Battle of Assietta

Last updated
Battle of Assietta
Part of the War of the Austrian Succession
La mort du chevalier de Belle-Isle.jpg
The death of the Chevalier de Belle-Isle, Famille le Clerc
DateJuly 19, 1747
Location 45°3′54.245″N6°57′1.260″E / 45.06506806°N 6.95035000°E / 45.06506806; 6.95035000
Result Sardinian victory
Belligerents
State Flag of the Savoyard States (late 16th - late 18th century).svg Sardinia Royal Standard of the King of France.svg France
Commanders and leaders
Giovanni di Bricherasio Chevalier de Belle Isle  
Strength
7,000-15,000 [1] 25,000-40,000 [1]
Casualties and losses
299 killed or wounded [2] 5,300–6,400 killed or wounded [2]
Italy relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location within Italy
Europe relief laea location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Battle of Assietta (Europe)

The Battle of Assietta was a significant engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession and pitted a numerically superior French force of 25,000 men [1] under the command of Louis Fouquet, Chevalier de Belle-Isle against a Sardinian army of 15,000 men [1] led by Giovanni Bricherasio. The French were soundly defeated and their commander, Belle-Isle, killed during the course of the battle. The siege was part of the Italian campaign of the War of the Austrian Succession, in which Habsburgs and Bourbons contested for domination over Northern Italy and the various Italian states. The Kingdom of Sardinia joined the war on the side of the Pragmatic Allies in 1742 and rallied itself to Maria Theresa's cause. There were also concerns about growing French influence in its territories. The war in Italy had already been going on for seven years, and the Sardinian army had already suffered several defeats in the field, leading to them opting for a more defensive approach. The French led several expeditions in Italy during the war, combining their forces with the Spanish Bourbons to accomplish their political aims. [1] [2]

Contents

By 1747, the war was coming to an end, but the French were still interested in acquiring more influence in Italy, and so dispatched an army under the command of Belle-Isle to capture Colle dell'Assietta from the Sardinians. The French army organised into thirty-two battalions, [1] encountered fortified Sardinian positions at the Susa Valley, and launched wave after wave of fruitless assaults on their fortifications. The French divided their forces into four columns and launched several assaults personally led by Belle-Isle. They were all repulsed with heavy casualties inflicted, and Belle-Isle himself was killed, whereupon a retreat was ordered. The Sardinians suffered only light casualties, while the French had over a fifth of their force killed or wounded. The Sardinian victory proved to be the last major battle in the Italian campaign of the war. [1] [2]

Background

The war started over a dispute of the ascension of Maria Theresa to the throne of the Hapsburg dominions. Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
The war started over a dispute of the ascension of Maria Theresa to the throne of the Hapsburg dominions.

The cause of the War of the Austrian Succession was Maria Theresa's alleged ineligibility to succeed to the hereditary lands of her father, Emperor Charles VI, because Salic law precluded royal inheritance by a woman. This became the key justification for the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Prussia, joined by the Electorate of Bavaria, to challenge Habsburg power. Maria Theresa was supported by the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Electorate of Saxony. Since 1739, Spain had been fighting the separate War of Jenkins' Ear with Britain, which primarily took place in the Americas. It joined the war in Europe, hoping to recapture its former possessions in Northern Italy, now held by Austria. Having previously re-gained the Kingdom of Naples in 1735, doing so would restore the territories the Spanish lost under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. [2]

In the late phase of the War of the Austrian Succession, France had decided to eliminate the Sardinian army, which they considered a threat due to the strong strategic position the Sardinians held. King Louis XV of France had already dispatched forces into Sardianian territory, besieging Cuneo and engaging the Sardinians at Madonna dell'Olmo and Bassignana, winning both battles but gaining little strategic advantage overall. A French army comprising one hundred and fifty infantry battalions, seventy-five cavalry squadrons and two artillery brigades, under the command of Marshal Charles Louis Auguste, duke of Belle-Isle, and Marquis De La Mina, was dispatched into Italy. The two commanders had different views on how to conduct the campaign: Belle-Isle favoured menacing Turin directly via crossing the Alps, while his Spanish colleague instead wished to send troops to relieve the Austro-Sardinian siege of Genoa. Belle-Isle's ideas prevailed and the French troops occupied Antibes as well as the county of Nice. However, they were halted by the strong Sardinian defence of the southern Alpine passes. Belle-Isle's brother, the Chevalier de Belle-Isle, led an army of fifty infantry battalions, fifteen cavalry squadrons and numerous cannons, and advanced towards the northern Italian mountain passes. [2]

Battle

The valley of Susa, where the battle took place. Susatal.jpg
The valley of Susa, where the battle took place.

The French army was divided into two corps: one descended from the Moncenisio towards Exilles while the other advanced towards Fenestrelle from the Assietta Pass. The latter formed a bare plateau, at an altitude of 2,500 meters. Although he outnumbered the French in the area, [1] Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy was forced to dispatch forces to defend all the passes into his country while the French could concentrate their forces and needed attack only one mountain pass to enter Sardinian territory. The decision was made by the French to advance through Assietta. The Sardinians had fortified the area with thirteen infantry battalions: nine were Sardinian, with the remaining being Austrian and Swiss battalions which were taken from the troops that had unsuccessfully besieged Genoa. French scouts had notified their commander that the Sardinians were fortifying the pass, and a decision to launch an attack immediately was taken. Numerous obstacles, redoubts and an eighteen foot high palisade had been built on the slope by the Sardinian defenders. The forces involved amounted to thirty two French battalions against thirteen Sardinian battalions. The French troops were divided into three columns with the center column pressing the attack and the flank columns launching various half-hearted attacks from the side. [2]

The attacks began at about 16:30 in the afternoon. Despite the desperate attempts by the French soldiers and the personal show of valour of their officers, all four attacks were repulsed by the Sardinian forces with heavy losses inflicted upon their ranks. After five hours of battle, the French made the decision to retreat. The French commander, Chevalier de Belle-Isle, was killed while raising the French flag near the top of the slope. What ensued in the late afternoon was celebrated as the most one-sided victories of the war. Neither flanking columns engaged the Sardinians significantly enough to influence the catastrophe that was befalling the center column. These battalions, led by determined officers, struggled up the slope, disassembling the various man-made impediments as they proceeded, while suffering withering musket fire from concealed and protected Sardinian hideouts, which exacted the heavy toll on the flanking columns. Four separate times the French faltered before the onslaught; each time they returned to the struggle. The living climbed over the dead as they tried to surmount the palisades. Sardinian defenders rained bullets and rocks down on the relentless blood-drenched attackers. A retreat, which proved more orderly then the previous butchery, was portended. The one-sided character of the slaughter was apparent. French casualties totaled 6,400 killed and wounded including 400 officers, [3] and for the first and the only times in the war the majority of them, 3,700, were fatalities while only 299 Sardinians were killed or wounded.

Aftermath

The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the War of the Austrian Succession. Jacques Dumont - Allegorie en l'honneur de la publication de la paix d'Aix-la-Chapelle.jpg
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the War of the Austrian Succession.

The beaten French troops retreated from the field. This would be their last engagement on the Italian front as they entirely withdrew from Italy after it, although minor skirmishes continued between Hapsburg and Italian forces and the remaining Franco-Spanish troops in the region. The body of Belle-Isle, carefully preserved during the march home, was buried in the Embrun Cathedral with full military honours. His death was immortalised in a painting, depicting his moment of death when attempting to plant the French flag at the top of the Sardinian redoubt. The valour of the Sardinian troops became household news in Europe, and King of Prussia, Frederick II, upon hearing of news of the Sardinian defence at Assietta, declared that, if he had such valorous troops under his command, he could easily become King of Italy. The following year, by the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, the Kingdom of Sardinia obtained the territories around Lake Maggiore and Ticino. [2]

The battle of Assietta, from a strategic point of view was a stalemate in regards to the military operations that were being conducted in Italy, while from a tactical point of view, it was a clear success that made apparent the failure of combat tactics employed by the French troops under Belle-Isle, which primarily consisted of massed bayonet assaults in column formations without bothering to ensure the columns had sufficient support in the form of covering fire.

After the war, a long peace reigned in Italy between the various Italian states until the French Revolution and the ensuing French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

The siege of Villafranca took place between 14 and 27 April 1744, during the War of the Austrian Succession. The armies of Spain and France advancing towards the Kingdom of Sardinia and attacked the entrenched positions in the Villafranca pass, defended by Anglo-Sardinian forces. The Franco-Spanish attacks were not very successful, but the defenders, due to the high losses suffered during the attacks, were forced to abandon the port of Villafranca with a large part of their forces. The small garrison that remained in the place surrendered on 27 April.

The Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo or Battle of Cuneo was fought on the outskirts of Cuneo on 30 September 1744, in the War of the Austrian Succession. The battle ended in a victory for the armies of Spain and France over the Kingdom of Sardinia but it did not advance the victors' campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Montenotte</span>

The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between the French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian corps under Count Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. The French won the battle, which was fought near the village of Cairo Montenotte in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. The modern town is located in the northwestern part of Italy. On 11 April, Argenteau led 3,700 men in several assaults against a French mountaintop redoubt but failed to take it. By the morning of the 12th, Bonaparte concentrated large forces against Argenteau's now-outnumbered troops. The strongest French push came from the direction of the mountaintop redoubt, but a second force fell on the weak Austrian right flank and overwhelmed it. In its hasty retreat from the field, Argenteau's force lost heavily and was badly disorganized. This attack against the boundary between the Austrian and Sardinian armies threatened to sever the link between the two allies. This action was part of the Montenotte Campaign.

The Battle of San Pietro, also known as the Battle of Crocetta or the Battle of Parma was fought on 29 June 1734 between troops of France and Sardinia on one side, and Habsburg Austrian troops on the other, as part of the War of Polish Succession, between the village of La Crocetta and the city of Parma, then in the Duchy of Parma. Austrian troops assaulted an entrenched Franco-Sardinian position, and were ultimately repulsed, due in part to the death of their commander, Florimund Mercy, and the wounding of his second in command, Frederick of Württemberg. Both sides suffered significant casualties in the battle, which lasted for most of the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Guastalla</span> 1734 battle as part of the War of the Polish Succession

The Battle of Guastalla or Battle of Luzzara was fought on 19 September 1734 between Franco-Sardinian and Austrian (Habsburg) troops as part of the War of the Polish Succession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th Infantry Division "Assietta"</span> Military unit

The 26th Infantry Division "Assietta" was a infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Assietta was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that the division's artillery was moved by pack mules instead of the horse-drawn carriages of line infantry divisions. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by Alpini mountain troops. The division was named for the Battle of Assietta in 1747 and based in Asti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvédère</span> Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Belvédère is a commune in the Vésubie valley north of Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. The village of Belvédère is located at the entrance of the Gordolasque valley on the edge of the Mercantour National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montenotte campaign</span> Action of the War of the First Coalition

The Montenotte campaign began on 10 April 1796 with an action at Voltri and ended with the Armistice of Cherasco on 28 April. In his first army command, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army separated the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi from the allied Habsburg army led by Johann Peter Beaulieu. The French defeated both Habsburg and Sardinian armies and forced Sardinia to quit the First Coalition. The campaign formed part of the Wars of the French Revolution. Montenotte Superiore is located at the junction of Strada Provinciale 12 and 41 in the Liguria region of northwest Italy, 15 kilometres (9 mi) northeast of Carcare municipality. However, the fighting occurred in an area from Genoa on the east to Cuneo on the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi</span> Sardinian General

Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi or Michelangelo da Vigevano or Michael Colli entered the Habsburg Austrian army as a commissioned officer and became a general officer after fighting in the Seven Years' War, War of the Bavarian Succession, and Austro-Turkish War. During the War of the First Coalition, he was loaned to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont for three years. In 1796, his army was defeated by Napoleon Bonaparte in a swift campaign that knocked Sardinia-Piedmont out of the war. In early 1797, he was given command of the army of the Papal States, but his troops were defeated at Faenza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Saorgio</span> Action of the War of the First Coalition

The Second Battle of Saorgio was fought from 24 to 28 April 1794 between a French First Republic army commanded by Pierre Jadart Dumerbion and the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and the Habsburg monarchy led by Joseph Nikolaus De Vins. It was part of a successful French offensive designed to capture strategic positions in the Maritime Alps and Ligurian Alps, and on the Mediterranean coast. Tactical control of the battle was exercised by André Masséna for the French and Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi for the Coalition. Saorge is located in France, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Nice. At the time of the battle, the town was named Saorgio and belonged to Piedmont.

The Battle of Voltri was an engagement occurring on 10 April 1796 during the French Revolutionary Wars and taking place in Voltri, a suburb of Genoa, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Saorgio</span> Action of the War of the First Coalition

The First Battle of Saorgio saw a French army commanded by Gaspard Jean-Baptiste Brunet attack the armies of the Sardinia-Piedmont and Austria led by Joseph Nikolaus De Vins. The local Sardinian commander in the Maritime Alps was Charles-François Thaon, Count of Saint-André. Though the French were initially successful in this War of the First Coalition action, their main assaults against the strong defensive positions on the Massif de l'Authion and the Col de Raus failed with serious losses. Saorge is now located in France about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Nice, but in 1793 Saorgio belonged to Piedmont. In April 1794 the French seized the positions from the Austro-Sardinians in the Second Battle of Saorgio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Dabormida</span> Italian general during Battle of Adwa (1842–1896)

Vittorio Emanuele Dabormida, 2nd Count Dabormida, OSML, OCI was an Italian general and noble, mostly known for his role during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. He died in combat at Adwa, and was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna"</span> Active Italian Army Grenadiers unit

The 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" is a grenadiers unit of the Italian Army's infantry arm's grenadiers speciality. The regiment is based in Rome and assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna". The regiment was first formed in 1659 and is the currently oldest active unit of the Italian Army and the most senior regiment in the Italian Army's infantry order of precedence. Together with its sister the regiment, the 2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", the regiment is the guard regiment of Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna"</span> Active Italian Army grenadiers unit

The 2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" is a grenadiers unit of the Italian Army's infantry arm's grenadiers speciality. The regiment is based in Spoleto in Umbria and assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna". The regiment was first formed in 1744 and is the second-most senior regiment in the Italian Army's infantry order of precedence. Together with its sister the regiment, the 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", the regiment is the guard regiment of Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Volunteer Training Regiment "Acqui"</span> Active Italian Army training unit

The 17th Volunteer Training Regiment "Acqui" is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Capua in Campania. The regiment is named for the city of Acqui and was originally part of the Italian Army's infantry arm until it became a training unit and was redesignated as a "multi-arms unit" in 2004. The regiment was formed on 19 December 1821 by the Royal Sardinian Army as Brigade of "Acqui", with the troops of the Brigade of "Alessandria", who had remained loyal during the revolt in Piedmont in spring 1821 and were retained in service after the Brigade of "Alessandria" was disbanded on 31 May 1821. Later the Royal Italian Army allowed the two regiments of the Brigade "Acqui" to claim the traditions and honors of the Brigade of "Alessandria", for which reason the regiment's founding is today considered to be 27 October 1703.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo"</span> Active Italian Army infantry unit

The 13th infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Bari in Apulia. The regiment is named for the city of Pinerolo and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 1 October 2022, the name, flag and traditions of the regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Pinerolo" of the Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". On the same day the unit was renamed 13th Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Pinerolo". The regiment was formed on 19 December 1821 by the Royal Sardinian Army as Brigade of "Pinerolo", with the troops of the Brigade of "Saluzzo", who had remained loyal during the revolt in Piedmont in spring 1821 and were retained in service after the Brigade of "Saluzzo" was disbanded on 31 May 1821. Later the Royal Italian Army allowed the two regiments of the Brigade "Pinerolo" to claim the traditions and honors of the Brigade of "Saluzzo", for which reason the regiment's founding year is today considered to be 1672.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Boffalora</span>

The Battle of Boffalora is an part of the Second Italian War of Independence. It was fought on 4 June 1859 at Boffalora sopra Ticino, between the 2nd Imperial Royal Austrian Army of the Austrian Empire and the French Army of Italy France-Piedmontese coming from Piedmont. It represents a phase of the better-known Battle of Magenta which ended a few hours later in the town of Magenta, Lombardy, a few kilometers away from Boffalora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna"</span> Inactive Italian Army infantry unit

The 37th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Bologna. The regiment is named for the city of Ravenna and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 31 May 1859, two regiments were formed in Arezzo for the Second Italian War of Independence. During the war the two regiments occupied Rimini, where the regiments were assigned to the XI Brigade, which was soon renamed Brigade "Ravenna". On 1 January 1860, the two regiments were renumbered 37th Infantry Regiment and 38th Infantry Regiment, and on 25 March 1860, the regiments joined the Royal Sardinian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa"</span> Inactive Italian Army infantry unit

The 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Montorio Veronese. The regiment is named for the city of Pisa and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. The regiment was one of five line infantry regiments formed by the Provisional Government of Tuscany on 5 May 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence. In 1860, the regiment joined the Royal Sardinian Army. In 1866, the 30th Infantry Regiment participated in the Third Italian War of Independence and in 1911–12, it fought in the Italo-Turkish War. In World War I the regiment fought on the Italian front.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Browning, p. 311.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Browning, p. 312.
  3. Cognasso, Francesco (2002). I Savoia. Corbaccio. p. 477.

Bibliography