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Why did Venetian cavalry matter at the Battle of Marignano?
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Francis I
King Francis I of France, portrait by Pierre Dumonstier, after a drawing by Jean Clouet; in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
At the Battle of Marignano in 1515, the arrival of Venetian cavalry was a decisive factor in securing victory for Francis I.
Following eight hours of inconclusive fighting on the second day of the battle, the French forces were reinforced by the Venetian cavalry. This intervention provided the necessary momentum to overcome the Swiss army, which had been defending Milan and had engaged the French in intense combat across marshy terrain. The arrival of these reinforcements ultimately forced the Swiss to retreat, allowing the French to recover Milan and conclude the conflict with a victory.1