The battle at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie; an Italian Wars scenario for Pike and Shotte

This week Steve put on an Italian Wars scenario, set in the small Italian duchy of Lambrusco.  This often overlooked enclave nestles between the much larger duchies of Milan, Mantua and Venice.  At the time of the battle, the reigning duke was Lorenzo Marani.  His duchy depended on trade and so he attempted to remain neutral in the conflict, hoping to offer a 'safe haven' for merchants.  However, each of the adjacent duchies were concerned that Lambrusco would be overrun by one of the others.  As Lambrusco had no military forces to speak of, there was little that Marani could do to stop incursions other than appeal to the Pope.  He, of course had greater worries and was too busy to receive the deputations sent from Lambrusco.

Therefore 1503 saw an Imperial army advancing through Lambrusco towards the Duchy of Milan and a Franco-Swiss army moving to stop them.  Warned of the French advance, the Imperial army constructed defences blocking the road to Salamino (the Lambruscan capital) and occupied the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie
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The convent with the Imperial camp behind it

The Imperial forces were led by the Duke of Tempranillo who lodged his contingent of 2 units of pikes and two of arquebusiers within the defences.  At and around the convent were the landsknechts of Graf von Spatburgunder together with two more units of arquebusiers.  Covering the right flank was the Duke of Trebbiano with a mixed force of gendarmes, men at arms and skirmishing light cavalry.  On the left was the Count of Barbera with a similar cavalry force.

The Imperialist defences

The Marquis de Merlot's command

His opponent, the Le Compte de Carignan deployed his troops in a similar fashion.  In the centre were the infantry; the compte's own contingent of French pikes and crossbowmen and also Lord Landroter's Swiss pikemen and halberdiers accompanied by two units of arquebusiers.  On his right flank Carignan had deployed the Duc de Gamay's mounted contingent of gendarmes, men at arms and stradiots.  The Marquis de Merlot was on the Franco-Swiss left with his contingent of gendarmes, men at arms and stradiots.  Carignan's plan was for a swift advance by his cavalry to pin and ultimately drive off the Imperialist cavalry whilst he would screen the convent with his crossbowmen and push all the pikemen, French and Swiss forward against the Imperialist defences.

A view of the battlefield from Trebbiano's position

 As can be seen in the photograph above the terrain, particularly the woods and river Soldano tended to channel movement, a factor the canny Tempranillo would use to his advantage.

Carignan ordered forward his crossbowmen to contain the Imperialists garrisoning the convent.  Spatburgunder had deployed two units of arquebusiers as the garrison, but only one was in position at the walls as the French advanced.  This managed to maintain its position against the fire of both units and a light gun whilst the reserve unit manoeuvred.  Gamay's advance was slowed by the caution of the stradiots.  The appearance of Barbera's mounted arqubusiers caused them to halt and behind them the French gendarme's fumed as they were denied the opportunity of driving off the skirmishers.  On the opposite flank the stradiots galloped off down the road whilst the heavier cavalry were reluctant to advance, only Merlot's direct order persuaded them to move forward.

Merlot's command advance

At the convent Spatburgunder ordered his smaller unit of lansknechts to move to the right and then forward, blocking the gap between the convent and a wood.  The larger unit of lansknechts was ordered left to perform a similar job.  Although the smaller unit moved forward smartly, their comrades were less keen and this gave a window of opportunity for the French cavalry to move past the convent and attack the Imperialist cavalry, if the stradiots would get out of the way !

Gamay's cavalry advance, covering the flank of Carignan's crossbowmen

The stradiots charged the opposing mounted arquebusiers and drove them off, only to be charged by Barbera's men at arms.  The stradiots evaded and fell back through Gamay's gendarmes, disordering the leading unit.  Sensing an opportunity, Barbera ordered his men at arms to charge, but the gendarmes stood their ground and inflicted a heavy defeat on the Imperialists, driving them back.

Barbera's men at arms are driven back

Spatburgunder's men in the convent were coming under increasing pressure from the French crossbowmen and their attached light artillery.  The small unit of landsknechts had moved up and it was charged by a unit of French pikemen who were supporting the crossbowmen.  After a brief melee the Frenchmen were driven back in disorder, but the landsknechts didn't follow up as they could see the mass of Swiss pikemen close by.  Under fire from the arquebusiers supporting the Swiss they fell back to the flank of the convent.

Spatburgunder's arqubusiers in the convent

Merlot's stradiots had advanced far enough to see Spatburgunder's small unit of landsknechts which had fallen back to the convent and decided to unsettle them with javelins.  This manoeuvre was thwarted by Trebbiano's men at arms, who had crossed the river Soldano ahead of Trebbiano's gendarmes.  The men at arms charged the stradiots who evaded and interfered with the fire of the Landroter's arquebusiers who were attempting to drive off the landsknechts.

Trebbiano's men at arms drive off the stradiots

Back at the convent, Spatburgunder's arquebusiers were in trouble.  One unit had fallen back due to the losses it had sustained and the other was fighting to maintain its hold on the wall against a determined attack by a unit of French crossbowmen.  The crossbowmen didn't have orders to attack, merely screen, but Carignan was occupied attempting to get Landroter to advance his pikemen.  The Swiss weren't for moving until they saw their overdue wages.  Eventually a money chest was brought forward and ostentatiously lodged in the Swiss encampment.  Orders were given and the Swiss began their advance.

Spatburgunder attempts to rally his men

Carignan returned to his position to find his crossbowmen had actually taken control of most of the convent.  The second unit of Imperial arquebusiers had been driven back from the walls and into a small group of buildings.  After some less than effective fire from the crossbowmen, one of the units charged, but was repulsed.  However, Imperial hopes were dashed when both units of crossbowmen concentrated their fire and drove the battered remnants of the Imperial garrison back towards the main defences.

At the same time Barbera was coming under increasing pressure.  Gamay had managed to get his gendarmes back in order and the French right wing cavalry advanced en masse.  In the lead was the Chevalier Bayard, whose men routed the gendarmes opposed to them.  Moving ahead of their supports they charged the remaining Imperial gendarmes, the last line between them and the high ground overlooking the Imperial camp. 

Bayard's men rout their opponents

In a tense tussle both sides sought victory, with fortune swaying back and forth.  In the end it was the return of the battered and understrength Imperial men at arms which decided the issue.  The French, exhausted and without their supports had to give ground.  In no time they broke and routed back to their lines, their opponents too weary and disorganised to pursue them.

Bayard's men are driven back

That any of Bayard's men managed to escape was down to the bravery of their fellow gendarmes who had charged the landsknechts which were attempting to close the gap between the convent and the woods.  At great cost to themselves they managed to hold a gap open long enough for their comrades to move to the rear, before they themselves were broken by their losses.

On the opposite flank, Merlot's and Trebbiano's gendarmes were attempting to gain the upper hand. In the narrow gap between the woods close to the Soldano river the two forces charged and counter-charged, with no one gaining a decisive edge.  Trebbiano's mounted arquebusiers had manged to get behind Merlot's men, but their harassing fire was totally ineffective.

Attempting to hold off the Swiss juggernaut, Spatburgunder had deployed a light gun to support his landsknechts.  Hoping that a few casualties may lessen their desire to attack.  However, his artillery let him down as on the first discharge the gun misfired and the shock to the axle proved too much, with the gun collapsing into a pile of useless wood and metal.  With their flank now threatened with the loss of the convent and the Swiss bearing down on them, the landsknechts decided to fall back towards the main defences.

The landsknechts return to the main defences

The demise of the Imperial light gun 

At this time a mutual standoff seems to have been accepted by the men of both armies.  The convent had fallen, but any attack on the Imperial camp would have to be on a very narrow front.  Spatburgunder's large unit of landsknechts blocked any advance by the French on their right of the convent.  Barbera's remaining cavalry once reformed could move to the centre to threaten any advance through the centre and Merlot and Trebbiano had fought each other to a standstill.  It would now be a waiting game, who's supplies would run out first?

The final position in the centre