Battles & Campaigns · 1422
Battle of Arbedo
Arbedo, Ticino, Switzerland
What happened
Milan had taken Bellinzona, and the Swiss came to win it back. They held off two cavalry charges, but Milanese crossbowmen and dismounted men-at-arms pushed them back onto a hill. Foragers mistaken for reinforcements stopped a total Swiss defeat, and the Swiss withdrew.
Why it matters
Milan kept Bellinzona and the Leventina valley. The defeat discouraged Swiss expansion toward Lake Maggiore for a long time.
What came next
The Swiss increased the number of pikemen in their armies.
Did you know?
In Zug's tradition, Hans Landwing saved the town's banner; the scene was later shown on an 1867 Swiss coin.
Timeline
- 30 Jun 1422Battle of Arbedo.
- 28 Dec 1478Battle of Giornico.
- 3 Mar 1480Treaty of Lucerne gives the Leventina to Uri.