Fornovo 1495: France's Bloody Fighting Retreat (Praeger Illustrated Military History) [Hardcover]

David Nicolle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275988503 | ISBN-13: 978-0275988500 | Publication Date: September 2005

In the year 1495, Charles VIII was the youthful King of France, the most powerful state in medieval Europe. A dreamer who saw himself as the saviour of Christian Europe, he believed he could roll back the ever-spreading tide of Ottoman Turkish conquest. As a base for his crusade he was determined to seize southern Italy. In a lightning campaign he used France's modern army to sweep through Italy, his mobile field artillery train smashing into dust the tall towers of Italy's medieval castles. The Italian states rallied and at Fornovo their alliance, the League of Venice, fought Charles' army to a standstill. This campaign marked the coming of age of gunpowder weaponry, and the beginning of 30 years of bloody conflict - the Italian Wars. In this remarkable book David Nicolle details the French campaign leading up to Fornovo, the battle itself, and the aftermath. The leaders of both armies are examined as are their armies and plans, and this background information all greatly helps when the author finally comes to his close-up investigation of Fornovo. The different moves in the battle are looked at, as are significant events during it: notably Charles's near capture by a group of Milanese men-at-arms. The final section of the book deals with the end of the campaign, and France's withdrawal. David Nicolle's attention to detail, such as his mention of the capture of King Charles' book of pornographic pictures by the Italians at Fornovo, combined with his ability to see the broader picture of the Italian campaign itself, makes this an interesting and comprehensive volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

?In 1495, the French King Charles VIII attempted to seize southern Italy, intending to make it a base for his crusade against the Ottoman Turks. This accessibly written text describes how his troops swept through Italy, only to be overcome and compelled to retreat at Fornovo by forces belonging to the League of Venice. The volume features a wealth of illustrations (mostly b&w), including maps, artistic reproductions, and photographs of armor and weaponry.?-Reference & Research Book News

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275988503
• ISBN-13: 978-0275988500
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,761,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative For Wargaming and History, March 29, 2000

By 

Joshua H. Bird "StreetGang" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fornovo 1495: France's bloody fighting retreat (Campaign) (Paperback)

This Osprey Campaign Series book about the Battle of Fornovo is very informative. Provides alot of data on French and Italian military thinking of the time and the politics and military aims of the campaigns that lead to Fornovo. The account of the battle itself is also very detailed. My one criticism is that the clor plates don't give a good "feel" of the clothing and uniforms of the time. The book itself neglects this as well. There are some plates and breif description, but not much more. Overall very useful.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars With Osprey, Its Hit or Miss, September 9, 2006

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fornovo 1495: France's bloody fighting retreat (Campaign) (Paperback)

Having beaten the English in the Hundred Years War, France emerged as Europe's most powerful nation. It was a position France was to hold until 1870. In 1495, Charles VIII decided to advance his claim on the Throne of Naples by marching his modern army down the boot of Italy. Having seized Naples, the Italian states rallied to form the League of Venice and block Charles' return to France. A race began to stop Charles before he returned to France and the battle of Fornovo is the bloody climax of that retreat.

Five hundred years have passed since the Battle of Fornovo and it is inherently difficult to explain the ecomomic and military issues of that era. Unfortunately, David Nicolle is not up to this difficult task. He gets too wrapped up in the minor details and does not have the gift to make the complicated simple.

The other weakness of the book is the graphics. This book was originally published in 1996 and in the ten years that have passed, a revolution has taken place in book publishing. This book looks very tired with its washed out, black and white photos and mediocre illustrations by Richard Hook.

The Fornovo campaign is compelling and with all its weaknesses, this book will deliver for the person truly interested in the period. For someone with a more casual interest in the era, I would recommend Osprey's much better book on the battle of Pavia, 1525.