Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto ( 1460 – 28 August 1528) was a Navarrese military engineer and general who participated 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 ...

. At the Battle of Ravenna in 1512 he commanded the Spanish and

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infantry, but was captured by the French. In the service of

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

, he would supervise the French crossing of the

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before the Battle of Novara in 1513. He is widely regarded as the inventor of modern siege mines.

Biography

Navarro was probably born at Garde in the Navarrese valley of Roncal. Little is known of his early life. He began his military career in the service of Cardinal Juan de Aragon prior to 1485. He fought against the

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as a

Condottiere Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

. Enlisted by

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...

in 1499, he took part in the capture and siege of

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in 1500. He invented the landmine, and his skilful employment of mines allowed for the breaching of the walls of the Turkish fortress. He continued in the service of Córdoba and went on to

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, and defended Canosa in 1502 and

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in 1503 against the French. He supervised the construction of the field

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at the Battle of Cerignola, that enabled Córdoba]to win his battle with Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, Louis d'Armagnac,

Duke of Nemours Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gâtinais, France, was a possession of th ...

on 28 April. He played a major role in the Spanish victory at the Garigliano River on 29 December 1503 and was created count of Oliveto for his services. After returning to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1507, he had a falling out with Córdoba, who retired from the battlefields. Navarro took part in the

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expeditions of Cardinal Cisneros. Navarro assisted in the capture of the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera in 1508 by employing a floating battery of his own design during the battle. He went on to fight at the capture of Mazalquivir ( Mers-el-Kébir) and

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

in 1509. Navarro personally led the Spanish forces during the conquest of Bougie (

Béjaïa Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province. Geography Location Béjaïa owes its ...

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, and Tripoli in 1510. He enlisted in the service of Ramon de Cardona viceroy of

and returned to

upon hearing of a new war against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1511. He constructed a number of light carts mounted with light artillery pieces in organ gun shape designed to break up enemy formations in 1512. Despite his efforts, the Spanish Papal army was defeated in the Battle of Ravenna on 11 April 1512, and he was captured by the French, whose Gaston de Foix had died at the battle.

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

refused to

ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

him, and Navarro eventually entered the service of

. Navarro went on to accompany the French armies in their campaign against

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(1515–1516), and he fought alongside King Francis against the

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at the battle of Marignano (September 13–14, 1515). Continuing in French service, he fought at the Battle of Bicocca (April 27, 1522) and was taken prisoner when the Spanish under

Prospero Colonna Prospero Colonna (1452–1523), sometimes referred to as Prosper Colonna, was an Italian condottiero. He was active during the Italian wars and served France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and various Italian states. His military career spanned ...

and Fernando d'Ávalos captured

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early the following year (1523). Released after the Treaty of Madrid (January 14, 1526), he returned to French service, again being taken prisoner while serving the French expedition in

(1527). He died, aged around 68, in the prison of Castel Nuovo at Naples at the end of August 1528, possibly smothered with a pillow.

References

* Dupuy, Trevor N., Curt Johnson, and David L. Bongard. ''

Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography ''The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography'' () was written by Trevor N. Dupuy, Curt Johnson and David Bongard, and was issued in 1992 by HarperCollins Publishers. It contains more than three thousand short biographies of military figures ...

''. 1st ed. New York: Castle Books, pp. 539–540. . * Taylor, Frederick Lewis (1973). ''The Art of War in Italy, 1494–1529''. Westport: Greenwood Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro, Pedro 1460s births 1528 deaths People from Navarre Military leaders of the Italian Wars Spanish generals Counts of Oliveto 15th-century condottieri Governors of Tripoli, Libya Spanish military engineers Governors of Oran People of the Italian Wars of 1499–1504 16th century in Algeria