Battle of Novara (1849)

For other battles of Novara, see Battle of Novara (disambiguation).

The Battle of Novara (or Battle of Bicocca; Bicocca being a borough of Novara) was one of the battles fought between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia during the First Italian War of Independence, within the era of Italian unification. Lasting the whole day of 22 March 1849 and ending at dawn on 23 March, it resulted in a severe defeat and retreat of the Piedmontese (Sardinian) army.

Battle of Novara
Part of the First Italian War of Independence
Radetzky and his staff at the battle of Novara. Painting by Albrecht Adam (1855)
Date 23 March 1849 Location Novara, Kingdom of Sardinia (present-day Italy) 45°25′53″N 8°42′58″E Result Austrian victory Abdication of Charles Albert
Belligerents
Sardinia	Austria
Commanders and leaders
Wojciech Chrzanowski	Joseph Radetzky
Strength
59,000 (as per Bodart, 54,200 infantry, 4,800 cavalry, and 116 cannons)	41,000 (as per Bodart, 36,300 infantry, 4,700 cavalry, and 144 cannons involved)
Casualties and losses
[1] 1,378 killed 2,181 wounded 2,387 captured[a]	[2] 466 killed 1,670 wounded 521 missing or captured[b]

Overview

An uneasy armistice made in 1848 between Austria and Sardinia lasted less than seven months, before Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, denounced the truce on 12 March 1849. The Austrian army took the military initiative in Lombardy. Under the command of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, it seized the fortress town of Mortara.

The seizure of Mortara led to a battle between Austrian and Piedmontese troops at Novara, 28 miles (45 km) west of Milan. 41,000 Austrians faced 59,000 Piedmontese and thoroughly routed their opponent as they had at the Battle of Custoza the previous year. Piedmont also suffered from a lack of support from the smaller Italian states. General Girolamo Ramorino was accused of disobeying orders before the Battle of Novara, and, that same year, he was executed.

The Piedmontese were driven back to Borgomanero at the foot of the Alps, and the Austrian forces occupied Novara, Vercelli and Trino, with the road to the Piedmontese capital, Turin, lying open to them.

Aftermath

Albrecht Adam, Die Schlacht bei Novarra (The Battle of Novara), 1858

Austrian general Baron Julius von Haynau subdued Brescia, 54 miles NE of Milan, and Charles Albert abdicated in favor of his son Victor Emmanuel, who would later become the first king of a unified Italy. Friedrich Engels wrote "that, after this defeat, a revolution and proclamation of a republic in Turin is expected, arises from the fact that the attempt is being made to prevent it by the abdication of Charles Albert in favour of his eldest son."^[3] A Piedmontese Republic was not created, though a Roman Republic had already been proclaimed in February, and there existed a Venetian Republic as well. Charles Albert exiled himself to Porto, Portugal, and died shortly thereafter.

A peace treaty was signed on 9 August. Piedmont was forced to pay an indemnity of 65 million francs to Austria. A reenactment of the battle occurs every year.^[4] The Austrian frigate Novara, which went on a round-the-world scientific expedition between 1857 and 1859, was named after this Austrian victory.^[5]

Notes

1. According to Michael Embree's Radetzky's Marches: The Campaigns of 1848-1849 in Upper Italy, the total number of killed was around 1,000 to 1,100, total number of wounded being rescued from the Novara battlefield and treated was 3,008, total number of missing or captured was around 2,000
2. According to Michael Embree's Radetzky's Marches: The Campaigns of 1848-1849 in Upper Italy, the total number of killed was between 410 and 797, total number of wounded being rescued from the Novara battlefield and treated was 1,852, total number of missing or captured was around 963