CADORE, REPUBLIC OF VENICE ~ FEBRUARY 1508
It’s a cold winter’s day, the wind is howling through the Alpine valley, blowing the snow like daggers against the Venetian mercenaries, who keep warm as best they can. It has been a tough march north for them, and orders have come down from their commander, the famed mercenary captain Bartolomeo d’Alviano, forbidding retreat or desertion on pain of death. Rewards have been offered to anyone who kills a deserter. Furthermore, Alviano has offered rich rewards for those who fight bravely in the upcoming battles.
Huddled by themselves not far away are a group of Stratioti, the Balkan horsemen that make up a large portion of Alviano’s army. Alviano has appealed to their penchant for decapitating their foes, and offered to pay them a golden ducat for each enemy head they lay at his feet.
The snows have barely cleared before the order comes to march again. Their destination is Pieve di Cadore, a small castle perched atop of a rocky fist, with access on only one side via a winding path towards the front gate.
Nearby, the Imperials lie in wait. The Landsknecht are germanic infantry from the Holy Roman Empire, theoretically loyal to their Emperor, Maximilian Habsburg, although most of them will happily fight for the highest bidder. The Landsknecht are famed for their battlefield bravery almost as much as for their eccentric personalities and colourful clothing. Wielding mostly pikes, halberds, and the gigantic two-handed zweihander greatswords, they also include a number of arquebusiers in their ranks.
The first encounter comes when some Venetian stratioti attack a group of Imperial landsknecht, and Alviano is drawn into a confrontation, resulting in a battle on the banks of the Rio Secco. In the midst of the carnage, the Imperial commander comes face to face with one of his Venetian counterparts. The two leaders engage in a duel, with the Imperial captain wounding his opponent before taking a pike to his neck and being thrown from his saddle. The moment marks an inflection point in the battle, as the Imperials lose heart at the sight of their fallen leader. Some die fighting, some surrender, and some manage to escape and head back towards the castle, although most of the latter are run down by stratioti as they try to flee.
The next morning, Alviano’s army stands looking up at the fortress of Pieve di Cadore. Alviano is eager to resolve matters quickly, as he doesn’t have the supplies for a prolonged engagement. A messenger is sent up to the castle, offering safety in exchange for surrender. The Imperials respond that they will have to consider the matter and will give their response on the morrow. Alviano sees this response as nothing but an attempt to stall in the hope of future reinforcements, so he orders an immediate assault on the castle. The cannons are brought forth and before long the venetian barrage breaks through the castle walls. The remaining landsknecht ask for surrender as the Venetian mercenaries flood into the castle, ravenous for plunder. A fortune of gold and jewels is discovered and presented to Alviano. Open-handed as always, Alviano orders that the treasure be distributed amongst his men. They take the gold and jewels but the fame belongs to him.
The Imperial survivors who manage to escape the battle by the river make their way to the Castle of Pieve di Cadore, their last stronghold in the region. Amidst the swirling snow, Alviano’s forces gather round the castle and prepare for the assault. Alviano, lacking sufficient supplies for a prolonged stay and therefore eager to resolve matters quickly, offers the Germans safety in exchange for surrender. However, the Landsknecht say they will need to discuss it, and they delay their response in the hope of imminent reinforcements. When Alviano sees this attempt to stall he orders a big assault on the castle rather than continuing to wait for their reply. A few volleys of cannonfire follow and eventually the doors are blown open and the remaining Germans surrender.
The Venetian forces flood into the castle, ravenous for plunder. The gold that they find is taken to Alviano, but he orders it distributed amongst his men. They take the gold and jewels but the fame belongs to him.
INNSBRUCK, HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE ~ JUNE 1508
Maximilian Habsburg is in a sour mood despite the pleasant weather. He has just added his seal and signature to harsh and humiliating terms offered by the Venetians. The Republic’s mercenary troops had not only soundly defeated his own army, but managed to occupy Imperial lands, including those of the Emperor himself. It is while brewing in the chagrin of this costly peace agreement that the Emperor receives a messenger. He is not the only powerful monarch with enmity for the Most Serene Republic. The Kings of both France and Spain are in agreement that Venetian power has waxed too strong, while the Pope of Rome is of a similar disposition, with all three having claims to territory currently controlled by Venice. Neither Emperor nor King nor Pope can rival Venice’s mercenary army alone, but together they can humble the Republic and divide her lands amongst themselves.
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REPUBLIC OF VENICE ~ FEBRUARY 1509
The Republic of Venice has summoned its mercenary captains to deal with the creation of the anti-Venetian League. The Republic’s scouts and spies have reported on French troops massing in Milan, the city now controlled by King Louis. To counter what seems an inevitable French invasion, the Venetians must send an army of comparable strength to their western border, where the River Adda separates the Republic of Venice from the Duchy of Milan.
Foremost among the condottieri are Bartolomeo d’Alviano and his distant cousin Niccolò Orsini di Pitigliano. , both scions of the powerful Roman House of Orsini. Alviano has been richly rewarded for his heroics in Cadore, with his salary doubled from fifteen to thirty-thousand ducats plus bonuses, and his rank raised to captain-general. The promotion puts him at the same rank as Pitigliano, a grizzled veteran in his early sixties who has been serving the Republic for the past fifteen years.
At the resulting Council of Wise Men it is decided that the command will be split between Alviano and Pitigliano. The older and more experienced Pitigliano is placed in overall command, although the more dynamic and decisive Alviano will lead half of the troops.
CASTELLO SFORZESCO, MILAN ~ APRIL 1509
Inside the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the French commanders prepare for their first strike against the Republic. Amongst them is Charles d’Amboise, the second-highest ranking French Commander there (after Louis de la Trémoille). Aged in his mid-thirties, Charles leads the French Vanguard. Beside him is the Governor of Milan Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, aged in his sixties, an Italian Condottiero in service to the French. Menacing and battle-hardened, Trivulzio is one of the highest-ranking and most respected commanders in the French Army. Yet the most famed and respected man amongst the French ranks, noble knight and peasant conscript alike, is Pierre Terrail, known as Le Chevalier de Bayard. Aged in his early-thirties, Bayard has been gaining renown since his youth and is widely considered the finest knight in all France. Deeply loyal, devoutly catholic, unwavering moral, and insanely brave, he is already feared and respected throughout Italy.
King Louis leaves Milan on the 15th, his army a stream of colourful livery and glinting steel as they march east towards Venetian territory. Surrounding the king are his knights and gendarmes, the heavy cavalry for which the French are known. Behind them come the dreaded cannons against which no walls can stand and an infantry known for bad conduct, but now being cleaned up under Bayard’s stewardship, now being well-drilled and disciplined.
COUNTRYSIDE NEAR THE RIVER ADDA ~ MAY 1509
The rain has begun to fall, and in the small town of Treviglio, just east of the River Adda, Pitigliano and Alviano continue to disagree on their strategy for dealing with the French advance. Alviano favours an aggressive approach and wants to attack the French before they reach the town of Crema. Pitigliano disagrees. They are to slow the French with skirmishes but avoid a direct engagement and keep moving until they can find a better position. Before the two Orsini cousins can resolve the matter, a messenger arrives to say that the French have crossed the Adda at Casano, prompting the Venetians to move. The two halves of their army begin to march south in parallel columns.
The rain patters against steel armour and turns the ground the mud as the Venetian troops make their way south through fields and vineyards. Not far away, near the town of Agnadello, a detachment of French Cavalry under Gian Giacomo Trivulzio are preparing for an attack on Alviano’s rearguard. Alviano himself has already passed through the town and is further down the road at Pandino when Trivulzio’s cavalry falls upon his men. This first meeting between the two armies forces Alviano into a decision. Despite half of their men being several miles away with Pitigliano, Alviano decides to go to the aid of his rearguard and turns back to engage the French.
As the rain continues to pound down, the two sides face up against each other. Alviano positions his troops on a ridge near some vineyards as more French troops arrive. A cavalry charge of French gendarmes is launched against the Venetians, but they hold their lines. After the heavy cavalry were unable break through, the next to try Alviano are the mercenary Swiss Pikemen, but they are also unable to make progress up the muddy incline towards the Venetian positions.
As more French reinforcements continue to arrive, Alviano sends a message to Pitigliano, marching in parallel but several miles away, calling for reinforcements. Alviano believes the battle can be won right here. The messenger gallops off to find Pitigliano, but when he does the captain-general is not happy with the message. He instructs the messenger to go back and tell Alviano not to engage the enemy, but to keep moving south. The messenger hurries back to Alviano’s position, but it’s too late. The French forces have continued to flood in and surround Alviano. The battle itself is short but violent. As night falls, Alviano’s army lies shattered. The French trudge through the mud finishing off the wounded survivors. Only the highest ranking officers are taken alive, including Alviano himself. The rest of the survivors are put to the sword.
VENETIAN CAMP ~ LATER THAT NIGHT
As Pitigliano’s army digs in for the night, word quickly spreads of what befell their comrades marching under Alviano. Each man begins to silently weigh the odds of victory and survival. Slowly and quietly, hundreds of mercenaries slip away into the night.
The next morning, Pitigliano and his remaining Condottieri wake to find the majority of their army gone. With the French army on the move again, they have no choice but to flee back to Venice in defeat.
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