![]() The two forces met at Arbedo, north of the contested city of Bellinoza, and the Swiss immediately found themselves outnumbered by the combined Milanese regiments. In the foreground the Swiss army, with the Milanese forces in the background. In the Battle of Arbedo 1422, painted by Benedicht Tschachtlan, the Swiss pikemen were too few and the other side with countless long pikes easily won. The Swiss swarms and their star halberdiers had been rampaging through Europe ever since the death of the Milanese warlord Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1403, capturing considerable amounts of territory south of the Alps in the valleys of Ossola, Maggia, and Versasca. The Italians had brutally re-captured the city of Bellinoza, one of the many cities that surrendered to the Swiss Confederacy following an expansionist drive starting at the turn of the century. Nearly 40 years later in 1422, the Swiss were once again locked in the throes of combat, this time at Arbedo against the Milanese. However, the Swiss did not learn their lesson that day, and continued to employ halberds as their primary armament in future engagements, a tactic that would eventually lead to the greatest military disaster in their history. The Battle of Sempach had been an extremely close call, as the inferior length of the halberds had put the Swiss forces at a serious disadvantage in the earlier stages of battle. In the pandemonium, the Duke and his men were killed and soundly defeated by the resilient Swiss, who breathed a heavy sigh of relief. ![]()
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