Treason of Novara
Encyclopedia
The so-called Treason of Novara (Verrat von Novara) was an incident which took place in 1500 in the context of the involvement of the Old Swiss Confederacy
in the Italian Wars
.
It was an early instance of Swiss mercenaries
finding themselves on both sides of a conflict: Louis XII of France
had conquered the Duchy of Milan
in 1499 with the help of Swiss mercenaries. In the spring of 1500, Ludovico Sforza
in his turn hired Swiss mercenaries in his bid to re-conquer the duchy.
The two hosts confronted one another at Novara
.
About 6,000 Swiss under the command of Sforza defended the city, while about 10,000 Swiss under the command of Louis laid siege to it.
The Swiss diet called for negotiations between the two sides in an attempt to prevent the worst case of the Swiss on both sides being forced to slaughter one another, "brothers against brothers and fathers against sons".
Louis agreed to a conditional surrender which would grant free passage to the Swiss abandoning the city, but only under the condition that Sforza would be surrendered. However, the Swiss on Sforza's side, under an oath of loyalty to their employer, decided to dress Sforza as a Swiss and smuggle him out of town.
On 10 April, the Swiss garrison was leaving Novara, passing a cordon formed by the Swiss on the French side. French officers were posted to oversee their exit.
As the disguised Sforza passed the cordon, one mercenary Hans (or Rudi) Turman of Uri
made signs giving away Sforza's identity. The duke was apprehended by the French and died eight years later, incarcerated in the castle of Loches
.
The French rewarded Turmann for his treason with 200 gold crowns (corresponding to five years' salary of a mercenary). He escaped to France, but after three years (or, according to some sources, after one year) he returned home to Uri. He was immediately arrested for treason, and on the following day he was executed by decapitation.
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
in the Italian Wars
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
.
It was an early instance of Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment...
finding themselves on both sides of a conflict: Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
had conquered the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
in 1499 with the help of Swiss mercenaries. In the spring of 1500, Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza , was Duke of Milan from 1489 until his death. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance...
in his turn hired Swiss mercenaries in his bid to re-conquer the duchy.
The two hosts confronted one another at Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
.
About 6,000 Swiss under the command of Sforza defended the city, while about 10,000 Swiss under the command of Louis laid siege to it.
The Swiss diet called for negotiations between the two sides in an attempt to prevent the worst case of the Swiss on both sides being forced to slaughter one another, "brothers against brothers and fathers against sons".
Louis agreed to a conditional surrender which would grant free passage to the Swiss abandoning the city, but only under the condition that Sforza would be surrendered. However, the Swiss on Sforza's side, under an oath of loyalty to their employer, decided to dress Sforza as a Swiss and smuggle him out of town.
On 10 April, the Swiss garrison was leaving Novara, passing a cordon formed by the Swiss on the French side. French officers were posted to oversee their exit.
As the disguised Sforza passed the cordon, one mercenary Hans (or Rudi) Turman of Uri
Úri
Úriis a village and commune in the comitatus of Pest in Hungary....
made signs giving away Sforza's identity. The duke was apprehended by the French and died eight years later, incarcerated in the castle of Loches
Loches
Loches is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.It is situated southeast of Tours by railway, on the left bank of the Indre River.-History:...
.
The French rewarded Turmann for his treason with 200 gold crowns (corresponding to five years' salary of a mercenary). He escaped to France, but after three years (or, according to some sources, after one year) he returned home to Uri. He was immediately arrested for treason, and on the following day he was executed by decapitation.
See also
- Battle of Novara (1500)Battle of Novara (1500)The Battle of Novara was fought in Milan in April of 1500 between the forces of King Louis XII of France and the forces of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan...
- Transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss ConfederacyTransalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss ConfederacyThe transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy, known as Ennetbirgische Feldzüge "transmontane campaigns" in Swiss historiography, were military expeditions which resulted in the conquest of territories south of the Alps, corresponding more or less to the modern canton of Ticino, on the...