French Shatter Venice at Agnadello
May 14, 1509
Louis XII's army broke the Venetian land forces near the village of Agnadello in a single afternoon. The Republic's mainland empire dissolved within weeks. Machiavelli, watching from Florence, drew lessons about the frailty of mercenaries that would surface years later in The Prince. Venice's diplomatic recovery demonstrated the Republic's extraordinary resilience, studied by political theorists for centuries afterward.
In context
Also in 1509 (5 other events on record)
- Almeida Wins the Battle of Diu · South Asia · War
- Henry VIII Takes the English Throne · Europe · Politics
- Krishnadevaraya Crowned at Vijayanagara · South Asia · Politics
- Erasmus Writes In Praise of Folly · Europe · Culture
- Portuguese First See Southern China · East Asia · Exploration
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in War
Era
Renaissance (1501–1650), one of 715 events from that era on Saeculum.