Battle of Ruvo

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Strength

300 lances
300 foot-soldiers

400 foot-soldiers
600 horsemen
1,300 soldiers

Casualties and losses

600 dead or captured
1,000 horses captured

Minimum

The Battle of Ruvo was fought on 23 February 1503 between a Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and Diego de Mendoza and a French army commanded by Jacques de la Palice. The battle was part of the Second Italian War and was fought at the town of Ruvo in the Province of Bari, modern-day Italy. The result was a Spanish victory.

Following the Treaty of Granada signed on 11 November 1500, Spanish monarch Ferdinand the Catholic and Louis XII of France agreed that each power takes a partition of the Kingdom of Naples. The deal soon fell through, however, and Spain and France resumed their war over the kingdom. This resulted in the Second Italian War.

During the end of 1502 and the early part of 1503 the Spanish stood at bay in the entrenched camp at Barletta near the Ofanto river on the shores of the Adriatic sea. Once hearing about the retreat and departure of Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, Gonzalo decided to launch an offensive in a Moorish guerrilla style on the town of Ruvo which was defended by Jacques de la Palice.