Battle of Ravenna

9.1

A major battle in 1512 between French forces and an army from Spain, Switzerland, and Venice during the Italian Wars

proper noun

: Batalla de Rávena

Many soldiers lost their lives during the bloody Battle of Ravenna in 1512.

Examples

The Battle of Ravenna marked a turning point in the Italian Wars.
Historians often analyze tactics used in the Battle of Ravenna to study early modern warfare.
The Battle of Ravenna was a significant event in 1512.
Did the Battle of Ravenna change the course of the Italian Wars?
Many soldiers lost their lives during the bloody Battle of Ravenna in 1512.
The Battle of Ravenna marked a turning point in the Italian Wars.
Historians often analyze tactics used in the Battle of Ravenna to study early modern warfare.

Surface Forms

Battle of Ravenna main

Morphology

battle + of + Ravenna

The phrase is fully compositional: 'battle' (a large armed fight) + 'of' (indicating relation/location) + 'Ravenna' (a place) yields the clear meaning 'a battle that took place at Ravenna.' The 'Battle of + place' construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard noun-of-location patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Battle of Ravenna was a big fight in 1512 near the town of Ravenna in Italy, where armies used heavy guns and many soldiers died. Because of the bloodiness and the new use of big guns, people call it a 'turning point' in the 'Italian Wars'.