Swiss Pikemen Crush the French at Novara

June 6, 1513

A Swiss mercenary army surprised the French at dawn near Novara and butchered them with eighteen-foot pikes before a single cannon could be aimed. The French were flung out of Milan. Swiss infantry, briefly, seemed invincible, and Europe's princes lined up to hire them. The battle was won in less than an hour, proving that disciplined infantry could still overcome artillery through speed and shock.