Battle of Bicocca

Overview

The Battle of Bicocca or La Bicocca was fought on 27 April 1522, during the Italian War of 1521–26. A combined French and Venetian force under Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, was decisively defeated by an Imperial–Spanish and Papal army under the overall command of Prospero Colonna. Lautrec then withdrew from Lombardy, leaving the Duchy of Milan in Imperial hands.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Bicocca delivered a decisive check to French ambitions in northern Italy during the Italian War of 1521–1526. A combined French and Venetian force under Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, was routed by an Imperial–Spanish and Papal army commanded by Prospero Colonna, with French casualties reaching approximately 3,000 against a force of between 19,000 and 31,000 engaged. The immediate strategic consequence was Lautrec's withdrawal from Lombardy, which left the Duchy of Milan in Imperial hands. Control of Milan was the central territorial prize of the Italian War of 1521–1526, and its consolidation under the Holy Roman Empire following Bicocca represented a major shift in the balance of power in the peninsula, confirming Imperial dominance in Lombardy at France's expense for the subsequent phase of the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)