Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Ravenna

Battle of Ravenna was a battle fought on 11 April 1512 at Ravenna, in what is now Italy. It was part of the War of the League of Cambrai, which ran from 1508 to 1516. The recorded result: Franco-Ferrarese victory.

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Battle of Ravenna (1512), Austrian National Library Vienna.
Battle of Ravenna (1512), Austrian National Library Vienna.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought11 April 1512
WhereRavenna, Italy44.417N, 12.200E
OutcomeFranco-Ferrarese victory
BelligerentsKingdom of France; Duchy of FerraraagainstSpain; Papal States
Casualties and losses3,000–4,500 dead; 4,500 woundedand7,000 dead; Unknown wounded; 17,000 civilians killed
Part ofWar of the League of Cambrai1508 to 1516

Where it sits in the War of the League of Cambrai

Battle of Cadore, 1508Battle of Treviglio, 1509Battle of Casaloldo, 1509Battle of Agnadello, 1509Battle of Isola della Scala, 1509Siege of Padua, 1509Battle of the citadel of Vicenza, 1509Battle of Polesella, 1509Siege of Monselice, 1510Siege of Mirandola, 1510Siege of Trévise, 1511Siege of Treviso, 1511Battle of Ravenna, 1512Battle of Pavia, 1512Battle of Saint-Mathieu, 1512Siege of Crema, 1513Battle of Brest, 1513Battle of Blancs-Sablons Bay, 1513Battle of Novara, 1513Battle of Guinegate, 1513Siege of Dijon, 1513Battle of Flodden, 1513Battle of La Motta, 1513Battle of Marignano, 1515Siege of Asola, 151615081516Battle of Ravenna, 1512
25 placed engagements of the War of the League of Cambrai in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date11 April 1512
PlaceRavenna, Italy
44.417N, 12.200E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength2,000 men left to hold Ravenna; 21,000 men engaged against the relief army; 54 artillery piecesGarrison at Ravenna: 5,000 men; Relief army: 16,000 men; 30 artillery pieces; 30 war wagons
Casualties and losses3,000–4,500 dead; 4,500 wounded7,000 dead; Unknown wounded; 17,000 civilians killed
Commanders
  • Ramón de Cardona
  • Fabrizio Colonna
  • Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto
Battle of RavennaBattle of RavennaBattle of RavennaBattle of RavennaBattle of RavennaSiege of RavennaSiege of RavennaBattle of RavennaFlorenceVeniceBolognaVeronaPisaParmaLivornoFerrara100 km44.417N, 12.200E
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 Ravenna
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Ravenna today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-05-02. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 8 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -6 to 20 m, 26 m of relief, flat country and today it is 38% built-up, 34% grassland, 18% cropland.

built-up: 38%grassland: 34%cropland: 18%tree cover: 8%built-up 38%grassland 34%cropland 18%tree cover 8%
west to east, 10.0 km-1 to 15 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-2 to 11 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 7 times between AD 432 and 1512.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1512

Battle of Ravenna 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 Q1137980, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ravenna (1512), revision 1370587274, 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.