I've been interested lately in Late Medieval/Early Modern conflicts, and I've been wanting to do some reading on the Italian wars, because they seem both fascinating and less well trodden than, say, the War of the Roses. However, I've been struggling to find a good general survey. The only book I can find is The Italian Wars 1494-1559: War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe, by Mallett and Shaw, but it's a little expensive and not available through my University's library. Are there any other good surveys of the war, or even shorter periods within the conflict?
We are having quite a lot of fun discussing this topic over at /r/EarlyModernEurope , with the tapestry commemorating the Battle of Pavia as the rallying point.
I'm working on a series of posts on how the battle came to be, from the perspective of the king and emperor, commanders, and soldiers.
/u/historybuffCO linked weapons, grand strategy, and the captivity of Francis I's two sons in exchange for their father's freedom.
The Italian Wars is really under-studied in the English language and I've learned about it through various material more focused on the greater early modern conflict in Europe.
Specifically on Pavia, Osprey's book is decent but quite incomplete in many ways.
Not a general survey, but check out Abulafia's The French Descent into Italy. It's scope is limited but great scholarship. Here is a review, the first page should give you a good idea of what's going on: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.2307/2901581?journalCode=rq
I would suggest biographies of some of the French monarchs. “A History of France from the Death of Louis XI” by John Seargeant Cyprian Bridge has some good info on Charles VIII's forays into France. "Louis XII" by Frederic J Baumgartner would have his efforts explained. And Robert J. Knecht's biography of King Francis I and also his book on the Valois Kings would have more.