The Italian Wars 1494-1559

'Not just Italy but large swathes of Europe were drawn into the Italian Wars of the early sixteenth century. A great hole in the historical literature has at last been filled by this lucid and authoritative account of these events by two leading scholars in Renaissance history.'

David Abulafia, Professor of Mediterranean History, University of Cambridge

'Italy is the neglected crucible of early modern European warfare, and this important book examines in detail both the conflicts which kept Italy a battleground through the first half of the sixteenth century, and the wider significance of the military developments which sprang from these Italian Wars.'

David Parrott, Lecturer in Modern History, University of Oxford

The Italian Wars of 1494-1559 had a major impact on the whole of Renaissance Europe. In this important text, Michael Mallett and Christine Shaw place the conflict within the political and economic context of the wars. Emphasising the gap between aims and strategies of the political masters and what their commanders and troops could actually accomplish on the ground, they analyse developments in military tactics and the tactical use of firearms and examine how Italians of all sectors of society reacted to the wars and the inevitable political and social change that they brought about.

The history of Renaissance Italy is currently being radically rethought by historians. This book is a major contribution to this re-evaluation, and will be essential reading for all students of Renaissance and military history.

The lateMichael Mallett was Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Warwick and a distinguished historian of fifteenth and sixteenth century Italy. His books included Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy (1974), and (with J.R. Hale) The Military Organization of a Renaissance State: Venice c.1400 to 1617 (1984).

Christine Shaw has published extensively on the political and military society of Renaissance Italy. Her books include Julius II: The Warrior Pope (1993), The Politics of Exile in Renaissance Italy (2000), and (as editor) Italyand the European Powers: The Impact of War 1500-1530 (2006).