page_title: Battle of Luzzara
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Luzzara / Battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Battle of Luzzara Català: Batalla de Luzzara
context_page_description: 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.
  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.
context_section_description: Between Luzzara and the Po River, there were two earth embankments, built to prevent the river flooding the countryside; a high one just outside the town, and a smaller one close to the river (see Map). Prince Eugene planned to conceal his troops behind these, and take the French-Savoyard army by surprise; since their first task would be to collect forage, and water the horses, he hoped to take them unarmed. He split his forces into two lines, the left under Visconti and the Prince de Commerci, the right under Vaudémont, while he commanded the centre. 
  During the morning and early afternoon of 15 August, the Imperialists crossed the Po and moved into position, but were discovered by a French patrol. They quickly formed up, and around 5:00 pm, Prince Eugene ordered a general assault. His right wing was repulsed four times, with heavy losses on both sides, particularly among the Irish units and Albemarle's Regiment holding the French left. The struggle on the other wing was equally bloody; Commerci and his Danish infantry nearly broke through on several occasions, although he and several senior commanders were killed.
  The broken ground meant cavalry played little part in the battle, which meant casualties were even higher as a proportion of the numbers actually engaged. The French managed to hold their lines until exhaustion and darkness ended the fighting round midnight, and neither army was able to resume the attack in the morning. Since Prince Eugene remained in possession of the battlefield, he claimed it as a victory, according to the practice of the time.
caption: Battle Map; Imperial top (red), French-Savoyard bottom (blue)
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