Siege of Genoa
| date | April 6 - June 4, 1800 |
|---|---|
| place | Genoa |
| output | French strategic victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 18,000 men | 40,000 men |
| losses | |
|
11,000 men |
17,000 men |
Ostrach - Feldkirch - Stockach I - Verona - Magnano - Cassano d'Adda - Frauenfeld - Winterthur - Zurich I - Trebbia - Mantua - Novi - Vlieter - Bergen - Zurich II - Muotatal - Egmont - Genola - Wiesloch - Genoa - Stockach II - Engen - Meßkirch - Biberach II - Montebello - Marengo - Höchstädt - Oberhausen - Hohenlinden - Walserfeld - Pozzolo - Copenhagen - Algeciras I - Algeciras II
The siege of Genoa , which lasted from April 6 to June 4, 1800 as a result of the Second Coalition War, ended with the conquest of the city by the Austrians. Ultimately, however, so many Austrian forces were bound by the siege that Napoleon was able to win the Battle of Marengo .
background
After the victory of the French general André Masséna in the Second Battle of Zurich , the alliance between Russia and Austria ended . Despite the collapse of this coalition, the war between France and Austria continued. The Austrians tried to drive the French out of Italy. In order to prevent the loss of Italy, Napoléon, who had promoted himself to consul after his retreat from Egypt , ordered one of his most capable generals to stay in Italy around the cities of Genoa and Nice until he could build up an appropriate armed force himself to attack the Austrians.
Before the actual siege, the French had around 60,000 soldiers in Italy, of whom only 36,000 were operational due to epidemics. The Austrian general Michael von Melas had around 120,000 men in Italy who, despite some defeats against the French troops under Louis Gabriel Suchet and Soult , succeeded in quickly enclosing Genoa. In addition, a British squadron blocked access to the port of Genoa. In this unfavorable starting position Massena tried to keep the city under all circumstances.
The siege
The fortified city was well protected by natural features and several forts. Despite these relatively strong fortifications, Massena ordered several sorties. On April 7th, his troops were able to conquer the Monte Ratti mountain and capture 1,500 Austrian soldiers, including Major General Konstantin Karl d'Aspre . On April 9, Massena made another breakout to unite with the cut off forces of Suchet. This attack was also successful. Massena was able to prevail against a superior force of ten thousand Austrians and, with the help of the 4,000 Suchets, won several battles in a row. So were u. a. captured the forts of Quezzi , Richelieu and Creto . The loss of these fortifications made it even more difficult for the besieging Austrians to carry out a successful attack on the city.
However, the trapped French failed to get enough food. In their distress, the defenders baked bread from lentils and cocoa . The situation of the besieged became increasingly desperate, also because the relief of the city promised by Napoleon could not be realized. After a two-month siege, Massena finally surrendered, but was able to negotiate an honorable withdrawal of his remaining 7,000 soldiers to France.
consequences
The long siege of the city allowed Massena to buy Napoleon enough time to assemble troops for a counterattack in Italy. Just two weeks after the surrender of Genoa, Napoleon had turned the fortunes of war in Italy in his favor with the victory in the Battle of Marengo .
literature
- Marcellin de Marbot . Mémoires . s. l. Mercure de France, 1983. vol 1. (Le Temps retrouvé). ISBN 978-2-7152-2296-0 .