The Siege of Mantua

Eight-month blockade gave Napoleon control of northern Italy

French painter Hippolyte Lecomte's depiction of 
Austria's surrender to the French at the end of the siege

Troops led by one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s top generals laid siege to the city of Mantua on this day in 1796 in what would unfold as the defining hub of the French military leader’s victorious First Italian Campaign.

Following two months of lightning aggressive actions by Napoleon’s forces,  Austria’s allies in Piedmont were forced to surrender, the Austrians themselves were driven out of Milan and then fled into the mountains of Tyrol to the north.

But a garrison of 14,000 Austrian soldiers remained in Mantua, a fortress city largely surrounded by water that was key to control of northern Italy.

The Austrian retreat meant Mantua was isolated, at which point French divisions under General Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier moved to force Austrian outposts to withdraw into the city, which on June 4 was completely surrounded. 

The Mantua garrison had been Austria’s insurance against invasion by Napoleon from Italy, meaning any attempt to do so was a risk he could not take. But isolating it proved to be an act of strategic genius on his part. 

It led the Austrians to make repeated attempts to relieve their stranded garrison, each one leaving them weaker.

The first, led by forces under the command of Count Dagobert von Wurmser, was crushed by Napoleon’s army in defeats at the Battles of Lonato and Castiglione, south of Lake Garda.

The second, again led by Wurmser, suffered another defeat at the Battle of Bassano, after which the Austrian field marshal decided against retreating towards his own territory in favour of continuing towards Mantua, almost 120km (72 miles) south. 

Napoleon at the Battle of Arcole by
French artist Antoine-Jean Gros

Napoleon’s forces chased them all the way, eventually forcing them inside the city. It swelled the garrison to almost 30,000, but the siege remained in place and there was not enough food to go round. Meanwhile, malaria - spread by mosquitoes from the surrounding lake and swamps - was rife. Within six weeks, some 4,000 Austrians had died, either from untreated wounds, disease or malnutrition.

After that, it was the turn of another Austrian commander, Baron Jozsef Alvinczi, to attempt to break the siege and re-establish Austrian control. 

Against an army of 24,000, Napoleon’s outnumbered army was stretched. It suffered heavy losses but somehow managed to win a long, attritional fight at the Battle of Arcole, southeast of Verona, before his brilliant tactics routed Alvinczi’s forces at the Battle of Rivoli, 50km (30 miles) to the northwest.

With Alvinczi's army destroyed, no hope of rescue left, and the Mantua garrison devastated by disease, in February, 1797, Wurmser finally capitulated. The French captured over 13,000 prisoners and 500 artillery pieces.

With no major Austrian army left in Italy, Napoleon could now march towards Vienna. Austria, exhausted and isolated, sued for peace, leading to the Treaty of Campo Formio, which controversially saw Napoleon hand control of Venice to Austria, spelling the end of the Venetian Republic after 1,100 years.

Thus, Austrian rule in northern Italy was ended, at least temporarily. They would regain it less than 20 years later.

Mantua's Basilica of Sant'Andrea, 
which was built in the 15th century

Travel tip: 

Mantua is an atmospheric city in Lombardy, about 150km (90 miles) to the southeast of Milan. In the 6th century BC it was an Etruscan village, its name deriving from the Etruscan god Mantus. It was in turn ruled by Romans - the poet, Virgil, was born near the city in 70BC - Byzantines, Longobards and Franks, before passing through the hands of the Canossa, Bonacolsi and Gonzaga families. The Renaissance Palazzo Ducale was the seat of the Gonzaga family between 1328 and 1707. The Camera degli Sposi is decorated with frescoes by Andrea Mantegna, depicting the life of Ludovico III Gonzaga and his family, who ruled Mantua for 34 years in the 15th century. The nearby 15th century Basilica of Sant’Andrea was originally built to accommodate the large number of pilgrims who came to Mantua to see a precious relic, an ampoule containing what were believed to be drops of Christ’s blood mixed with earth. The basilica, in Piazza Mantegna, houses the tomb of Andrea Mantegna, who was buried in the first chapel on the left, which contains a picture of the Holy Family and John the Baptist that had been painted by him. Elsewhere, the Palazzo Te is a fine example of the Mannerist school of architecture, the masterpiece of the architect Giulio Romano. The name for the palace came about because the location chosen had been the site of the Gonzaga family stables at Isola del Te on the edge of the marshes just outside Mantua’s city walls.

Stay in Mantua with Hotels.com

One of Bassano del Grappa's main squares is
the Piazza Libertà, pictured here at night 

Travel tip:

Bassano del Grappa is an historic town at the foot of Monte Grappa in the Vicenza province of the Veneto, famous for inventing grappa, a spirit made from the grape skins and stalks left over from wine production, which is popular with Italians as an after dinner drink to aid digestion. The town’s main attraction is the Ponte degli Alpini, also known as the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge across the Brenta river designed in 1569 by Andrea Palladio. It has been rebuilt several times after being damaged or destroyed by wars but always to the original design. The wooden bridge was the site of farewells for Alpini soldiers heading to the front in World War One, and Bassano still honours the thousands who never returned. Next to the bridge is the Grapperia Nardini, founded in 1779 and said to be Italy’s oldest distillery. Visitors can taste classic grappa, the local liqueur Tagliatella, and the signature cocktail Mezzo e Mezzo. The two main squares, which link to one another, are the Piazza Libertà and Piazza Garibaldi. Bassano developed as a medieval trading centre, later flourishing under Venetian rule, which shaped its architecture and craft traditions.

Find accommodation in Bassano del Grappa with Expedia

More reading:

Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Rivoli

Napoleon crowns himself King of Italy

The execution of Joachim Murat, key aide of Napoleon

Also on this day:

1463: The death of historian Flavio Biondo

1604: The birth of Claudia de’ Medici, Archduchess of Tyrol

1895: The birth of Fascist politician Dino Grandi

1966: The birth of soprano Cecilia Bartoli

1970: The birth of Olympic skiing champion Deborah Compagnoni

Home