The siege of Naples was a siege of the Italian city of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1528 during the

War of the League of Cognac The War of the League of Cognac (1526–1530) was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V—primarily the Holy Roman Empire and Spain—and the League of Cognac, an alliance including the Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Re ...

Course

In April 1528, the French commander Odet de Foix laid siege to the city while

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. From 1528 until his death, Doria exercised a predominant influe ...

's nephew Filippino organised a naval blockade. The site of the French camp is now occupied by the Cemetery of the 366 Fossae. The hill on which it stood is now known as Poggioreale, but was once called monte di Leutrecco or Lo Trecco, using de Foix's Italian nickname. It was also later mangled into 'Trivice', which was then incorrectly transliterated into Italian as 'Tredici'. Towards the end of April, Antonio Grumello, Cronaca, Lib.10, cap.15 Naples' governor

Hugo of Moncada Hugo de Moncada (also Ugo de Moncada), (born Chiva, Valencia, circa 1476 - died Gulf of Salerno, 28 April 1528) was a Spanish political and military leader of the late 15th and early 16th century. He served as General of Ocean and Land, Viceroy ...

was killed by two

arquebusier An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

s and thrown into the sea during an unsuccessful attempt to break through the naval blockade and reach the

Gulf of Salerno The Gulf of Salerno (Italian language, Italian: ''Golfo di Salerno'') is a gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the coast of the province of Salerno in south-western Italy. The northern part of this coast is the Costiera Amalfitana, which ends at Punt ...

. During the battle Alfonso III d'Avalos was captured - he played a decisive part in the later negotiations for Doria's defection.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

appointed

Philibert of Chalon Philibert de Chalon (18 March 1502 – 3 August 1530) was the last Prince of Orange from the House of Chalon. Biography Born at Nozeroy to John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Philibert served Emperor Charles V as commander in Italy, fighting in the Wa ...

Moncada's replacement as governor. On 22 May, Orazio di Giampaolo Baglioni and his Black Bands were ambushed by a squad of

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was ...

s near the river Sebeto, with Baglioni killed by a pike thrust. On 4 July, Doria lifted the naval blockade after

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

switched allegiance to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

in exchange for the liberation and subjugation of

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

. Francesco Guicciardini, ''Storia d'Italia '', libro XIX, cap. 4 In summer 1528, de Foix destroyed the Bolla Aqueduct to try to starve out Naples' garrison. However, this turned the surrounding areas into marshes which combined with the summer heat to cause a fatal epidemic among the French forces. Many died, including de Foix himself on 15 August, passing command of the French force to Louis, Count of Vaudémont, who also died of illness a few days later, passing the command this time to marquis Michele Antonio di Saluzzo. The French gave up the siege at the end of August and tried to withdraw to

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical dome ...

, but were intercepted by an Imperial force, which captured Charles of Navarre and the famous military engineer Pietro Navarro. Navarro was imprisoned in

Castel Nuovo Castel Nuovo (; ; 'New Castle'), often called Maschio Angioino (; ; ' Angevin Keep'), is a medieval castle located in front of Piazza Municipio and the city hall ( Palazzo San Giacomo) in central Naples, Campania, Italy. Its scenic location and ...

, where he was strangled or hanged later that month.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naples, Siege of, 1528 Sieges involving France Sieges involving Spain Sieges involving the Holy Roman Empire Sieges involving the Papal States Sieges involving the Republic of Genoa Sieges involving the Republic of Venice Military history of Campania Siege of Naples (1528) Conflicts in 1528 Conflicts in 1529 Sieges of the Italian Wars

Siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

War of the League of Cognac