Marignano

present-day Melegnano, a city in northern Italy, 16 km southeast of Milan, near which a battle was fought on Sept. 13-14, 1515, between the French Army (40,000 men) of King Francis I and the Swiss mercenaries (up to 30,000 men) of Maximilian Sforza, duke of Milan, during the Italian Wars of 1494-1559.

The French Army took up a strong defensive position near Marignano in order to prevent the Swiss, who were advancing from Milan, from joining with the Spanish and papal troops, who were moving from Piacenza; this position was also taken to make it easier for the French to link up with the allied Venetian Army, which was moving along the valley of the Po River. In a fierce battle that lasted two days the Swiss infantry, previously considered invincible, was routed, and the French temporarily consolidated their position in Lombardy.