Austrian victory at Magnano in 1799 helped drive French forces from nearly all of Italy during the War of the Second Coalition.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 April 1799
- Austrian commander
- Pál Kray
- French commander
- Barthélemy Schérer
- Conflict
- War of the Second Coalition
- Campaign context
- Suvorov's Italian campaign
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
France and Austria were engaged in the War of the Second Coalition, part of the broader French Revolutionary Wars. French forces under Schérer had been operating in northern Italy, facing increasing Austrian pressure. A prior engagement at Verona on 26 March 1799 had already tested both sides under similar conditions.
On 5 April 1799, Austrian forces commanded by Pál Kray engaged and defeated a French army led by Barthélemy Schérer near Magnano in northern Italy. The battle mirrored the troop numbers and casualty ratios seen at Verona days earlier, but all figures in this engagement favored the Austrians.
The Austrian victory at Magnano contributed to a broader strategic collapse of French positions in Italy. In subsequent operations grouped under Suvorov's Italian campaign, Austrian and Russian allied forces drove the French out of nearly all of Italy, representing a major reversal of French gains in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Pál Kray.
Side B
1 belligerent
Barthélemy Schérer.