The Battle of Polesella, fought on 22 December 1509, by forces of the

Duchy of Ferrara The Duchy of Ferrara ( la, Ducatus Ferrariensis; it, Ducato di Ferrara; egl, Ducà ad Frara) was a state in what is now northern Italy. It consisted of about 1,100 km2 south of the lower Po River, stretching to the valley of the lower Reno ...

and the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, was a naval battle on the

River Po The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

in the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

in the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

. It was an overwhelming victory for Ferrara.

The battle

In 1509 the Venetian fleet was moored on the river Po, waiting for the right moment to attack Ferrara. Meanwhile, the Slavic and

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

mercenaries (called ''

Stratioti The Stratioti or Stradioti ( gr, στρατιώτες ''stratiotes''; sq, Stratiotë, Stratiotët;, it, stradioti, stradiotti, stratioti, strathiotto, strathioti; french: estradiots; sh, stratioti, stradioti; es, estradiotes) were mercenary u ...

'') made daily incursions into the Dukedom, sowing death and terror. On the night of 21–22 December, given the high level reached by the waters of the Po, that had brought the enemy galleys up to the level of the embankment, the Ferrarese forces set up their artillery along the river and at dawn opened fire. In the indescribable chaos that followed this surprise action, many ships were sunk and others captured. The soldiers and sailors who tried to escape into the water were taken prisoner and shot or killed without mercy as soon as they reached firm ground. It was rather a massacre than a battle. The troops of Ferrara captured 15 galleys and a number of other ships. The Venetians lost 2,000 killed or drowned and 60 flags. Angelo Trevisan succeeded in fleeing, but his damaged galley sank 5 km further. Back in Venice, he was tried for "misconduct and carelessness". When Duke

Alfonso I d'Este Alfonso d'Este (21 July 1476 – 31 October 1534) was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai. Biography He was the son of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Eleanor of Naples and became duke on Ercole's death i ...

entered Ferrara five days later, his wife

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...

was waiting for him with her maids of honour, the court, and the jubilant population. The battle was described by

Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...

in his epic poem''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...

'' (canto 40, 2, vv. 1-4).

References

External links

The Battle of Polesella

{{Authority control 1509 in Italy Polesella 1509 Polesella 1509

Polesella Polesella is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Rovigo. Polesella borders the following municipalities: Arquà Polesine, Bosaro, Canaro, ...

Riverine warfare