Charles VIII Invades Italy
September 1, 1494
The French king crossed the Alps with a well-equipped army, new bronze field cannons, and a flimsy claim to Naples. Italian states watched, hedged, and collapsed. Within months he would walk into Florence unopposed, then Rome, then Naples itself. The Italian Wars, which would last sixty-five years, had begun in a saddle pass.
In context
Also in 1494 (5 other events on record)
- Treaty of Tordesillas · Europe · Politics
- Pacioli Publishes Summa de Arithmetica · Europe · Science
- Medici Expelled from Florence · Europe · Politics
- Charles VIII Enters Florence · Europe · War
- Savonarola Effectively Rules Florence · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in War
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.