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The War of the League of Cognac (1526–30) was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V —primarily Spain and the Holy Roman Empire —and the League of Cognac, an alliance including France , Pope Clement VII , the Republic Of Venice , Milan , and Florence . PRELUDE Shocked by the defeat of the French in the Italian War Of 1521 , Clement, together with the Republic of Venice, began to organize an alliance to drive the Habsburg powers—Spain and the Holy Roman Empire—from Italy. Francis, having signed the Treaty Of Madrid , was released and returned to France, where he quickly announced his intention to assist Clement. Thus, in 1526, the League of Cognac was signed by Francis, Clement, Venice, Florence, and the Sforza of Milan , who desired to throw off the Imperial hegomony over them. Henry VIII Of England , thwarted in his desire to have the treaty signed in England, refused to join.Guicciardini, ''History of Italy'', 369. The League quickly seized Lodi, but Imperial troops marched into Lombardy and soon forced Sforza to abandon Milan.Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 60. The Colonna , meanwhile, organized an attack on Rome , defeating the Papal forces and briefly seizing control of the city; they were soon paid off and departed, however.Guicciardini, ''History of Italy'', 372–375. ROME (1526–27) Charles V now gathered a force of Landsknechts under Georg Frundsberg and a Spanish army under Charles of Bourbon; the two forces combined at Piacenza and advanced on Rome. Francesco Guicciardini , now in command of the Papal armies, proved unable to resist them;Guicciardini, ''History of Italy'', 376. and when the Duke of Bourbon was killed, his underpaid army Sacked the city, forcing the Pope to flee. GENOA AND NAPLES (1527–28) The destruction of Rome, and the consequent removal of Clement from any real role in the war, prompted frentic action on the part of the French. Francis, having finally drawn Henry VII into the League, sent an army under Odet De Foix and Pedro Navarro, Count Of Oliveto through Genoa —where Andrea Doria had quickly joined the French and seized much of the Genoese fleet—to Naples , where it proceeded to dig itself in for an extended Siege .Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 61. Doria, however, soon deserted the French for Charles. The siege collapsed as plague broke out in the French camp, killing most of the army along with Foix and Navarro. Andrea Doria's offensive in Genoa (where he soon broke the blockade of the city and forced the surrender of the French at Savona ), together with the decicive defeat of a French relief force under the Duke of St. Pol at the Battle Of Landriano , ended Francis's hopes of regaining his hold on Italy.Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 63. CAMBRAI AND BOLOGNA (1529) The defeat of the French armies in Italy—combined with the continued unwillingness of the Venetian Republic to commit any forces to the war—prompted Francis to seek reconciliation with Charles.Norwich, ''History of Venice'', 441. The negotiations began in July 1529 in the border city of Cambrai ; they were conducted primarily by Louise Of Savoy for Francis and Margaret Of Austria for the Emperor (leading to its being known as the ''Paix des Dames''), Charles himself having sailed from Barcelona to Italy shortly before. The final tems largely mirrored those of the Treaty of Madrid three years earlier; Francis surrendered his rights to Artois , Flanders , and Tournai , and was obliged to pay a ransom of two million golden Ecu s before his sons were to be released.Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 68; Hackett, ''Francis the First'', 356. Removed, however, were both the humiliating surrender of Burgundy itself and the various points dealing with Charles de Bourbon, who, having been killed two years prior, was no longer a candidate for leading an independent Kingdom of Provence.Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 67. The final treaty, signed on August 3 , removed France from the war, leaving Venice, Florence, and the Pope alone against Charles. Charles, having arrived in Genoa, proceeded to Bologna to meet with the Pope. Clement absolved the participants of the sack of Rome and promised to crown Charles. In return, he received Ravenna and Cervia ; cities which the Republic of Venice was forced to surrender—along with her remaing possessions in Apulia —to Charles in exchange for being permitted to retain the holdings she had won at Marignano .Norwich, ''History of Venice'', 443–444. Finally, Francesco was permitted to return to Milan—Charles having abandoned his earlier plan to place Alessandro de' Medici on the throne, in part due to Venetian objections—for the sum of 900,000 Scudi .Blockmans, ''Emperor Charles V'', 64. FLORENCE (1529–30) was installed as ruler of Florence by the victorious Imperial troops.]] Florence alone continued to resist the Imperial forces, led by Philibert Of Châlon . A Florentine army under Francesco Ferruccio engaged the Imperials at the Battle Of Gavinana in 1530, but was unsuccessful in preventing the Florentine Republic 's surrender ten days later. Alessandro De' Medici was then installed as Duke of Tuscany. NOTES REFERENCES
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