Battle of Novara (1849)
For the 1513 Battle of Novara, see Battle of Novara (1513).The
Battle of Novara was one of the battles fought between the
Austrian Empire and the
Kingdom of Sardinia during the Italian wars of independence, within the era of
Italian unification. Lasting the whole day of
March 22,
1849 and ending at dawn on
March 23, it resulted in a severe defeat and retreat of the Piedmontese (Sardinian) army.
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
March 12,
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. 70,000 Austrian troops, more disciplined than the 85,000 Piedmontese, 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.
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.
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."[
1] A Piedmontese Republic was not created, though a
Roman Republic had already been proclaimed in February, and there existed one in
Venice as well. Charles Albert exiled himself to
Oporto,
Portugal, and died shortly thereafter.
A peace treaty was signed on
August 9. Piedmont was forced to pay an
indemnity of 65 million francs to Austria.
Trivia
A
reenactment of the battle occurs every year.[
2]
The Austrian frigate
Novara, which went on a round-the-world scientific expedition between
1857 and
1859, was named after this Austrian victory.[
3]
* Eggenberger, David.
A Dictionary of Battles, Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1967, p. 313
* Moro, Roberto, and Claudio Recupito,
La Battaglia di Novara.
