Siege of Florence

Significance

The Siege of Florence, beginning November 3, 1529, was a central episode in the War of the League of Cognac, in which the Holy Roman Empire sought to reassert control over Florence and restore Medici authority against the Florentine Republic. The imperial force was commanded by Philibert of Orange alongside Pier Maria III de' Rossi and Ferrante I Gonzaga, while the republic's defense fell to Francesco Ferrucci and Malatesta Baglioni. The siege represented the culmination of Habsburg efforts to reduce the last significant Italian holdout following the broader imperial ascendancy established by the Sack of Rome in 1527 and the subsequent collapse of the League of Cognac's military position on the peninsula.

Commanders (5)