Switzerland's 1513 Battle of Novara: The Swiss Pike Phalanx Supreme

In 1513, the Swiss Confederacy faced the French army at Novara in northern Italy. Lucas tells Luna how the Swiss pike phalanx—the Gevierthaufen—achieved one of its greatest victories against the French knights and landsknechts. They discuss the role of Swiss Reisläufer mercenaries, the political context of the War of the League of Cambrai, and how this battle solidified Swiss military prestige before their devastating defeat at Marignano just two years later. Lucas explains the tactics of the pike square, the leadership of the Schwyz commander, and the massacre of French prisoners that shocked Europe. The episode explores how Novara was both the peak and the beginning of the end for Swiss military dominance. #BattleOfNovara1513 #SwissConfederacy #Reisläufer #Gevierthaufen #WarOfTheLeagueOfCambrai #FrenchArmy #Landsknechte #Marignano #AlteEidgenossenschaft #SwissMercenaries #PikePhalanx #RenaissanceWarfare #Schwyz #SwissHistory #MilitaryHistory #Europe #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo