ABSTRACT
Charles VIII's descent upon Italy was described by contemporaries in cosmic terms as a conflagration or a deluge, but its political effects varied widely in Italy, and were not always negative, even if there were fatal upheavals in Florence and Naples. At Mantua, for instance, a north Italian signoria of second rank, the outcome was positively beneficial to the regime. This was owing to the fame which Marquis Francesco Gonzaga managed to obtain as the victorious commander in the Battle of Fomovo on 6 July 1495. What follows below is less about the military aspects of that event than its domestic and promotional importance for the Mantuan ruler, and is largely based upon letters surviving in the Gonzaga archives.!
