ANST - FW: Musing on September 13th -- Games without Frontiers

[j'lynn yeates]

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From: Ellsworth Weaver [mailto:astroweaver at yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 22:57
To: 2thpix at surfari.net
Subject: Musing on September 13th -- Games without Frontiers


Dear Folk,

On September 13, 1515, the combined forces of France and Venice
whomped
up on the Papal and Imperial troops. It spelled the end of one
nation’s
battle strategy and further the end of that nation ever fighting any
wars. This day we remember the Battle of Marignano.

The Italian wars had been going on since 1494. These were really
regional skirmishes brought on by the superpowers of Europe trying to
carve up sections of Italy. In those days Renaissance Italy was
chopped
into a great number of rival, independent states. Each of these
states
contracted alliances with foreign countries to get more power and to
raise money. Eventually those benevolent lenders, decided to call in
some debts.  Biggest of the heavy hitters were Spain and France.

First up was France in 1494 whose team captain, Charles VIII, decided
that Naples looked nice and took it in 1495. It was a cake walk until
Spain, the Holy Roman emperor, the Pope, Venice, and Milan brought
Charles back to reality and forced his retreat. Louis XII of France
in
1499 went further with occupying Milan and Genoa. Naples was also
easy
once he did a deal with Ferdinand V of Spain and Pope Alexander VI.
The
boy was slick! However, Ferdinand decided that Louis wasn’t sharing
the
loot properly and so there was a touch of open warfare between France
and Spain in 1502.  As a result Louis was forced to give Naples back
over to Spain but got to keep Milan and Genoa in the Treaties of
Blois
(1504 & 1505). Sharing means caring.

New pope, new ball-game. Pope Julius II got a gang together to whack
Venice. This was everybody and his uncle. We had France, Spain, Holy
Roman Emperor Maximilian I on Julie’s side. Venice sort of stood
alone.
Venice was rich, my friends: she was commerce and trade. The French
upheld their part of the bargain and beat on the Venetians at
Agnadello
(1509). Julius turned right around and made peace with those
Venetians
and formed "The Holy League" (1510) with Venice and Aragon  in order
to
– get this – expel those French "barbarians" from Italy. Ouch! French
were fine folk just a year ago, remember, Julie?

I am sure you will be gratified to hear that the French held their
own.
Well that was until the Swiss stormed Milan (1512), routed the French
at Novara (1513), and controlled Lombardy. Things were looking bleak
for our croissant-crunching cousins until France got a new king.

Francis I, 1494-1547 (ruled 1515-47), was the cousin, son-in-law, and
successor of Louis XII. He decided that it was not time to allow the
Italians and company to beat on French folk anymore. It was time to
return to the fray.

The battle of Marignano was fought by Francis I of France and his
Venetian allies against the Swiss Confederates, who then controlled
the
duchy of Milan. It was fought (Sept. 13–14) near the town of
Marignano
(now Melegnano), 10 mi. (16.1 km) SE of Milan. One of the bloodiest
engagements in the Italian Wars , its outcome was decided by the
timely
arrival of Venetian cavalry. Their military ambitions broken, the
Swiss
made peace with Francis and negotiated (1516) the "perpetual
alliance."
This battle was described as a "battle of giants," Marignano
established the superiority of artillery and cavalry over the
reputedly
invincible Swiss infantry tactics. Pikemen and long swords just do
not
hold up well to cannonading and flying troops of cavalry which
follow.

The Swiss Confederacies had grown from being a self-defense force to
that of a bunch of bully-boys hiring out to whomever could pay them.
Not content with their home turf, the Swiss decided that expansion
might be nice. This battle spanked them hard and spanked them good.
So
well did they learn this lesson, they have never since gone to war
against anyone.

By the peace of Noyon (1516), Naples remained in Spanish hands and
Milan was returned to France. All was not over, unfortunately for the
folk living in these disputed city states.

Francis really hated Charles V , king of Spain. You see Francis was a
good candidate for becoming Holy Roman Emperor. Guess who got it in
1519, instead. Right! The two reopened warfare in 1521, and the
French
were badly defeated in the Battle of Pavia (1525), the most important
in the long wars. Francis was captured there and was forced to sign
the
Treaty of Madrid (1526), by which he renounced his Italian claims and
ceded Burgundy. This he said he had done with his fingers crossed and
had spit only once instead of the required three times, as soon as he
was liberated.  Francis then formed the League of Cognac with Pope
Clement VII , Henry VIII of England, Venice, and Florence. Francis
even
made an alliance with Suleyman the Magnificent just to annoy Charles
V.
If this sounds like little boys forming exclusive clubs and throwing
rocks at each other, well it was.

Charles V sent Charles de Bourbon at the head of a small courtesy
crusade to Rome. They wanted to teach the pope some manners. They
sacked Rome for a full week in May of 1527, dear friends. They
positively got medieval on the Roman’s hind and living quarters. The
French, although not idle with taking Genoa, were eventually forced
to
give up Naples and retreat. The war sort of dribble off in 1529 with
the Treaty of Cambrai and France lost Italy. There were two more
short
(2 years each) fights but France lost them both. Spain had Italy –
the
two Sicilies and Naples – in its Habsburg pocket. Francis died in
1547,
his dream of empire went with him.

The battle of Marignano was a success, though fleeting, for the
French
but it spelled the end of chivalry. Cannons and muskets, the first
hand
grenades, light cavalry sweeping across the field made the heavy
mounted sword fighter something of an anachronism.  After saying
that,
in this battle fought Seigneur de Pierre Terrail Bayard (1474–1524),
a
French military hero, called "le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche
"[the knight without fear or reproach.] He exhibited bravery and
genius
as a commander in all the important battles of the Italian Wars ,
from
Fornovo (1495) to the Sesia, in which he was killed. His defense of
Mézières (1521) saved central France from an imperial invasion. Well,
some forms of chivalry lived on.

What have we learned from this? Some win battles while others win
wars?
Dreams of empire often end in death? Cannon balls don’t need to call
their blows? All alliances should be treated as temporary? How about
let us learn from the Swiss: only a fool does something again and
again
and expects different results?

So, if you are out mowing down pikemen with your trusty or rusty
cannon, forming alliances with popes named Julie, or just looking for
some good chocolate, and you have this urge to send this missive out
to
others, please leave my name and sig. attached.

Playing games without frontiers,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

SCA – Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS – Polyphemus Theognis
TRV – Sebastian Yeats


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