Battle of Nicopolis (1798)

Battle of Nicopolis
	Part of the War of the Second Coalition
	; French troops fighting amidst the ruins of the ancient theatre of Nicopolis, painting by Felician Myrbach
Date	23 October [O.S. 12 October] 1798
Location	Isthmus of Nicopolis and town of Preveza39°00′47″N 20°43′35″E
Result	Victory of Ali Pasha Fall of Preveza;
Belligerents
Revolutionary France Greek Resistance;	Pashalik of Janina
Commanders and leaders
Jean Jacques Bernardin Colaud de La Salcette	Ali Pasha of Janina
Strength
440 French troops (other accounts: 300–600) ; 260 Prevezan civil guards and Souliotes (other accounts: up to 600)	4,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry; eyewitness estimates 10,000–15,000 men
Casualties and losses
Heavy; 157 soldiers taken prisoner, many soldiers and civilians massacred	Unknown
	Location within Greece

The Battle of Nicopolis was fought on 23 October [O.S. 12 October] 1798 between the armed forces of Revolutionary France and the autonomous Ottoman-Albanian ruler, Ali Pasha of Janina. The French had seized the Venetian Ionian Islands off the western coast of Greece the previous year, after the Fall of the Republic of Venice. The islands also included a few mainland exclaves like Butrint and Preveza, which were coveted by Ali. French efforts to draw Ali into their camp against the Ottoman sultan failed, and when the Ottoman Empire turned against France, Ali attacked the French positions. The battle, which took place amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Nicopolis, resulted in a French defeat, and was followed by a devastating sack of Preveza.

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