Marignano, Battle of

Marignano, Battle of, defeat on September 13-14, 1515, of Swiss mercenaries by the combined forces of France and Venice near the village of Marignano 16 km (10 mi) south-east of Milan, leading to the French capture of the city. To reach the battlefield the French had crossed the Alps by the previously unexplored Col de l'Argentière. The battle lasted for two days: the Swiss on the first attacking across marshy ground, the French on the second only securing victory after eight hours of fighting when reinforced by the Venetian cavalry. It was the opening move of the French king, Francis I's attempt to establish French domination of Italy, following failures by his two predecessors, Charles VIII and Louis XII. Though initially successful, forcing the German Emperor Charles V to abandon his claim to the Duchy of Milan, it too failed, ending with Francis's defeat and capture by the Spanish forces of the emperor at Pavia in 1525.