Battle of Giornico
- When
- 1478–1480
- Where
- Leventina valley and Bellinzona; Giornico; Lucerne
- Episodes
- 3
On 28 December 1478, approximately 600 Swiss troops from the Old Swiss Confederation ambushed a larger Milanese force in the narrow, icy valley of Giornico. By rolling boulders down the hillside, the Swiss defeated the Milanese army, which was outnumbered twenty-to-one. This victory was part of the Confederation's 15th-century expansionist policy and led to the cession of Leventina to Uri in 1480.
Episodes
- Swiss Advance
Swiss troops from Uri and other cantons advanced into the Leventina valley and established a siege camp at Bellinzona in November 1478.
- Battle of Giornico
On 28 December 1478, about 600 Swiss troops ambushed and defeated a larger Milanese force in the narrow, icy valley of Giornico by rolling boulders down the hillside.
- Treaty of Lucerne
The treaty of Lucerne, signed on 3 March 1480, established the cession of Leventina from Milan to Uri.
Background and detail
Background. The Battle of Giornico was part of the Old Swiss Confederation's expansionist policy during the 15th century. In November 1478, troops from the Canton of Uri moved south over the Gotthard pass into the Leventina valley. They were quickly joined by forces from other Confederation cantons, establishing a siege camp below the walls of Bellinzona on 30 November 1478.
The Battle. On 28 December 1478, the entire Milanese army reached Giornico, outnumbering the Swiss defenders by about twenty-to-one. The Swiss, positioned above the narrow, icy valley, ambushed the Milanese force. They defeated the larger army by rolling large boulders down the hillside against the Milanese troops confined in the valley.
Aftermath. The Swiss victory at Giornico contributed to the cession of Leventina from Milan to Uri, formalized by the treaty of Lucerne signed on 3 March 1480. Nine years later, the Swiss and the Milanese met again at the Battle of Crevola in 1487.
People involved
- Old Swiss Confederation · Swiss troops
- Duchy of Milan · Milanese force
Sources
- Battle of Giornico Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-21
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.