The fall of Mantua ended Austrian resistance in northern Italy, enabling Napoleon to march on Vienna and force Austria to seek peace terms.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 4 June 1796 – 2 February 1797
- Garrison size at peak
- 30,000 men
- Relief attempts repulsed
- 4
- Conflict
- War of the First Coalition
- Location
- Mantua, Lombardy, on the Mincio River
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After expelling Austrian forces from northwest and north-central Italy in mid-1796, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army moved to isolate the strategic fortress city of Mantua, whose possession was critical to controlling northern Italy. Austria repeatedly dispatched relief armies under Wurmser and then Alvinczi to break the French grip on the city.
French forces besieged and blockaded Mantua's large Austrian garrison from June 1796 to February 1797, repelling four successive Austrian relief attempts at engagements including Lonato, Castiglione, Bassano, Arcole, and Rivoli. Trapped, the garrison under Wurmser suffered severely from disease and starvation before surrendering on 2 February 1797.
The surrender of Mantua eliminated organized Austrian resistance in northern Italy. Napoleon subsequently invaded Austria directly, and the heavy cumulative losses sustained during the four failed relief efforts left Austria unable to continue the war effectively, compelling it to negotiate peace in 1797.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Napoleon Bonaparte.
Side B
1 belligerent
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, József Alvinczi, Paul Davidovich, Joseph Canto d'Irles.