List of maps ix
Preface to the second edition x
List of abbreviations for archives used xi
Introduction 1
1. The genesis of the wars and the first French expedition 6
Charles VIII and his inheritance 6
French interests in Italy 8
King Ferrante of Naples and the other Italian powers 9
Preparations for the Italian enterprise 12
The final months 14
The reactions of the Italian powers 16
The march to Naples 19
The French in Naples 27
The French retreat and the Battle of Fornovo 29
The French loss of Naples 32
2. Milan and Naples overwhelmed, 1496-1503 42
Maximilians expedition to Italy, 1496 43
The Pisan War, 1495-9 44
Preparations for the French invasion of Milan 46
The French conquest of Milan, 1499-1500 51
The return and final defeat of Ludovico Sforza 54
France as an Italian power 57
The conquest of Naples 62
The Spanish expulsion of the French from Naples 66
3. The conflict widens 86
Florence and Pisa 88
Ferdinand in Naples 91
Louis in Italy, 1507 93
The genesis of the League of Cambrai 96
The beginning of the War of the League of Cambrai 99
The Battle of Agnadello and its consequences 101
The Venetian rally 105
The campaign against Venice in 1510 108
Julius II and the French 109
The campaign in the Veneto in 1511 113
The Holy League 115
The Battle of Ravenna 119
The expulsion of the French 121
4. New orders struggling to be born, 1512-19 134
The restoration of the Medici to Florence 135
The settlement in Milan 136
The Venetians stand apart 137
The French invasion of Milan, 1513 138
War in the Veneto 141
Diplomatic conflict over Lombardy 143
The advent of Francis I and the conquest of Milan, 1515 145
The invasion of Milan by Maximilian and the Swiss, 1516 150
Final stages of the war against Venice, 1515-16 151
The quest for a Medici principate 153
The Imperial election 154
5. The contest for supremacy in Italy, 1520-9 161
The expulsion of the French, 1521-2 162
The claims of the Empire 167
The French return to Milan, 1523-4 168
Francis I's second expedition to Italy, 1524-5 170
The Battle of Pavia 172
The aftermath of the Battle of Pavia 175
The Imperial takeover of the duchy of Milan 176
The League of Cognac 177
The Sack of Rome 183
The war in Lombardy, 1527-8 187
The invasion of Naples, 1528 189
The last campaign in Lombardy, 1528-9 193
The Treaties of Barcelona and Cambrai 195
6. Testing the boundaries, 1529-47 204
Charles V and Clement VII in Bologna, 1529-30 205
The siege of Florence, 1529-30 207
The second Congress of Bologna, 1532-3 212
Francis I's designs on Italy 214
The devolution of Milan 216
The French invasion of Savoy and Piedmont, 1536 216
Charles V's journey through Italy, 1535-6 217
Charles V and Francis I again at war in Italy, 1536-7 219
Truce and peace 222
The renewal of the war in Piedmont, 1542-4 225
The Peace of Crépy, 1544 229
The promotion of Spanish interests in Italy 230
7. The French challenge, 1547-59 240
The War of Parma and Mirandola, 1551-2 242
The war in north-west Italy, 1551-2 245
Charles V at bay 246
The War of Siena, 1552-5 248
The transfer of power in Italy from Charles to Philip 255
War from the sea 256
Corsica 258
The war in north-west Italy, 1552-6 259
The alliance between France and the papacy 262
Alba's invasion of the Papal States, 1556 264
The expedition of the due de Guise, 1557 266
The final phase of the wars 270
The Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis 273
8. The transformation of war 284
Weapons and the balance of arms 285
The impact of gunpowder weapons 289
Fortifications and siegecraft 291
Permanence and professionalism 292
Training and skills 295
Tactics and strategy 297
Leadership 298
The war at sea 301
The experience of war 301
9. The resources of war 310
Recruitment and mobilization 311
The ordinances: muster and control 314
Billeting 316
Supply 317
Pay 321
Naval resources 323
The costs of war 325
10. Propaganda and images of war 333
French Italy 334
Imperial Italy 340
The papacy at war 345
The woes of Italy 347
11. The legacies of the wars 360
Economic consequences 361
A new state system 367
An oppressed nation? 371
The transformation of military society 375
Italy in the Spanish empire 380
Index 390