss troops. Pursued by the coalition, they were routed at the

Battle of Novara (1513) The Battle of Novara (also known as the battle of Ariotta) was a battle of the War of the League of Cambrai fought on 6 June 1513, near Novara, in Northern Italy. A French attacking force was routed by allied Milanese–Swiss troops. As a consequ ...

, abandoning their Milanese ambitions. File:Schiner.jpg, Albert Anker, portrait of Cardinal

, 19th century. File:Massimiliano Sforza by G.A. de Predis (Donatus Grammatica).jpg,

Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis (c. 1455 – c. 1508) was an Italian Renaissance painter, illuminator and designer of coins active in Milan. Ambrogio gained a reputation as a portraitist, including as a painter of miniatures, at the court of ...

, portrait of Ercole Massimiliano Sforza as a child, ca. 1496–1499. File:Ramon Folch de Cardona.jpg, Anonymous author, portrait of

Viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, first for a short time by the King of France and later by Spain and the Hab ...

The siege

As Venetian forces retreated, Viceroy Cardona advanced into

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. Lacking troops to hold

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, and

, Renzo da Ceri fell back to Crema, though sorties enabled Bergamo's recapture. After the Battle of La Motta, Spanish condottiero

Prospero Colonna Prospero Colonna (1452–1523), sometimes referred to as Prosper Colonna, was an Italian condottiero. He was active during the Italian wars and served France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and various Italian states. His military career spanned ...

arrived with 3,000 infantrymen, encamping along the road to

Offanengo Offanengo ( Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Offanengo borders the following municipalities: Casaletto di Sopra, Cr ...

Silvio Savelli Silvio Savelli (died 1515) was an Italian condottiero. A member of the Savelli family of Rome, he was the brother of Troiano Savelli. After the initial baronial struggles against the Colonna and the Orsini, he was hired by the Republic of Flo ...

led an equal number of Milanese troops near

, bolstered by Cesare Fieramosca's cavalry and soldiers near

Pianengo Pianengo ( Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,474 and an area of .All ...

. Raids for supplies displaced peasants, with some 36,000 crowding beneath Crema's walls in dire sanitary conditions, triggering a plague that killed at least 16,000. Around 400 citizens—mostly nobles and monks—fled to Lodi,

Abbadia Cerreto Abbadia Cerreto (Western Lombard: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) located southeast of Milan and southeast of Lodi in the Province of Lodi, Lombardy, Italy. Abbadia Cerreto borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo Cremasco, Crespiatica, ...

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

, or

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, some bribing guards or disguising themselves as peasants. Renzo da Ceri fortified the Basilica of Santa Maria della Croce, razing nearby homes and trees, and repelled Fieramosca's assaults. By August 1514, Crema's populace faced starvation, and funds for soldiers ran dry. Da Ceri seized treasures from the

Mount of Piety A mount of piety is an institutional pawnbroker run as a charity in Europe from Renaissance times until today. Similar institutions were established in the colonies of Catholic countries; the Mexican Nacional Monte de Piedad is still in operation ...

and Santa Maria, minting "''petacchie''" coins (15 Milanese

) bearing St. Mark's image.. Facing imminent surrender, Da Ceri launched a desperate offensive on the night of August 25–26. He split his forces: Antonio Pietrasanta and Baldassarre da Romano led two groups outside Porta Ombriano; Giacomo Micinello's 100 horsemen rode toward

Capergnanica Capergnanica ( Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan, about south of Bergamo and about northwest of Cremona. The municipality of Capergnanica conta ...

; Andrea Matria, with 700 infantrymen and 400 peasants, circled the Moso swamp via Trescore Cremasco and Scannabue to reach Bagnolo. Da Ceri and

Bartolomeo Contarini guarded Porta Serio to counter Colonna's potential relief.. File:Assedio-crema-1514-dislocazione-accampamenti.jpg, The dislocation of the encampments around the city File:Assedio-crema-1514-azione-finale.jpg, Simplified diagram of the final assault on Milanese and Swiss forces Matria's troops struck Savelli's camp from behind at midnight. Caught off-guard—many sentries asleep—the Milanese were slaughtered or burned in flaming tents. A thousand Swiss held the Roggia Alchina line until pro-''Cremaschi'' reinforcements overwhelmed them. The enemy positions collapsed. Colonna, uninformed and possibly mistaking the fires for Savelli's doing, did not intervene. Da Ceri spared Colonna's camp, which withdrew to

Romanengo Romanengo ( Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Romanengo borders the following municipalities: Casaletto di Sopra, Iz ...

. The was razed to deny Colonna a foothold. On August 26, Da Ceri presented three captured Milanese banners and artillery to the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the locals looted the defeated camp and killed the survivors.

References

Bibliography