Battle of Cassano (1705)
| Battle of Cassano | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
The Battle of Cassano, 1705 Jan van Huchtenburgh, 1720–1730 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| France |
Habsburg monarchy Prussia Savoy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
duc de Vendôme Philippe de Vendôme Armand St Hilaire |
Prince Eugene Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 22,000 to 24,000 | 20,000 to 24,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3,000 to 5,000 killed or wounded | 4,500 to 6,050 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||
The Battle of Cassano took place on 16 August 1705, during the War of the Spanish Succession, near Cassano d'Adda, in Lombardy, Italy. It was fought between a French army commanded by the duc de Vendôme, and an Imperial force under Prince Eugene of Savoy.
In October 1703, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy joined the Grand Alliance. By August 1705, the French had occupied most of Savoy, and were about to besiege Turin. Prince Eugene sought to delay this by crossing the Adda at Cassano, and threatening Milan.
Taken by surprise, the French managed to hold the bridge after several hours of combat, both sides suffering heavy casualties. Prince Eugene was unable to cross the Adda but delayed the assault on Turin, while Vendôme and many of his troops were recalled to France in May 1706. Turin was relieved in September, and the war in Northern Italy ended with the March 1707 Convention of Milan.