Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, medieval

Battle of Arbedo

Battle of Arbedo was a battle fought on 30 June 1422 at Arbedo-Castione, in what is now Switzerland. It was part of Transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy, which ran from 1403 to 1515. The recorded result: Milanese victory; Swiss expansions checked; Bellinzona defended and the Leventina returned to Milan.

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Die Schlacht bei Arbedo 1422. kolorierte Federzeichnung. Im Vordergrund das eidgenössische Lager mit den Bannern von Uri, Luzern, Unterwalden und Zug. Im Hintergrund die Festungen von Bellinzona mit d
Die Schlacht bei Arbedo 1422. kolorierte Federzeichnung. Im Vordergrund das eidgenössische Lager mit den Bannern von Uri, Luzern, Unterwalden und Zug. Im Hintergrund die Festungen von Bellinzona mit d. Benedicht Tschachtlan; upload by Adrian Michael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought30 June 1422
WhereArbedo-Castione, Switzerland46.210N, 9.040E
OutcomeMilanese victory; Swiss expansions checked; Bellinzona defended and the Leventina returned to Milan
BelligerentsDuchy of MilanagainstSwiss Confederates; Lucerne; Uri; Zug; Unterwalden
Part ofTransalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy1403 to 1515

Where it sits in Transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy

Battle of Arbedo, 1422Battle of Castione, 1449Battle of Giornico, 1478Battle of Crevola, 148714221487Battle of Arbedo, 1422
4 placed engagements of Transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date30 June 1422
PlaceArbedo-Castione, Switzerland
46.210N, 9.040E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength8,000-16,000 Bartolomeo Morone (1392–1461) maintains that Carmagnola and Angelo della Pergola moved to Bellinzona with 16,000 men (might include campfollowers) including 4–5,000 cavalry. An account of the fortress-governor of Bellinzona, from 27. November 1478, however maintains that the total strength of Carmagnola and Angelo della Pergola was 4,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry, including 500 Genoese crossbowmen. link text p. 548,000 Both Andreas Billius (+1435) text link p. 142 and Flavius Blondus (1392–1463) text link p. 400 maintain that the Swiss mustered 8,000 men (might include campfollowers) but that around half rushed ahead by a day to plunder the valleys, and what is known from the White Book of Sarnen text link pp. 69–71 together with the Chronik der Stadt Zürich 1420–1477 link text p. 189 and the Rötteler Chronik link text pp. 179–180 is that indeed on the day of battle the continingent of Zug arrived later on the battlefield while that of Schwyz was still behind and never arrived. The Rötteler Chronik does however describe the mobilisation of Uri, Lucerne, Unterwalden and Zug as "very strong".
Casualties and lossesheavy; ~900 killed The Luzerner Bürgerbuch, Anno domini mccccxxii, link text describes the Milanese killed in the battle as...ob nunhundert... around 900; 400 horses killedheavy; ~400 killed The Chronik of Zürich mentions ~400 Swiss killed in the battle. The Luzerner Bürgerbuch, Anno domini mccccxxii, link text lists 368 killed while Brennwald link text p. 499 and Bullinger list 375 killed; all baggage and 1,200 sumpters lost
Commanders
  • Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola
  • Johannes Rodt
  • Bartholome Zinderist
Battle of ArbedoBattle of ArbedoBattle of GiornicoBattle of DelebioBattle of the Bagni di CraveggiaBattle of San FermoBattle of VareseBattle of GiornicoBattle of DelebioBattle of San FermoBattle of VareseMilanZürichBernTurinVeronaLuzernTrentoBolzano100 km46.210N, 9.040E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1422

Battle of Arbedo is one of 720 engagements of the 15th century in the atlas and one of 66 in present-day Switzerland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q673411, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Arbedo, revision 1382010579, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.