Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Legnano

Battle of Legnano was a battle fought on 29 May 1176 at Legnano, in what is now Italy. It was part of Q1140335. The recorded result: Lombard League victory. Recorded strength: 12,000–15,000 against ≈ 3,000 heavy cavalry.

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Painting of the defence of the Milanese Caroccio at the Battle of Legnano 1176
Painting of the defence of the Milanese Caroccio at the Battle of Legnano 1176. Amos Cassioli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought29 May 1176
WhereLegnano, Italy45.603N, 8.909E
OutcomeLombard League victory
BelligerentsLombard LeagueagainstHoly Roman Empire
Casualties and lossesFew hundred killed or woundedand1,500–2,500 killed, wounded or captured
Part ofQ1140335

Where it sits in Q1140335

Battle of Volta Mantovana, 1080Battle of Sorbara, 1084Battle of Bianello, 1092Battle of Santa Lucia delle Spianate, 1145Battle of the Vernavola, 1154Siege of Tortona, 1155Siege of Milan, 1158Siege of Crema, 1159Battle of Siziano, 1159Battle of Carcano, 1160Siege of Milan, 1161Battle of Monte Porzio, 1167Siege of Alessandria, 1174Battle of Legnano, 1176Battle of Calcinato, 1201Battle of Casei Gerola, 1213Battle of Cortenuova, 1237Siege of Brescia, 1238Siege of Faenza, 1240Battle of Giglio, 1241Siege of Viterbo, 1243Battle of Florence, 1248Battle of Parma, 1248Battle of Fossalta, 1249Battle of Foggia, 1254Battle of Cassano, 1259Battle of Montaperti, 1260Battle of Colle Val d'Elsa, 1269Battle of Roccavione, 1275Battle of Desio, 1277Battle of Sperlinga, 1283Battle of Pieve al Toppo, 1288Battle of Campaldino, 1289Battle of Catanzaro, 1297Siege of Syracuse, 1298Siege of Pavia, 1302Battle of Gaggiano, 1313Siege of Pavia, 1315Battle of Ponte San Pietro, 1315Siege of Mirandola, 1321Battle of Bardi, 1321Battle of Gorgonzola, 1323Battle of Vaprio d'Adda, 1324Battle of Altopascio, 1325Battle of Zappolino, 1325Battle of Gamenario, 1345Battle of Casorate, 1356Battle of Solara, 1363Battle of Alessandria, 139110801391Battle of Legnano, 1176
49 placed engagements of Q1140335 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date29 May 1176
PlaceLegnano, Italy
45.603N, 8.909E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength12,000–15,000≈ 3,000 heavy cavalry
Casualties and lossesFew hundred killed or wounded1,500–2,500 killed, wounded or captured
Commanders
  • Guido da Landriano
Battle of LegnanoBattle of LegnanoBattle of ParabiagoCombat of TurbigoBattle of MagentaBattle of TornaventoBattle of VareseBattle of MagentaBattle of TornaventoBattle of VareseTurinGenoaVeronaLausanneParmaTrentoLuganoModena100 km45.603N, 8.909E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Legnano
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Legnano today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-04-05. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 212 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 160 to 266 m, 105 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 51% built-up, 33% tree cover, 10% grassland.

built-up: 51%tree cover: 33%grassland: 10%cropland: 6%built-up 51%tree cover 33%grassland 10%cropland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km201 to 228 mnorth to south, 10.0 km187 to 253 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1176

Battle of Legnano is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q283364, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Legnano, revision 1384621271, 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.