In 1509, the Venetian fleet was moored on the river Po, waiting for the right moment to attack Ferrara.

Meanwhile, the Slavic and Albanian mercenaries (called Stratioti) made daily incursions into the Dukedom, sowing death and terror.

The soldiers and sailors who tried to escape into the water were taken prisoner and shot or killed without mercy as soon as they reached firm ground.

When Duke Alfonso I d'Este entered Ferrara five days later, his wife Lucrezia Borgia was waiting for him with her maids of honour, the court, and the jubilant population.

The battle was described by Ludovico Ariosto in his epic poem Orlando Furioso (canto 40, 2, vv.