A contingent of Charles' VIII's army besieges…

A contingent of Charles' VIII's army besieges the fortress of Mordano on October 19.

After refusing to surrender, the fortress is bombarded, taken by French-Milanese forces, and the surviving inhabitants massacred.

This shocks the Italians, who are accustomed to the relatively bloodless wars of the condottieri.

Charles VIII had been on good terms with the two powers in northern Italy, Milan and Venice, and both have encouraged him to make good his claims over the Kingdom of Naples.

Thus he assumed he would have their support when he moved against Alfonso II of Naples, especially as the rival claimant is Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Spain.

Charles had led a powerful twenty-five thousand-man French army, including an eight thousand-strong contingent of Swiss mercenaries and the first train of artillery seen in history, into Italy at the end of August 1494 Charles VIII had l

He had been granted free passage through Milan, but is vigorously opposed by Florence, Pope Alexander VI, and Naples.

Louis d'Orleans' victory at Rapallo had allowed Charles to march his army through the Republic of Genoa.