Italian Wars

The Italian Wars survey the conflicts that drew France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the papacy and Italian states into repeated warfare from 1494 to 1559. It explains how dynastic claims and shifting alliances turned the wealthy peninsula into a principal battlefield of European power politics.

The book follows campaigns, sieges and battles including Pavia, together with the use of artillery, mercenaries and increasingly permanent armies. It concludes with Spanish predominance in Italy and considers how war disrupted Renaissance courts while spreading people, techniques and cultural influence.