- Art & Culture
Pavia 1525. An epochal battle in a changing world
On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Pavia, from April 7 to 9, 2025, the University of Pavia and the University Colleges will host a prestigious international scientific conference entitled “Pavia 1525. A Pivotal Battle in a Changing World”.
The event will bring together renowned historians and scholars who will analyze the historical, political, and military significance of one of the most decisive clashes of the Renaissance. Through lectures, round tables, and in-depth discussions, the conference will offer a unique perspective on how the battle shaped 16th-century Europe and its balance of power.
An unmissable opportunity for history enthusiasts and for anyone eager to discover the central role of Pavia in one of the key moments of European history.
Program:
Monday, April 7
9 a.m. University of Pavia, Aula Foscolo
Institutional greetings
9.30 a.m.
Mario Rizzo (University of Pavia) Introduction
First session: The military and geopolitical context (chaired by Mario Rizzo)
Davide Maffi (University of Pavia) The Italian Wars: tactical-technological transformations and geopolitical-strategic changes 1494-1529
h. 10.30-11 Coffee break
Thomas Maissen (Universität Heidelberg) Triomphe et tragédie des lansquenets : le regard allemand sur les champs de bataille italiens, 1517-1527
Michele M. Rabà (CNR-ISEM) ‘Imperial’ and ‘Sforzeschi’ in the Italian Wars (1499-1529). The Lombard nobles and the conflict for hegemony in Europe
h. 12 Debate
2.30 p.m. University of Pavia, Aula Foscolo
Second session: The battle and its narration in a comparative historical framework (chaired by Florence Alazard)
Massimo Rospocher (Italian-German Historical Institute in Trento) Pavia 1525: communication, information and narration
Luigi Casali and Marco Galandra (Independent researchers) The battle between myth and history: a critical analysis
Eduardo De Mesa Gallego (Universidad CEU San Pablo de Madrid) La batalla de Pavía a través de las crónicas españolas
h. 16-16.30 Coffee break
Gabor Agoston (Georgetown University) Pavia, Mohács, and the Ottoman-Habsburg imperial rivalry
Robert Frost (University of Aberdeen) The battle of Orsha (1514) and the problem of the divergence of the military development of Eastern and Western Europe in the first half of the sixteenth century
h. 17.30 Debate
6.30 p.m. Visit to the church of San Teodoro, followed by a concert by the Soloists of Pavia
Tuesday, April 8
9 a.m. Borromeo College, Sala Bianca
Third session: The strategic-diplomatic implications of the battle (chaired by Jean-Marie Le Gall)
Arturo Pacini (University of Pisa) “Vuestra magestat puede agora poner ley y usar de su preheminencia imperial en toda la Christiandad”: the battle of Pavia and the strategic axis Milan-Genoa
Marco Pellegrini (University of Bergamo) The anguish of Clement VII. Papacy, Italy and Europe before and after the battle of Pavia
André Holenstein (Universität Bern) La Couronne de France et le Corps helvétique. Enjeux et risques d’une alliance dans les années 1520
h. 10.30-11 Coffee break
Christine Shaw (formerly University of Oxford) “La chose que plus il désire est de parler à vous”: Francis I as the captive of Charles V
John Gagné (University of Sydney) Living trophies: contextualizing captivity at Pavia
h. 12 Debate
3 p.m. Collegio Ghislieri, Aula Goldoniana
Fourth session: The conflict on the territory and its literary reflections (chaired by Paolo Pintacuda)
Catherine Fletcher (Manchester Metropolitan University) Guns and gunpowder at the Battle of Pavia
Julien Guinand (Université Catholique de Lyon) Vivre un long siège : quotidien et organisations du campement français devant Pavie
Matteo Di Tullio and Mario Rizzo (University of Pavia) Between big and small history. The impact of the siege and battle of Pavia on the city and its territory
h. 16.30-17 Coffee break
Hélène Miesse (Université de Liège) Francesco Guicciardini et la France : l’après-Pavie dans le ‘carteggio’
Mariangela Miotti (University of Perugia) Francis I king and poet
h. 18 Debate
Wednesday, April 9
9 a.m. Collegio Santa Caterina, Sala in Villa Necchi
Fifth session: The battle in literature (Chaired by Fabio Gasti)
Manfred Beller, Alessandro Bonvini, Lorenzo Iuliano, Andrea Pizzotti, Stefano Rocchi, Elisa Romano, Daniele Xhani (University of Pavia)
An unpublished sixteenth-century poem on the Battle of Pavia (Wolfenbüttel, HAB, Guelf. 22.2 Aug. 4o)
Andrea Baldissera (University of Eastern Piedmont) Witnesses worthy of faith: towards a critical edition of the “Historia de la guerra de
Lombardía, batalla de Pavía y prisión del rey Francisco de Francia” by Juan de Oznaya
Paolo Pintacuda (University of Pavia) From the news to the stage through invention: notes to the comedy of “Cerco de Pavía y prisión del rey de Francia” by Francisco Agustín de Tárrega
h. 10.30-11 Coffee break
Simone Albonico (Université de Lausanne) The battle between history and poetry
Amelia Juri (Université de Lausanne) Historiographers and poets: new witnesses and new texts on the battle of Pavia
h. 12 Debate
3 p.m. Cairoli College, Aula Magna
Sixth session: The battle in art (chaired by Luigi Carlo Schiavi)
Cecilia Paredes (Université libre de Bruxelles) Le portrait d’une démesure. La bataille de Pavie dans les tapisseries de Charles Quint
Pier Luigi Mulas (University of Pavia) For artistic production in Pavia between 1500 and 1525: painting, miniature, engraving
Laura Aldovini (Musei Civici di Pavia) The Battle of Pavia in prints. Techniques and context
h. 16.30-17 Debate
Florence Alazard (Université de Tours; Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance) and Jean-Marie Le Gall (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) Conclusions
Scientific committee
Florence Alazard (Université de Tours; Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance); Jean-Marie Le Gall (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne); Davide Maffi (University of Pavia); Pier Luigi Mulas (University of Pavia); Paolo Pintacuda (University of Pavia); Mario Rizzo (University of Pavia)
