February 24, 1525 · Lombardy Theater
February 24, 1525
The Imperial army broke into the walled park of Mirabello before dawn to relieve besieged Pavia. Francis, seeing a chance, led the gendarmes in a charge that masked his own artillery — and rode into 1,500 Spanish arquebusiers dispersed among the trees, who shot the French cavalry apart from cover. The flower of the French nobility died in the park. Francis's horse was killed under him and the King of France was captured.
Commanders