Louis II de la Trémoille (29 September 1460 – 24 February 1525), also known as La Trimouille, was a French general. He served under three kings: Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. He was killed in combat at the Battle of Pavia.
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Military career
Louis was born in Thouars, the eldest son of Louis I de la Trémoille. He commanded an army that attempted to secure Brittany for the French crown after internal revolts had weakened Francis II, Duke of Brittany during the so-called "Mad War" (La Guerre Folle). By March 1488, Louis had been appointed lieutenant-general of Brittany by Charles VIII. His decisive victory at the Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier on 28 July 1488 ended effective Breton independence.
Louis took part in several battles in the Italian Wars, notably the Battle of Fornovo in 1495 and the Battle of Agnadello of 1509. He suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Novara, in which his 10,000-strong army was ambushed by 13,000 Swiss mercenaries.
The Swiss subsequently invaded France. De la Trémoille was then sent to Dijon and defended the city when the Swiss laid siege to it in September 1513. He succeeded in negotiating the departure of the besiegers on 13 September, by promising them 400,000 écus.
