Battle of Castiglione
Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lombardy, Italy
What happened
A French army under Napoleon Bonaparte fought an Austrian army under Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. Wurmser sent four columns to rescue the Austrian fortress of Mantua, which the French were besieging. Bonaparte lifted the siege and beat the columns one at a time. On 5 August he drew Wurmser's main army into a trap, and the Austrians retreated across the Mincio River.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was one of Bonaparte's four famous victories in Italy, with Bassano, Arcole and Rivoli. Historians see his later battle methods already at work here.
What came next
The French went back to besieging Mantua, which fell in February 1797. Wurmser surrendered it and was allowed to leave with his men.
Did you know?
The battle appears near the start of the 1981 fantasy film 'Time Bandits'.
Timeline
- 2–3 August 1796Fighting at Lonato.
- 5 August 1796Battle of Castiglione.
- 2 February 1797Mantua surrenders.
- 22 August 1797Wurmser dies in Vienna.