Passage: The Sack of Brescia took place on February 18, 1512 during the War of the League of Cambrai. The city of Brescia had revolted against French control, garrisoning itself with Venetian troops. Gaston de Foix, recently arrived to command the French armies in Italy, ordered the city to surrender; when it refused, he attacked it with around 12,000 men. The French attack took place in a pouring rain, through a field of mud; Foix ordered his men to remove their shoes for better traction. The defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the French, but were eventually overrun, suffering 8,000 - 15,000 casualties. The Gascon infantry and landsknechts then proceeded to thoroughly sack the city, massacring thousands of civilians over the next five days. Following this, the city of Bergamo paid some 60,000 ducats to the French to avoid a similar fate.
How long did the Sack of Brescia last? How many days did they spend killing regular civilians of the city? How many is the difference in the number of casualties the defenders were said to have? What did the Bergamo city fear would happen to them? What did the city of Bergamo do to avoid this fate? What happened during the War of the League of Cambrai? What happened when The city of Brescia did not surrender? Where did the attack take place? Who did the Brescia's take sides with? Who was asked to surrender? Why were the men told to take their shoes off? what month did the War of the League of Cambrai take place?