![A Swiss mercenary holds the best hand vis-à-vis the great European rulers in the "Game for Milan". Woodcut by Hans Rüegger, 1514 (detail).](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/spiel-von-mailand-titel-300x225.jpg)
Zenith of Swiss Power: The Battle of Novara
The Battle of Novara on 6 June 1513 was the last great military victory of the Old Swiss Confederation and marked the peak of its power in Europe.
Rise and Fall of Franco-Swiss Relations
![Swiss volunteers storm the Genoese camp on the side of the French king, 1507.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/schweizer-freiwillige-ersturmen-auf-der-seite-des-franzosischen-konigs-das-genuesische-lager-1507-300x183.jpg)
![Messengers from Bern and Zurich deliver sealed messages to the representatives of the three original cantons, advising against military contracts. In the background, ragged and invalid mercenaries point out the consequences of mercenary service.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/laufer-aus-bern-und-zurich-uberbringen-den-vertretern-der-drei-urkantone-versiegelte-botschaften-224x300.jpg)
It is true that they are veritable soldiers and form the backbone of an army, but you must never be short of money if you want them, and they will never take promises in lieu of cash.
![Swiss mercenaries crossing the Alps.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/schweizer-soldner-beim-uberqueren-der-alpen-192x300.jpg)
A Swiss-Papal Alliance
![A reconstructed gala uniform of the mercenary leader Ulrich, Freiherr von Hohensax, with a typical codpiece and a hat made of ostrich feathers](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/rekonstruierte-galauniform-des-soldnerfuhrers-ulrich-freiherr-von-hohensax-225x300.jpg)
![A stained glass coat of arms of the mercenary leader Ulrich, Freiherr von Hohensax, from the Lachen Town Hall, 1507.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/wappenscheibe-des-soldnerfuhrers-ulrich-freiherr-von-hohensax-225x300.jpg)
![In gratitude for their support in the Pavia campaign, Pope Julius awarded the Confederates valuable banners made of silk, so-called "Julius banners". Commemorative page in the Stumpf Chronicle of 1534.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/erinnerungsblatt-an-die-geschenke-papst-julius-ii-an-die-eidgenossen-300x220.jpg)
![Julius banner of Zurich, 1512.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/juliusbanner-von-zurich-1512-dig-2213-dep-850-300x300.jpg)
The smell of gunpowder is sweeter to me than all the perfumes of Arabia.
![The young Duke Maximilian Sforza is invested with his paternal inheritance by the Swiss in front of the city walls of Milan. Engraving from 1743.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/der-junge-herzog-maximilian-sforza-wird-von-den-eidgenossen-vor-der-stadtmauer-von-mailand-in-sein-vaterliches-erbe-eingesetzt-gbe-29705-lm-44027-300x189.jpg)
The Battle of Novara
![The Battle of Novara in the Stumpf Chronicle of 1534.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/die-schlacht-von-novara-in-der-stumpf-chronik-von-1534-300x237.jpg)
![The Swiss Confederation and its borders in the early 16th century. South-facing map by Johannes Stumpf, c. 1550.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/die-eidgenossenschaft-und-ihre-grenzen-im-fruhen-16-jahrhundert-300x216.jpg)
The French have come to believe that without [the Swiss] they cannot win a battle. Because of this, the French are no match for the Swiss, and without Swiss help, no match for anyone else.
Novara’s Legacy & A Fascinating Woodcut
The unity and glory of their armies have made this savage, uncultured people famous.
!["The Game of Milan", woodcut by Hans Rüegger, 1514.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/spiel-von-mailand-komplett-300x229.jpg)