Italian Wars

Wars in Italy from the 15th to 16th centuries

The Italian Wars, often known as the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a long series of wars fought between 1494 and 1559 in Italy during the Renaissance.[1]

Italian Wars
Part of the French–Habsburg rivalry

Detail of a tapestry depicting the Battle of Pavia, woven from a cartoon by Bernard van Orley (c. 1531).
Date1494–1498; 1499–1501; 1502–1504; 1508–1516; 1521–1530; 1536–1538; 1542–1546; 1551–1559
Location
Italian Peninsula (primarily), France, Germany, Spain, and the Low Countries
Result
  • Treaties of Noyon and Brussels (1516)
    • French rule in the Duchy of Milan recognized by the Holy Roman Empire
    • Spanish rule in the Kingdom of Naples recognized by France
    • Republic of Venice retains the Domini di Terraferma
  • Congress of Bologna (1530)
  • Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559)
    • Philip II of Spain recognised as Duke of Milan and King of Naples
    • Henri II of France gains the Three Bishoprics, Calais, and various fortresses
    • Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I retains the Imperial feudal network in Italy
    • Savoyard state under Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy; Genoa retains Corsica; Florence annexes Siena
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders

The conflicts involved the major powers of Italy and Europe.

References