Battles & Campaigns · 1815
Siege of Gaeta (1815)
Gaeta, Lazio, Italy
What happened
Austrian forces under Joseph von Lauer, supported by the British Royal Navy and Sicilian forces, besieged Gaeta, held for Murat by Alessandro Begani. After Murat's army collapsed, the fortress of Gaeta kept holding out for him. Austrian troops besieged it for about three months. The defenders ran short of food and suffered from disease, and finally surrendered on honourable terms.
Why it matters
Its surrender marked the official end of the Neapolitan War. It was the last city to hold out for Murat.
What came next
Naples had already asked for peace after San Germano; the fall of Gaeta closed the war.
Did you know?
The defenders were never beaten in an assault; hunger and illness ended the siege.
Timeline
- 1806Gaeta besieged by the French.
- 15–17 May 1815Battle of San Germano.
- 28 May 1815Siege begins.
- 8 Aug 1815Gaeta surrenders.