Battle of Luzzara | |||||||
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Part of War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
![]() Battle of Luzzara, by Jan van Huchtenburg | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
26,000 | 30,000 – 35,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2,000[1]-2,700[2] | 3,500[2]-4,000[1] |
The Battle of Luzzara took place in Lombardy on 15 August 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession, between a combined French and Savoyard army under Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme, and an Imperial force under Prince Eugene.
Conflict in Northern Italy centred around the Spanish-held Duchies of Milan and Mantua, which controlled access to the southern borders of both France and Austria. When the war began in 1701, Savoy allied with France; despite being out numbered, by February 1702 the Imperialists held the strategic initiative.
Vendôme took the offensive, taking Modena and Reggio in July, followed by Luzzara in August, a vital crossing point over the River Po. Threatened with being cut off from his supply base at Mirandola, Prince Eugene launched a series of attacks on the French positions at Luzzara.
Fighting continued until midnight, when the Imperialists ended their attack, having failed to break through; they suffered 2,000 casualties, the French lost around 4,000. While this ended Vendôme's offensive for the year, the French-Savoyard army had recovered nearly all the ground lost in 1701.