Battle of Ravenna (1512)

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The Battle of Ravenna, fought on 11 April 1512, was a major battle of the War of the League of Cambrai. It saw a Spanish-Papal army under Viceroy of Naples Ramón de Cardona (the Holy League) defeated by France and their Ferrarese allies under Gaston of Foix, who was killed during the battle. The battle was exceptionally bloody and saw both sides making a previously unseen usage of artillery. The Spanish artillery inflicted massive casualties, after which Ferrarese general Alfonso d'Este responded with a decisive French flanking of the Holy League with their own guns, hitting the exposed enemy cavalry and making their line collapse. The Spanish infantry beat back the first French advances, but with their cavalry routed, the Holy League army was ultimately surrounded and defeated. Gaston of Foix then died in action when he attempted to rout the retreating Spanish with a cavalry charge. The French and Ferrarese eliminated the main army of Naples as a serious threat, although their triumph...

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