Practical use of artillery tactics in the Italian Wars

Timeline

1. 1494Alpine passes—Piedmont · PiedmontIn autumn 1494 Charles VIII led some 25,000 troops and dozens of bronze siege guns into Italy. The French placed artillery on special gun carriages and ammunition wagons, achieving relatively rapid mountain mobility that enabled successive sieges.
2. 1494–1495Monte San Giovanni Campano · LazioOn their southward march the French quickly captured several medieval fortresses relying on high walls through concentrated bombardment. In the 1495 siege of Monte San Giovanni, French guns demolished the walls within hours and the garrison surrendered in shock. Italian chroniclers called this French firepower an unprecedented 'thunder'.
3. 1495Naples · NaplesIn February 1495 Charles VIII entered Naples, and the Italian states realized traditional castles could hardly withstand concentrated artillery. Thereafter states competed to import French-style guns and explore new defenses such as star-shaped bastions, as European military engineering entered a modern transformation period.