The Battle of Ceresole

On the 11th of April 1544 in the Piedmont region, the Battle of Ceresole pitted the troops of the French king Francis 1st, led by the Duke of Enghien, against those of Emperor Charles V. At the end of this final, pitched battle of the Italian Wars, it was the French who prevailed and who went on to take back a number of locations in the Piedmont. However, they were unable to exploit their advantage and march on an ill-defended Milan, as Charles V and his ally King Henry VIII of England invaded Picardy and Champagne. Francis 1st thus had no choice but to send his best troops back to defend France.

Hostilities between Charles V and Francis 1st eased when the Crépy Peace Treaty was signed in September 1544, followed by the Treaty of Cagnes in November of the same year, in which Francis 1st agreed to permanently give up his rights to the County of Nice.

With this second treaty, the river Var regained its vital role as a frontier and, now urgently needing a military stronghold capable of withstanding the Citadel of Nice, Saint-Paul de Vence became the logical choice for Francis 1st. Its strategic geographic location and status as an administrative capital since 1543, were no doubt key in convincing the king to make Saint-Paul de Vence a major fortress in defending Eastern Provence.