Battle of Cassano (1705)

Battle of Cassano
Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
The Battle of Cassano, by Jan van Huchtenburgh
Date 16 August 1705 Location Cassano d'Adda, Lombardy, Italy Result Inconclusive [1] [2]
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[1][3] 24,000[4]	20,000[4] 24,000 [1][3]
Casualties and losses
5,000 killed or wounded[5][4] 2,728 killed or wounded [6] 3,000 killed or wounded[3]	6,050 killed, wounded or captured[6] 4,500 killed, wounded or captured[4][3]

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 of 22,000 commanded by the duc de Vendôme and an Imperial force of 24,000 under Prince Eugene of Savoy.

In October 1703, Victor Amadeus II repudiated his treaty with France and joined the Grand Alliance. By August 1705, the French had occupied most of the Savoyard state, with the exception of its capital Turin. With Savoy on the brink of defeat, Imperial general Prince Eugene tried to relieve the pressure on Turin by crossing the River Adda at Cassano, and threatening Milan. Although taken by surprise, the French managed to hold the bridge after several hours of combat, both sides suffering heavy casualties.

The battle is generally viewed as inconclusive since while Vendôme prevented him crossing the Adda, Prince Eugene achieved his primary aim of delaying their assault on Turin until 1706. Vendôme and many of his troops were recalled to France after the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706, allowing the Imperialists to break the Siege of Turin in September; fighting in Northern Italy ended with the March 1707 Convention of Milan.