CASUALTY RECORD // June 16, 1513
Battle of Novara
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
2 sides catalogued · combined 6,500 estimated
Kingdom of France
5,000
Medium-confidence figure
Duchy of Milan
1,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Novara, fought on 16 June 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai, resulted in a severe French defeat at the hands of Milanese forces under Maximilian Sforza. The disparity between the opposing forces was extreme: French forces under Louis de la Trémoille numbered between 1,200 and 1,400, against a Milanese army estimated at between 11,000 and 20,000. French casualties of approximately 5,000 — far exceeding the size of the recorded French force, which may indicate incomplete force figures or the inclusion of routed troops — dwarfed Milanese losses of around 1,500. The engagement represented a significant check on French military power in northern Italy at a moment when the broader League of Cambrai conflict was reshaping the political balance of the peninsula.
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