Written by Daniele Cosentino
“Questo matrimonio non s’ha da fare …né domani né mai” …who doesn't remember this phrase from I promessi sposi? Renzo and Lucia, Don Rodrigo, the Innominato, the nun of Monza and countless other characters marked our high school years. Serving as the backdrop to the narrative by Manzoni, the Spanish domination over the Duchy of Milan: Uncle Count, Ferrer who urges his coachman to continue “adelante con juicio”, the lanzichenecchi, etc.
But why, in the 17th century—the era in which the novel is set—is Lombardy dominated by Spain? Because about a century earlier, precisely on February 24, 1525, the famous Battle of Pavia took place, in which the two most powerful rulers of the time faced each other: Francis I of France and Charles V of Habsburg. It was a clash not only between two powers, but between two opposing state models, one might say between two eras.
On one side, France—perhaps the first "modern state" in Europe—governed by Francis I, a lover of art and friend of Leonardo da Vinci, imbued with a chivalrous spirit. On the other side, Charles V of Habsburg, austere and an uncompromising Catholic, who dominated Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Vienna. The battle took place right in the park of the Visconti Castle, where Charles V's lanzichenecchi managed, in the dead of night, to open several breaches in the walls, catching the French army by surprise.
However, Francis I, after an initial phase of disarray, managed to reorganize his forces and block the way for the imperial troops with an intense artillery barrage. At dawn, however, the irreparable happened. Francis I, imbued with a chivalrous spirit, charged at the head of his cavalry in a courageous assault against the enemy positions.
Thus, he interposed the French cavalry (and himself) between the enemy and his own artillery, inadvertently forcing his cannons to fall silent. Having advanced too far and lost contact with his own army, the French knights were annihilated by the enemy's crossfire, and Francis I, despite fighting valiantly, was wounded and captured near la celebre Cascina Repentita, in the park of the Visconteo Castle.
The Battle of Pavia, which ended in favor of Charles V, thus confirmed the definitive domination of the Habsburgs over the Milanese region, which was not only an economically advanced territory but also a strategic link between the Mediterranean and Central-Northern Europe. The clash between the two armies was one of those events capable of directing the course of history for centuries, not least because Spain would dominate the Milanese region for the following 170 years.
Our region will be enveloped by the cloak of intolerance of the Habsburgs and the Counter-Reformation, and once its autonomy is lost, our territory will be greatly impoverished. In 2025, the 500th anniversary of this fundamental event in European history occurs: do not miss the opportunity to visit with us the places that served as the backdrop to the battle.
What would have been the fate of Lombardy, and of the entire country, if Francis I had not lost, due to too much courage and little prudence, the Battle of Pavia? We will never know, but certainly there would have been no Don Rodrigo to hinder the marriage of Renzo and Lucia.
