Neapolitan War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Neapolitan War |
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| Part of the War of the Seventh Coalition | |||||||
 Map of the Neapolitan War |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| 120,000 (in Lombardy) 35,000 (engaged in war) |
82,000 (reported by Murat) 50,000 (actual) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5,000 killed, wounded or captured | 10,000 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||
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The Neapolitan War, also called the Austro-Neapolitan War, was a short conflict in 1815. It was fought between the Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire. The war began on March 15, 1815, when King Joachim Murat of Naples declared war on Austria. It ended on May 20, 1815, with the Treaty of Casalanza.
This war happened during the Hundred Days, a time when Napoleon returned from exile. The fighting ended with a big Austrian victory at the Battle of Tolentino. After this, Ferdinand IV became King of Naples and Sicily again. However, Austria's actions made many Italians unhappy. This feeling helped push Italy towards becoming one united country later on.
Contents
Why Did the Neapolitan War Start?
Before the French Revolutionary Wars, King Ferdinand IV of the Bourbon family ruled Naples. He was against Napoleon and joined forces with others against him. But after Napoleon won the Battle of Austerlitz, Ferdinand had to give Naples to the French in 1806.
First, Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, ruled Naples. Then, in 1808, Joseph became King of Spain. Napoleon then made his brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, the new King of Naples.
Murat ruled Naples using French laws and systems. He also helped Napoleon in his military campaigns. But after a huge defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, Murat tried to save his own throne. He started to move away from Napoleon. In January 1814, he even signed a treaty with Austria, joining the side against Napoleon.
However, a big meeting called the Congress of Vienna was happening. During this meeting, many wanted Ferdinand to become king of Naples again. The United Kingdom was especially vocal about this. They had never accepted Murat as king. They had also protected Ferdinand in Sicily, making sure he kept his throne there.
When Murat found out that Napoleon planned to escape from Elba in March 1815, he changed his mind again. Murat decided to support Napoleon. As soon as he heard Napoleon was back in France, Murat declared war on Austria.
Key Events of the War
Neapolitan Army Advances
Joachim Murat declared war on Austria on March 15, 1815. This was just five days before Napoleon returned to Paris. The Austrians were ready for war. Murat had asked to move his troops through Austrian land weeks earlier. This made the Austrians suspicious. They had already sent more soldiers to Lombardy under Bellegarde.
Murat claimed his army had 82,000 men, but the real number was closer to 50,000. He left some troops behind to protect Naples from a possible attack from Sicily. He then sent his best soldiers through the Papal States, forcing the Pope to leave. Murat set up his main base in Ancona and marched towards Bologna.
On March 30, Murat reached Rimini. There, he gave his famous Rimini Proclamation. He called on all Italian nationalists to join his fight.
Many Italians were worried about Austria's growing power in Italy. Austria had taken back control of areas like the Duchy of Milan. Austrian princes also ruled in Tuscany and Modena.
Murat hoped that Italians would rise up and support him. But this did not happen. Austrian authorities quickly stopped any unrest. Few Italians outside Naples joined Murat. Many saw him as someone trying to save his own crown, not as a leader for Italian unity.
By this time, Austria had 120,000 troops in Lombardy. Baron Frimont was in charge of facing Murat. Frimont moved his base to Piacenza to stop Murat from reaching Milan.
On the same day Murat gave his speech, Austrian soldiers under General Bianchi were pushed back near Cesena. Bianchi retreated, allowing Murat to take Bologna on April 3.
Murat fought Bianchi again at the Battle of the Panaro. The Austrians lost and had to retreat. This allowed the Neapolitans to move towards Modena.
After this battle, General Carrascosa and his division quickly took Modena, Carpi, and Reggio Emilia. Murat then moved against Ferrara. However, the soldiers in Ferrara held their ground. This forced many Neapolitan troops to stay and fight a long siege.
On April 8, Murat tried to cross the Po River into Austrian-controlled Italy. He hoped to find more support there. The area had once been part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy. Murat heard that 40,000 veterans might join him in Milan. He chose to cross at Occhiobello. Here, Murat finally met the main Austrian army led by Frimont.
Meanwhile, Murat's two Guard Divisions had moved into Tuscany. By April 8, they had taken Florence, the capital. The Grand Duke fled, and the Austrian soldiers in Florence, led by General Nugent, had to retreat.
But with more troops arriving, Nugent was able to stop the Neapolitan advance. This was the highest point of Murat's campaign.
Austrian Counterattack Begins
The Battle of Occhiobello was a turning point. Murat's attempts to cross the River Po failed. After two days of heavy fighting, the Neapolitans lost over 2,000 soldiers. To make things worse, the United Kingdom declared war on Murat and sent a fleet to Italy.
Meanwhile, Frimont ordered a counterattack to help the soldiers in Ferrara. He sent troops under Bianchi to attack Carpi. This town was guarded by a brigade led by Guglielmo Pepe.
Another Austrian group tried to cut off Pepe's escape route. But Carrascosa, who commanded the Neapolitan troops near Modena, saw the trap. He ordered a retreat to a defensive line behind the Panaro.
Even after Carrascosa's retreat, Murat was still trying to capture Ferrara. So, Frimont ordered troops under General Neipperg to attack Murat's strong positions. On April 12, after tough fighting at the Battle of Casaglia, the Neapolitan troops were forced out.
Murat had to stop the Siege of Ferrara and retreat towards Bologna. On April 14, Frimont tried to cross the Panaro but was pushed back. However, two days later, Murat and his army left Bologna, and the Austrians quickly took it back.
In Tuscany, Murat's two Guard Divisions also retreated without being attacked. By April 15, the Austrians had retaken Florence. When Murat heard this, he ordered his main army to retreat back to Ancona.
With the path to Florence now clear, Frimont sent two groups of soldiers south to deal with Murat. Bianchi's group marched towards Foligno through Florence. Their goal was to threaten Murat's escape route. Neipperg's group chased Murat directly as he went back to Ancona.
As the war turned in Austria's favor, Frimont was called back to Lombardy. A large part of the Austrian army was also sent away. Only about 35,000 Austrian soldiers remained in Italy.
Murat trusted his Guard Divisions too much, believing they could stop Bianchi and Nugent. He retreated slowly, even fighting small battles at the Ronco and Savio rivers.
But the Austrian advance guard surprised the retreating Neapolitan forces twice, at Cesenatico and Pesaro. Murat sped up his retreat. By late April, his main force reached Ancona safely, where he met his two Guard Divisions.
The Battle of Tolentino
Meanwhile, Bianchi's troops moved quickly. They reached Florence on April 20 and Foligno by April 26. This meant they now threatened Murat's escape path. Neipperg's troops were still chasing Murat. By April 29, their advance guard was in Fano, only two days away.
However, the two Austrian armies were separated. Murat hoped to quickly defeat Bianchi before Neipperg arrived. Like Napoleon before Waterloo, Murat sent a division under Carrascosa north to delay Neipperg. His main force then headed west to face Bianchi.
Murat planned to fight Bianchi near Tolentino. But on April 29, Bianchi's advance guard drove out the small Neapolitan group there. Bianchi arrived first and set up a strong defense on the hills east of Tolentino.
With Neipperg's army getting closer from behind him, Murat had to fight at Tolentino on May 2, 1815. After two days of fighting with no clear winner, Murat learned that Neipperg had outsmarted and defeated Carrascosa. Neipperg was now very close. Feeling that defeat was certain, Murat ordered a retreat.
The battle badly hurt the spirits of the Neapolitan soldiers. Many important officers were lost. The damaged Neapolitan army fell back in confusion. On May 5, a combined British and Austrian fleet started blocking Ancona. They eventually captured all the soldiers in the city.
By May 12, Bianchi, now in charge of both his and Neipperg's troops, had taken L'Aquila and its castle. The main Austrian army was now marching on Popoli.
During this time, General Nugent kept advancing from Florence. He reached Rome on April 30, allowing the Pope to return. Nugent then moved towards Ceprano. By mid-May, Nugent met Murat at San Germano (now Cassino).
Here, Murat tried to stop Nugent's advance. But with the main Austrian force under Bianchi chasing him, Murat had to stop fighting on May 16. Soon after, the Austrian armies joined together near Calvi and began marching towards Naples.
Murat had to escape to Corsica and later Cannes. He dressed as a sailor on a Danish ship because a British fleet blocked Naples. The British also destroyed all the Neapolitan gunboats in the harbor.
On May 20, Neapolitan Generals Pepe and Carrascosa asked for peace. They signed the Treaty of Casalanza with the Austrians, ending the war. On May 23, the main Austrian army entered Naples and put King Ferdinand back on the throne.
Murat, meanwhile, tried to get his kingdom back. He returned from exile and landed with 28 men at Pizzo, Calabria on October 8, 1815. But unlike Napoleon months earlier, Murat was not welcomed. Bourbon troops quickly captured him.
Five days after he landed, he was executed in the town's castle. He famously asked the firing squad to spare his face. This was the final end of the Neapolitan Wars.
What Happened After the War?
Soon after the war ended, the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily were finally joined together. They became the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Even though they had the same king since 1735, they officially became one kingdom in 1816. King Ferdinand IV of Naples and III of Sicily became King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. Meanwhile, the Austrians made their control stronger in Northern Italy, creating the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia.
Even though Joachim Murat failed to keep his crown or start a big nationalist movement, his Rimini Proclamation sparked an important idea. It started the discussion about Italian unification. Some even see the Rimini Proclamation as the beginning of the Risorgimento, which was the movement to unite Italy. Austria's actions showed that the Habsburgs were the biggest obstacle to Italian unity. This eventually led to three wars of independence against the Austrians.
See also
