Battle of Rottofreddo

Battle of the War of Austrian Succession (1746)

Part of the War of the Austrian Succession

Date	10 August 1746^[1]
Location	Rottofreno, Province of Piacenza, Italy
Result	Indecisive, French retreat

Belligerents

France

Spain

Habsburg Austria

Commanders and leaders

Marshal Maillebois

Comte de Gages

Antoniotto Botta Adorno

Count Maximilian Ulysses Browne

Strength

25.000^[2]

30.000

Casualties and losses

6000

3000

War of the Austrian Succession:
Italian Campaigns

Saint Tropez
Campo Santo
Casteldelfino (1st)
Villafranca
Casteldelfino (2nd)
Velletri
Madonna dell'Olmo
Bassignano
Piacenza
Rottofreddo
Genoa (1st)
Antibes
Genoa (2nd)
Assietta

The Battle of Rottofreddo was fought on 10 August 1746 during the War of Austrian Succession between a French army and Austrian forces. The French were led by Marshal Maillebois, and could repel the Austrian attack, but had to withdraw after the battle.

The battle

After the defeat at Piacenza the French and Spanish army had to retreat across the Po river. The Austrian commander Antoniotto Botta Adorno tried to prevent this and send Count Serbelloni with the vanguard to attack. The Bourbon Army defended the town of Rottofreddo till their baggage train crossed the Tidone to the west, but were then overwhelmed by the Austrian mainforce. During the following attack against the main French army at Castel San Giovanni Austrian field marshal Bärenklau tried a flank attack in the south, but was hit by a musket ball and died shortly after.^[3] The French and Spanish could hold their line but finally decided to retreat to Tortona. In the aftermath Piacenza surrendered to Austrian General Nádasdy, but the following invasion of the Provence should end in failure.^[4] Nevertheless Italy was secured for the Austrians.

References

^ Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Vienna. p. 209.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Vienna. p. 209.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "Deutsche Biographie - Bärenklau zu Schönreith, Johann Leopold Freiherr von".
^ Black, Jeremy (2002). America Or Europe?: British Foreign Policy, 1739-63. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. p. 15.

Sources

World History at KMLA
Janko, Wilhelm Edler von, "Bärenklau zu Schönreith, Johann Leopold Freiherr von" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 2 (1875), S. 59 [Online-Version]; URL: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd135853958.html#adbcontent GERMAN
Plan de la Battaille donnée de l'Armée Imperiale Royale d'Hongrie à l'Armée Espagnole Francaise le 10te. Aug. 1746 en Italie près de la Ville Piazenza au Torrent Didionne; URL: https://arcinsys.hessen.de/arcinsys/detailAction?detailid=v4085879 FRENCH
Bodart, Gaston, Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905), Wien 1908, p. 209. GERMAN