Battle of Gavinana

The Battle of Gavinana took place during the War of the League of Cognac. It was fought on 3 August 1530 between the city of Florence and the army of the Holy Roman Empire.

Battle of Gavinana
Part of the War of the League of Cognac
Statues in the Uffizi outside Gallery. Famous florentine, Francesco Ferruccio.
Date 3 August 1530 Location Gavinana, near Florence, Italy 43°56′0″N 10°55′0″E Result Imperial victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire	Florence
Commanders and leaders
Philibert of Châlon †, Fabrizio Maramaldo	Francesco Ferruccio †
Strength
5,000–7,000 infantry 2,000 cavalry	3,000–3,500 infantry
Location within Italy

History

The Imperial forces were led by Philibert of Châlon, Prince of Orange, with reinforcements under Fabrizio Maramaldo arriving later in the battle. The Florentine forces were led by the florentine commissary Francesco Ferruccio.

At first the Florentines drove back the Imperial army, despite being outnumbered. In the process, the Prince of Orange was fatally shot in the chest by two arquebus balls.

However, when Maramaldo arrived with 2,000 troops the tide was reversed. After being wounded and captured, Ferruccio was executed personally by Maramaldo. Ferruccio's last response to his murderer, tu uccidi un uomo morto (you are killing a dead man) led him to long lasting fame and to become one of the major icons of the Italian risorgimento. In contrast, Maramaldo's behavior, echoed by several historical reports, gave his name a shameful reputation, and in modern Italian maramaldo means cowardly murderer.