What happened at the Battle of Pavia in 1525?

The Battle of Pavia, fought on February 24, 1525, was a decisive engagement in the Italian Wars between Francis I and the Habsburg emperor Charles V.1

After Francis occupied Milan and besieged Pavia, imperial forces led by the Marchese di Pescara launched a surprise dawn attack. The French were disadvantaged by fog and Francis’s decision to lead a cavalry charge that blocked his own artillery from firing. Spanish arquebusiers and Landsknecht mercenaries inflicted heavy casualties, effectively annihilating the French army.1

Francis I was captured at Mirabello and taken to Spain. During his year of imprisonment, he was forced to renounce French claims to Italy, which solidified Habsburg dominance in the region and marked a significant shift in European power.1