• Art & Culture

Pavia 1525. An epochal battle in a changing world

International conference with the participation of renowned historians and scholars

When
From 07/04/2025
to 09/04/2025
Where
Università di Pavia e Collegi storici pavesi
Corso Strada Nuova 65 Pavia
Contacts

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)

Take me here: Pavia 1525. An epochal battle in a changing world

Places

Pavia University Hisotry Museum

  • Art & Culture
Pavia University Hisotry Museum
14 mt

Fraschini theatre

  • Art & Culture
Teatro Fraschini Pavia
89 mt

University Library of Pavia

  • Art & Culture
Salone Teresiano
114 mt

Aula Magna of the University of Pavia

  • Art & Culture
Aula Magna of the University of Pavia
129 mt

Church of Saint Francesco

The church of Saint Francesco in Pavia shows a clear separation between the Romanesque architecture and the late Gothic
  • Art & Culture
Church of Saint Francesco
243 mt

Chiesa di S. Maria del Carmine

  • Religious Tourism
S. M. Del Carmine – Pavia
274 mt

Church Of Saint Giovanni Domnarum

  • Art & Culture
Church Of Saint Giovanni Domnarum
300 mt

Arnaboldi Dome

The Arnaboldi Gallery is a commercial gallery that, in the form of a covered pedestrian street, connects Strada Nuova to Piazza del Lino.
  • Art & Culture
Arnaboldi Dome
328 mt

Palazzo del Broletto

The old town hall of Pavia, which housed the institution until 1875
  • Art & Culture
Palazzo del Broletto
358 mt

Civic Museums of Pavia

Inside the magnificent castle built by Galeazzo Visconti between 1360 and 1365
  • Art & Culture
Civic Museums of Pavia
364 mt

Visconti Castle

At the start of the 20th century, Visconti Castle(PV) was acquired by the local municipality and has since been home to the civic museums
  • Art & Culture
Pavia Castello Visconteo
376 mt

Archaeology museum and sala longobarda

  • Art & Culture
Archaeology Museum and Sala Longobarda
380 mt

Palazzo Bottigella Gandini

Hidden among Pavia’s historic buildings is Palazzo Bottigella-Gandini, restored and now a space for contemporary art exhibitions
  • Art & Culture
Pavia
392 mt

Following history’s trails. Who is the Sun King?

  • Art & Culture
Sun King’s equestrian statue, Monuments Pavia
407 mt

The Diocesan Museum of Pavia

  • Art & Culture
The Diocesan Museum of Pavia
425 mt

Camillo Golgi Museum

The museum preserves the historical and scientific heritage of the former Institute of General Pathology of Pavia
  • Art & Culture
Camillo Golgi  Museum
440 mt

Cathedral of Pavia

The most impressive church in Pavia to whose design Leonardo Da Vinci contributed
  • Religious Tourism
Cathedral of Pavia
447 mt

Basilica di San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro

  • Religious Tourism
Basilica di San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro
467 mt

Kosmos Natural History Museum

Un museo antico con collezioni scientifiche di altissimo valore, costituito a scopo didattico da Lazzaro Spallanzani nel 1771
  • Art & Culture
Kosmos Natural History Museum
487 mt

The Plane Tree of the Pavia Botanical Garden

  • Active & Green
The Plane Tree of the Pavia Botanical Garden
575 mt

Events

Milano Sanremo 2025

Strade della provincia di Pavia
Pavia (PV)
21/03/2025 - 22/03/2025
  • Sport
Milano Sanremo 2025
259 mt

The miserable Citade. Pavia besieged 1522-1527

Santa Maria Gualtieri
Piazza della Vittoria, Pavia
12/04/2025 - 28/09/2025
  • Art & Culture
The miserable Citade. Pavia besieged 1522-1527
274 mt

The Battle of Pavia, February 24, 1525: the times, the places, the men

Castello Visconteo
Viale XI Febbraio, 35, Pavia
15/02/2025 - 29/12/2025
  • Art & Culture
The Battle of Pavia, February 24, 1525: the times, the places, the men
312 mt

Pavia 1525: the city, the arts, the battle

Castello Visconteo
Viale XI Febbraio, 35, Pavia
18/09/2025 - 11/01/2026
  • Art & Culture
arazzi della battaglia di Pavia
312 mt

Celebrations of the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Pavia 1525/2025

Castello Visconteo
Pavia
21/02/2025 - 11/01/2026
  • Art & Culture
Celebrations of the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Pavia 1525/2025
391 mt

71th INTERNATIONAL RAID PAVIA – VENEZIA 2nd JUNE 2024

Pavia Lungo Ticino Sforza
31/05/2025 - 02/06/2025
  • Sport
71th INTERNATIONAL RAID PAVIA – VENEZIA 2nd JUNE 2024
917 mt

Where to sleep

VITTORIA SUITE

Pavia
VITTORIA SUITE
237 mt

GALLERIA ARNABOLDI MAISON D'HOTES

Pavia
GALLERIA ARNABOLDI MAISON D'HOTES
307 mt

CAVOUR 14 DI LIVING RENT SRL

Pavia
CAVOUR 14 DI LIVING RENT SRL
332 mt

ARNABOLDI PALACE

Pavia
ARNABOLDI PALACE
345 mt

CASA ALESSIA

Pavia
CASA ALESSIA
374 mt

CASA DI MARTA

Pavia
CASA DI MARTA
374 mt

CASTELLANI

Pavia
CASTELLANI
407 mt

LIVING RENT SRL - SIRO COMI

Pavia
LIVING RENT SRL - SIRO COMI
448 mt

CASA CATERINA

Pavia
CASA CATERINA
461 mt

LE STANZE DEL CARDINALE

Pavia
LE STANZE DEL CARDINALE
468 mt

30CAVOUR LUXURY SUITES NETTUNO

Pavia
30CAVOUR LUXURY SUITES NETTUNO
475 mt

30CAVOUR LUXURY SUITES AMETISTA

Pavia
30CAVOUR LUXURY SUITES AMETISTA
475 mt

SALVO CRIFFO'

Pavia
SALVO CRIFFO'
482 mt

LE STANZE DEL CARDINALE STUDIO

Pavia
LE STANZE DEL CARDINALE STUDIO
486 mt

CASA ELENA

Pavia
CASA ELENA
493 mt

VILLA GLORI DI LIVING RENT SRL

Pavia
VILLA GLORI DI LIVING RENT SRL
534 mt

CASA VACANZA CORSO GARIBALDI 15

Pavia
CASA VACANZA CORSO GARIBALDI 15
567 mt

PAVIA CENTRO

Pavia
PAVIA CENTRO
579 mt

MAISON MARINA

Pavia
MAISON MARINA
609 mt

SAN MICHELE

Pavia
SAN MICHELE
620 mt