Italian War of 1536–1538

Causes

The conflict started in 1536 between Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France after Francesco II Sforza, the Duke of Milan, passed away in 1535 following a prolonged and painful illness. Since Sforza left no children, Charles V ended his dynasty; Charles’s niece, Christina of Denmark, had been Sforza’s wife.

Neither the local population nor other Italian states objected when Charles V assumed control of the Duchy of Milan. This change in power prompted France to send Jean de La Forêt as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, a region valued for its trade goods and strong military. Forêt and Francis I formed an alliance with the Ottomans, providing France with a powerful army ready to strike targets like Marseille and Piedmont, which were near the Italian region of Genoa.

Events

When Charles V’s son Philip took over the duchy, Francis I of France invaded Italy. French general Philippe de Chabot marched into Piedmont in March 1536, capturing Turin the next month, but could not take the well-fortified Milan. Charles struck back by invading Provence, reaching Aix-en-Provence and seizing it in August 1536. His admirals Andrea Doria and Álvaro de Bazán the Elder took coastal towns, halting only at Marseille, which was too strongly defended.

Charles then pulled back to Spain instead of attacking Avignon. A tale claims French troops left overripe fruit on trees hoping to give Charles’s soldiers dysentery. While Charles was busy in France, Francis’s forces in Piedmont got heavy reinforcements of generals, troops, and horses, and headed for Genoa. France had allied with the Ottoman Empire in 1536 through ambassador Jean de La Forêt.

By late 1536, a Franco-Ottoman fleet under Barbarosa was based in Marseille, threatening Genoa with a planned joint land-sea attack, but after learning the city’s defenses had been strengthened, they turned to Piedmont, capturing many towns. That winter, Bazán the Elder defeated another Franco-Ottoman fleet under Ali of Algiers near Collioure. In 1537, Barbarosa raided Apulia’s coast to set up a land invasion of Naples, which failed due to resistance led by Viceroy Pedro de Toledo.

Doria won a naval victory at Antipaxos against the Ottoman rear guard. Barbarosa then besieged the Venetian colony of Corfu, giving only limited help to the French. With Charles caught between the French and Ottomans, and Francis making no headway, both sides agreed to peace in the Truce of Nice on 18 June 1538, mediated by Pope Paul III, who wanted to unite Christians against the Ottomans.

Aftermath

After the war, Charles V participated in Paul III's Holy League against the Ottomans, but it disbanded after infighting at the Battle of Preveza on September 28, 1538. By retaining Milan, Spain gained significant control over Italy, ending the independence of several Italian states and leaving most of the peninsula ruled or influenced by foreign monarchs.

The political fragmentation of Italy made it susceptible to European politics and foreign invasions. This settlement did not last long, as renewed war broke out in 1542. The war entrenched hostilities between the French and Spanish, weakened both countries financially, and strengthened the alliance between the Ottomans and the French.