 Gaston de Foix, recently arrived to command the French armies in Italy, ordered the city to surrender; when it refused, he attacked it with around 12,000 men.The French attack took place in pouring rain, through a field of mud; Foix ordered his men to remove their shoes for better traction.The defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the French, but were eventually overrun, suffering 8,000 – 15,000 casualties.