Cambrai, League of

An alliance formed at Cambrai in northern France in December 1508 by European powers hostile to Venice. The stated aim of Emperor Maximilian I, Louis XII of France, and Ferdinand II of Aragon was to fight the Ottoman Turks, but the real aim was to dismember the Venetian empire. They were joined by Pope Julius II and the dukes of Mantua and Ferrara, all of whom had territorial disputes with Venice. After some initial successes, beginning with the Battle of Agnadello in 1509, the League began to collapse in 1510, owing to the defection of the pope and Ferdinand. By 1517 Venice had won back virtually all the territory it had lost.