The Battle of Pavia took place in 1525. Nearly 500 years later, it is useful to recall not only its revolutionary significance, but also the many insights it can offer regarding today’s tragic events. The Project “The Battle of Pavia and the Future of European Defense (1525-2025)” has been promoted by Aspen Institute Italia with the contribution of the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lombardia and Leonardo and in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo and the University of Pavia. The inaugural conference takes place on November 26, 2022, in the Aula Magna of the University of Pavia (the oldest university in Lombardy and one of the oldest in the world).
This initiative aims to highlight similarities between the historic battle and current geopolitical and security challenges. The goal is to build a pathway that, between now and 2025 (the fifth centenary of the battle), will implement innovative proposals on issues of common interest and international relevance. Answers to the challenges of the future should emerge from these proposals, elaborated through a series of conferences and seminars. Our common European defense policy will be considered in a perspective of maintaining the continent’s values of peace and security, as we are faced with new world balances, technological acceleration, and political and military developments.
“The Battle of Pavia and the Future of European Defense (1525-2025)” Report – drawn up by Aspen Institute Italia, Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lombardia and Leonardo, on the occasion of the Project’s inaugural conference – is available, in Italian, as of November 26, 2022.