Italian Wars Begin
The Italian Wars began in 1494 when Charles VIII of France, invited by Ludovico Sforza of Milan to support his claim against the King of Naples, invaded Italy with 25,000 troops and advanced through the peninsula with remarkable speed. Neapolitan resistance collapsed; Florence expelled the Medici under Savonarola's influence; the Pope fled briefly to Castel Sant'Angelo. Charles entered Rome in January 1495 and Naples in February, prompting the formation of the League of Venice — an anti-French coalition including Venice, Milan (which reversed course), the Papal States, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire — that forced his withdrawal. The wars continued intermittently until the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559.
- Year: 1494 CE
