Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Pavia

Battle of Pavia was a battle fought on 24 February 1525 at Pavia, in what is now Italy. It was part of the Italian War of 1521–1526, which ran from 1521 to 1526. The recorded result: Habsburg victory.

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Original version from Birmingham Museum of Art (in lower resolution and slight different color shades) Alternative version with retouched color shades.
Original version from Birmingham Museum of Art (in lower resolution and slight different color shades) Alternative version with retouched color shades.. Unknown Flemish artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought24 February 1525
WherePavia, Italy45.197N, 9.165E
OutcomeHabsburg victory
BelligerentsKingdom of France; 20px Marquisate of Saluzzo; NavarreagainstEmpire of Charles V; Holy Roman Empire; Habsburg Spain
Casualties and losses8,000 to 15,000and1,000 to 1,500
Part ofItalian War of 1521–15261521 to 1526

Where it sits in the Italian War of 1521–1526

Siege of Logroño, 1521Siege of Mézières, 1521Siege of Tournai, 1521Siege of Pavia, 1522Battle of Bicocca, 1522Siege of Genoa, 1522Siege of Fuenterrabía, 1523Siege of Bayonne, 1523Siege of Milan, 1523Siege of Arona, 1523Battle of the Sesia, 1524Siege of Marseille, 1524Siege of Pavia, 1524Battle of Pavia, 152515211525Battle of Pavia, 1525
14 placed engagements of the Italian War of 1521–1526 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date24 February 1525
PlacePavia, Italy
45.197N, 9.165E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength26,200; 9,000 German and Italian Black Bands; 8,000 Swiss mercenaries; 6,000 French foot soldiers; 2,000 gendarmes; 1,200 lances fournies28,300; 12,000 Germans; 5,000 Spaniards; 3,000 Italians; 1,500 knights and 800 lances; 6,000 troops stationed in Pavia
Casualties and losses8,000 to 15,0001,000 to 1,500
Commanders
Battle of PaviaBattle of PaviaSiege of PaviaSiege of PaviaSiege of PaviaSiege of PaviaBattle of PaviaSiege of PaviaMilanTurinGenoaBolognaVeronaBergamoParmaTrento100 km45.197N, 9.165E
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 Pavia
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 Pavia today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-08-24. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 87 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 50 to 111 m, 61 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 36% cropland, 31% built-up, 23% tree cover.

cropland: 36%built-up: 31%tree cover: 23%grassland: 8%cropland 36%built-up 31%tree cover 23%grassland 8%
west to east, 10.0 km52 to 92 mnorth to south, 10.0 km52 to 100 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between AD 271 and 1525.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1525

Battle of Pavia is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q63468, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Pavia, revision 1383914526, 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.