Battle of Ruvo

Battle of Ruvo
Part of the Third Italian War
Date23 February 1503
Location
Ruvo (present-day Italy)
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France Spain
Commanders and leaders
Jacques de la Palice Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
Diego García de Paredes
Strength
300 lances
300 foot-soldiers[1]		 400 foot-soldiers
600 horsemen
1,300 soldiers[2]

The Battle of Ruvo was fought on 23 February 1503 between a Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and a French army commanded by Jacques de la Palice. The battle was part of the Second Italian War and was fought at the city of Ruvo in the Province of Bari, modern-day Italy. The result was a Spanish victory.

Background

Following the Treaty of Granada signed on 11 November 1500, Spanish monarch Ferdinand the Catholic and Louis XII of France agreed that each power takes a partition of the Kingdom of Naples. The deal soon fell through, however, and Spain and France resumed their war over the kingdom. This resulted in the Third Italian War.

Battle

During the end of 1502 and the early part of 1503 the Spanish stood at bay in the entrenched camp at Barletta near the Ofanto river on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Upon hearing about the retreat and departure of Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, Gonzalo decided to launch an offensive in a Moorish guerrilla style on the city of Ruvo which was defended by Jacques de la Palice.[1]

Gonzalo de Córdoba stormed the city at early morning launching a cannonade offensive. Soon after, he faced a resolute resistance by the French. However, within four hours he opened a breach from where the Spanish soldiers could enter and launch the assault, divided in two sections led respectively by Córdoba and Diego García de Paredes. Fighting with swords lasted for seven hours and reached houses and streets until Jacques de la Palice was wounded and held prisoner.[3]

The Spanish army soon decided to get back to Barletta while Louis d'Armagnac tried to return to Ruvo to help the French army. Once there he found the Spanish flag already waving in the walls of the city and understood that he arrived behind schedule and stopped to follow ahead.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Prescott, William Hickling (2004). History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella (Vol. III) (1841) (in Spanish). Digital Antiquaria. p. 34. ISBN 1-58057-289-8.
  2. ^ Suárez Fernández, Luis (1990). El Camino Hacia Europa (in Spanish). Ediciones Rialp. pp. 274–275. ISBN 84-321-2589-X.
  3. ^ a b Historia militar de España - Asalto a Ruvo (Primavera de 1503) Archived January 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)

Bibliography

  • Phillips, Charles; Alan Axelrod (2005). Encyclopedia of Wars. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0-8160-2851-6.

41°7′N 16°29′E / 41.117°N 16.483°E / 41.117; 16.483