Battle of Pamplona European history [1521] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Pamplona Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Pamplona Feedback Written by Jacob F. Field Jacob F. Field is an early modern historian based at the University of Cambridge. Jacob F. Field Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 15, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents

　　St. Ignatius Loyola See all media Date: May 20, 1521 (Show more) Location: Pamplona Spain (Show more) Participants: France house of Habsburg Navarra Spain (Show more) See all related content → Battle of Pamplona, battle on May 20, 1521, during the war between France and the Hapsburgs from 1521 to 1526. Spain, part of the Habsburg Empire, had conquered part of Navarre in 1512, but in 1521 it rebelled with French backing. The Navarrese captured Pamplona by defeating the Spanish garrison, which included Iñigo López de Loyola, now better known asIgnatius of Loyola, who subsequently founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuit order.

　　Navarre, an ancient Basque realm, had straddled the Pyrenees until Spain conquered the Iberian part of the kingdom in 1512. Henry d’Albret—the son of the last king of Navarre before the Spanish annexation—was eager to reclaim his lands. When war between France and Spain started in 1521, Henry crossed the Pyrenees with a strong French army. This ignited revolt across Spanish Navarre.

　　Britannica Quiz A History of War The most important position was Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. When the town rose up, with assistance from the French army, the Spanish governor wanted to surrender immediately. Loyola—a Basque soldier who had more than a decade of military experience—opposed this, arguing that the garrison should attempt to hold out. The Spanish retreated to the citadel of the fortress, where a Franco-Navarrese force besieged their position. On May 20, after a six-hour bombardment, a cannonball severely wounded Loyola as he patrolled the ramparts. Ricocheting off a thick stone wall, it passed through his legs, badly wounding the left one and shattering the right. Shortly afterward, the defenders surrendered and Pamplona was lost.

　　After being cared for by French doctors for several weeks, Loyola was allowed to return home. During his convalescence, he underwent a religious conversion and wrote a manual called Spiritual Exercises, eventually founding the soldierly Jesuit order, and, after his death, being canonized as Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Spain was able to reverse its setback after Pamplona and recapture the southern part of Navarre that year, with the kingdom north of the Pyrenees only enduring as a French client state.