Battle of Tolentino
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Tolentino was fought on 2 – 3 May 1815 near Tolentino
, in what is now Marche
, Italy
: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War
, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples
Joachim Murat
to keep the throne after the Congress of Vienna
. The battle itself shares many parallels with the Battle of Waterloo
. Both occurred during the Hundred Days
following Napoleon's return from exile and resulted in a decisive victory for the Seventh Coalition leading to the restoration of a Bourbon
king.
corps
under the command of Generals Bianchi
and Neipperg forced the Neapolitans southeast to a base in Ancona
. However, the two Austrian corps had become separated on either side of the Apennine Mountains
, and Murat hoped to defeat Bianchi to the west before quickly turning on Neipperg, who had been pursuing his retreat from the north. His plan was similar to Napoleon's plan to defeat the British before turning on the Prussians during the Waterloo Campaign.
Murat planned to face Bianchi near the town of Tolentino
. Dispatching a small force under General Carascosa to delay Neipperg, Murat moved his main force to meet Bianchi. However, on the 29 April, a small advance party of Hungarian hussars succeeded in routing the small Neapolitan garrison stationed in Tolentino. With the Austrian vanguard already established in Tolentino, Murat's army camped to the north east in Macerata
. Bianchi, however, realised Murat's plan and decided to delay Murat for as long as possible. The Austrians established a defensive line centered around the Tower of San Catervo, with further troops being positioned at the key locations of Rancia Castle, the church of Maestà and at Saint Joseph. Murat had to force the issue and march on Bianchi. The two armies finally met on 2 May.
, with fierce fighting erupting around the area. During the day, the main action occurred around the Austrian outpost at Rancia Castle, which changed hands many times during the course of the battle. By the end of the first day, although the Neapolitan army had the upper hand and had made slight gains, including Monte Milone, the Austrians were still in an excellent defensive position.
On the second day, fog delayed the start of battle until 7 o'clock. The day started well for Murat as the Neapolitan army managed to finally take Rancia Castle as well as the hills of Cantagallo. From here, the Neapolitans staged a further attack on the Austrian positions. Two Neapolitan infantry divisions, including Murat's Guard division, descended from Monte Milone against the Austrian left flank. However, the Neapolitans made the mistake of forming squares expecting a swift cavalry counter attack, which never happened. The Austrian infantry delivered a series of volleys, supported by devastating artillery fire. Meanwhile, General Mohr had also repulsed an attack on the Austrian right and the entire Neapolitan line fell back to Pollenza. With the result of the battle still undecided, Murat received word Neipperg had defeated Carascosa at the Battle of Scapezzano
and was approaching. To make matters worse, he received false rumours that a British fleet had just unloaded a Sicilian army in the south of Italy, threatening his line of retreat. Unbeknownst to Murat, the British fleet were in fact sailing to blockade Naples and Ancona. Sensing the inevitable, Murat sounded the retreat, and the fighting ended. Murat fell back to Naples, but with the Austrians approaching by land and the British by sea, he had no choice but to flee to Corsica
disguised as a Danish sailor. The battle proved decisive; on 20 May 1815, Austria and Naples concluded the Treaty of Casalanza
, restoring Ferdinand IV
to the throne.
Tolentino
Tolentino is a town and comune of about 20,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of central Italy.It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti.-History:...
, in what is now Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War
Neapolitan War
The Neapolitan War was a conflict between the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire. It started on 15 March 1815 when Joachim Murat declared war on Austria and ended on 20 May 1815 with the signing of the Treaty of Casalanza...
, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
to keep the throne after the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. The battle itself shares many parallels with the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Both occurred during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
following Napoleon's return from exile and resulted in a decisive victory for the Seventh Coalition leading to the restoration of a Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
king.
Background
By the end of April 1815, Murat had lost all the early gains he made at the start of the war as two advancing AustrianAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
under the command of Generals Bianchi
Frederick Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza
Frederick Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza , was an Austrian general and later field marshal.-Biography:...
and Neipperg forced the Neapolitans southeast to a base in Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
. However, the two Austrian corps had become separated on either side of the Apennine Mountains
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
, and Murat hoped to defeat Bianchi to the west before quickly turning on Neipperg, who had been pursuing his retreat from the north. His plan was similar to Napoleon's plan to defeat the British before turning on the Prussians during the Waterloo Campaign.
Murat planned to face Bianchi near the town of Tolentino
Tolentino
Tolentino is a town and comune of about 20,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of central Italy.It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti.-History:...
. Dispatching a small force under General Carascosa to delay Neipperg, Murat moved his main force to meet Bianchi. However, on the 29 April, a small advance party of Hungarian hussars succeeded in routing the small Neapolitan garrison stationed in Tolentino. With the Austrian vanguard already established in Tolentino, Murat's army camped to the north east in Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
. Bianchi, however, realised Murat's plan and decided to delay Murat for as long as possible. The Austrians established a defensive line centered around the Tower of San Catervo, with further troops being positioned at the key locations of Rancia Castle, the church of Maestà and at Saint Joseph. Murat had to force the issue and march on Bianchi. The two armies finally met on 2 May.
Battle
The battle opened at dawn with an artillery bombardment from both sides on the valley leading north to Sforzacosta. Although the Austrians were already established around Tolentino, Murat still managed to catch them completely by surprise. In the opening engagements, Neapolitan troops managed to surround and capture General Bianchi near Sforzacosta. However, the general was almost immediately freed by a regiment of Hungarian hussars. By mid morning, the Neapolitan army had concentrated near PollenzaPollenza
Pollenza is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 40 km southwest of Ancona and about 9 km southwest of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,086 and an area of 39.5 km².Pollenza borders the following municipalities:...
, with fierce fighting erupting around the area. During the day, the main action occurred around the Austrian outpost at Rancia Castle, which changed hands many times during the course of the battle. By the end of the first day, although the Neapolitan army had the upper hand and had made slight gains, including Monte Milone, the Austrians were still in an excellent defensive position.
On the second day, fog delayed the start of battle until 7 o'clock. The day started well for Murat as the Neapolitan army managed to finally take Rancia Castle as well as the hills of Cantagallo. From here, the Neapolitans staged a further attack on the Austrian positions. Two Neapolitan infantry divisions, including Murat's Guard division, descended from Monte Milone against the Austrian left flank. However, the Neapolitans made the mistake of forming squares expecting a swift cavalry counter attack, which never happened. The Austrian infantry delivered a series of volleys, supported by devastating artillery fire. Meanwhile, General Mohr had also repulsed an attack on the Austrian right and the entire Neapolitan line fell back to Pollenza. With the result of the battle still undecided, Murat received word Neipperg had defeated Carascosa at the Battle of Scapezzano
Battle of Scapezzano
The Battle of Scapezzano was a short engagement in the Neapolitan War on 1 May 1815 between an Austrian corps under Adam Albert von Neipperg and Neapolitan division under Michele Carascosa....
and was approaching. To make matters worse, he received false rumours that a British fleet had just unloaded a Sicilian army in the south of Italy, threatening his line of retreat. Unbeknownst to Murat, the British fleet were in fact sailing to blockade Naples and Ancona. Sensing the inevitable, Murat sounded the retreat, and the fighting ended. Murat fell back to Naples, but with the Austrians approaching by land and the British by sea, he had no choice but to flee to Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
disguised as a Danish sailor. The battle proved decisive; on 20 May 1815, Austria and Naples concluded the Treaty of Casalanza
Treaty of Casalanza
The Treaty of Casalanza, which ended the Neapolitan War, was signed on 20 May 1815 between the pro-Napoleon Kingdom of Naples on the one hand and the Austrian Empire, as well as the United Kingdom, on the other....
, restoring Ferdinand IV
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
to the throne.
External links
- Tolentino 815, the web site of the society which re-enacts and studies the battle.
- Battle of Tolentino at Napoleon Guide.