Don Gonzalo de Córdoba had lacked numeric…
February 1503 CE
Don Gonzalo de Córdoba had lacked numeric superiority when the conflict between France and Spain broke out again in the second half of 1502, but had been able to apply the lessons learned in 1495 against the Helvetic infantry; moreover, the Spanish terceros, accustomed to close combat after the Reconquista, have addressed some of this imbalance.
Córdoba had avoided encounter with the enemy at first, hoping to lure the French into complacency.
The conflict later becomes characterized by short skirmishes.
Charles de la Motte, a French knight, is captured during this campaign by Spanish forces and later uses this time as a hostage to declare his famous Challenge of Barletta on February 13, 1503: after drinking too much of the local wine, la Motte had made disparaging remarks about the Italians.
His challenge consists of a mounted tournament between thirteen Italians (the most famous being Ettore Fieramosca), who are part of the Spanish army based in Barletta, and thirteen French knights who are based in Canosa di Puglia.
The Italian knights win the battle, and the French have to pay ransom.
Barletta as a result has since acquired the appellation Città della Disfida (City of the Challenge, even though the tournament actually took place in nearby Trani).