Battle of Luzzara

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.

This article is about the 1702 battle. For the 1734 battle, see Battle of Guastalla.

Battle of Luzzara
Part of War of the Spanish Succession

Battle of Luzzara, by Jan van Huchtenburg
Date15 August 1702
Location
Luzzara, Lombardy, Italy
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
 Holy Roman Empire  France
 Savoy
Commanders and leaders
Prince Eugene
Prince Vaudémont
Visconti
Prince Commerci †		 Vendôme
Philip V
Duke of Mantua
Victor Amadeus
Strength
26,000 30,000 – 35,000
Casualties and losses
2,000-2,700 3,500-4,000

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.

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