- Source: Battle of Casaloldo
The Battle of Casaloldo was fought on May 10th, 1509 at Casaloldo (Lombardy) between the armies of the Marquisate of Mantua and that of Republic of Venice, an episode of the War of the League of Cambrai.
Background
During the 16th century, due to the Gonzaga's expansionistic aims, took part much clashes long their Marquisate's borders. Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, took part to the League of Cambrai on 1508 December 8th, to contrast the Republic of Venice.
On 1 May 1509, when the big part of the Venetian army was located in Pontevico, the Marquess of Mantua and his army were in Canneto sull'Oglio, a town located long the border between the Marquisate of Mantua and the Republic of Venice. On that day, 200 french lancers, followed by 24 carts of fodder, wine and poultry, traversed Po in Casalmaggiore with a pontoon bridge. Passed the river, they went to Canneto, where Francesco II distributed them into the surrounding villages. So, in Canneto sull'Oglio the Marquess assembled around 5.000 infantrymen, 200 knights, 200 cavalrymen and crossbowmen on horseback. That army resulted difficult to maintain due to the small territory of the Marquisate and the big number of the horses, which needed lots of fodder. Gonzaga paid the knights but he couldn't pay the infantrymen. The Venetians, adverted of the Mantuans' movements, started fearing Mantuan raids on their uncovered rearwards: their soldiers were marching to Gera d'Adda to fight the french army.
On May 3rd, messenger sent by Louis XII, King of France, met the Marquess referring to move his army to Casalmaggiore and then cross the Po, the Emilian countryside and go to Maccastorna, to unite his army to the French one. The venetians knew that the emilian cities were poorly defended, to the point that they could be easy prey, if attacked in time. Furthermore, if the Venetians had threatened to invade the Marquisate, Francesco II would probably switch to the Serenissima's side and his army wouldn't conjoin in the bigger French one. However, an offensive on Canneto would be very difficult, due to the presence of 30 cannons in the town. The next day, a big part of the Mantuan army started its march to Maccastorna with around 3.500 soldiers and the artillery, preceded by the Marquess, who spent the night in Colorno in the Elisabetta Costanza's, Galeazzo Sanseverino's wife, palace.
Battle
Federico Contarini, Asola's provider since June 1508, aware that big part of the Mantuan army crossed the Po, between may 8th and 9th portrayed a succession of raids which destroyed the enemy's countryside. During the next night, Alessio Beccagutto, commander of the Marquisate's crossbowmen, moving from Canneto besieged Casaloldo with around 350 knights and 600 mantuan infantrymen, supported by two iron guns and two bronze ones. The 200 venetian soldiers located in town's castel fended and sent a messenger to Contarini, to inform him of the clash. The provider ordered to Matteo dal Borgo and Angelo Avogadro da Brozzo to move around 300 countrymen, armed with spears, glaives and guisarmes, and 170 infantrymen to the besieged town. The Mantuans moved to Castelnuovo, where the two armies contended. The clash was harsh and the Mantuans didn't expect the big determination of the Venetian army, which was mostly made by countrymen. During the clash, Beccagutto get injured and fell in Tartaro. The mantuan soldiers, seeing that their commander and lots of their brothers in arms get injured, ran away to Canneto. Mostly of the injured knights and soldiers get captured by the venetians.
Aftermath
The Venetians suffered light losses, instead the mantuans counted 60 casualties and 80 imprisoneds, and fifty horses and four cannons captured. The prisoners get brought to Asola. After few days, Beccagutto fell again in a venetian ambush near Castiglione dello Stiviere, with 24 casualties and 80 imprisoneds.
Four days after the Casaloldo win, the Venetian army suffered a disastrous defeat in Agnadello, finding themselves forced to leave the Lombardy and Verona, taking side behind the Adige.
