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A Milanese armour and barbuta helmet madę in the Missaglia workshops for the Matsch family around 1450. (Formerly in Churburg, Alto Adige, now in the Scott Coli., reg no *39-656, Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries)

and a column under Antonio da Montefeltro, were to remain in reserve and only attack if personally ordered to do so by Ridolfo Gonzaga. For their part, the ferocious słradiołłi were to sweep down from the western hills and attack the enemy’s opposite flank.

The battle began in mid-afternoon with a brief artillery duel, but recent rain had so dampened both forces that their guns were largely ineflfective. Worse still, these rains had caused the River Taro suddenly to rise. When Gonzaga signalled the attack, Caiazzo’s Milanese moved against the French van, but the infantry, outnumbered by the Swiss, were driven off northwards. The Milanese cavalry did, however, keep the vanguard fully occupied. The stradiotti hit the French left, but then lost two of their commanders, and went off to plunder the enemy’s baggage train. Gonzaga’s men could not cross the swollen Taro at their allotted place and so moved upstream, where they got tangled up with Fortebraccio’s troops. This caused Gonzaga to strike the French linę between its centre and rearguard. He thus isolated the two enemy divisions, but also had his own flank exposed to the French centre. For an hour the fighting was very intense, but the delays in Crossing the river robbed the Italians of the surprise they hoped for. Worst of all, perhaps, the reserves failed to come forward because Ridolfo Gonzaga was killed at the height of the battle. At one point Charles VIII was almost captured, but such ferocious fighting could not last long and as the afternoon wore on both sides drew back to regroup. Evening then fell before battle was rejoinćd. Both sides claimed victory. The Italians remained masters of the field and captured the

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