In May 1509, after the crushing defeat suffered in the
Battle of Agnadello, the
Venetian army seemed destined to fall with the
Republic of Venice. During the summer, the armies of the
League of Cambrai (the
Holy Roman Empire,
Kingdom of France,
Marquisate of Mantua,
Papal States, and
Duchy of Ferrara) invaded
Veneto. However, the Venetians resisted and in October, after the defeat in the
Siege of Padua, the
French Army's Marshal
Jacques de la Palice left Veneto, retreating to
Milan. The
Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I also left the battlefield, and retreated to
Trento. The Venetians were now able to take back a large part of Veneto during November and, on November 26, the inhabitants of Vicenza opened the doors of the city to
Andrea Gritti and his Venetian Army. However, the imperial garrison of Vicenza remained in the city and, commanded by the
Prince of Anhalt Rudolph IV, barricaded themselves in the fortified citadel. This started a three-day battle between the Venetian Army and the
Army of the Holy Roman Empire, won by the Venetian Army, which took the control over the citadel. == Sources ==