Battle of Francavilla

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Francavilla
partof=the War of the Quadruple Alliance
date=20 june, 1719
place=Francavilla, Sicily
result=Spanish victory
combatant1=flag|Holy Roman Empire
combatant2= Kingdom of Spain
commander1=Count of Mercy
Friedrich von Seckendorff
commander2=Marquis of Lede
strength1=21,000 [Chandler: "The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough," p. 305. All statistics taken from Chandler.]
strength2=29,000
casualties1=6.000 killed or wounded
casualties2=2,000 killed or woundedThe Battle of Francavilla was fought on June 20 1719 near the city of Francavilla di Sicilia in Sicily, Italy between Spain and Austria as part of the War of the Quadruple Alliance.

Prelude

After the destruction of the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Cape Passaro in August 1718, the invading army of 30,000 men under the Marquis of Lede were isolated on the island of Sicily. In 1718, the Austrians still had most of their troops in the Balkans until the conclusion of the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18 in the Treaty of Passarowitz on July 21 1718.
A first Austrian attempt to attack the Spanish from Naples had failed, when they were defeated in the Battle of Milazzo on october 15,1718.They did succeed to hold a small bridgehead around Milazzo.

By June 1719 the Austrians had moved an experienced army of 24,000 men under the Count de Mercy from the Balkans to the south of Italy, where they were sailed across the Messina Strait by the British fleet.

The Spanish had abandoned the siege of Milazzo and pulled back to a more favorable position around the village of Francavilla di Sicilia, where they were covered by a river and a monastery on a hill.

The Battle

On the morning of June 22, the Austrians attacked the fortified Spanish positions in three columns. The first column attacked the fortified village of Francavilla three times, but was pushed back every time. The second column succeeded in conquering the trenches on the foot of the monastery hill, but were stopped by the second Spanish line. The Count de Mercy was wounded in this phase of the battle. The third column attacked the Spanish left flank, drove them off the San Juan hill, but were themselves pushed back under heavy Spanish fire and had to take cover in a crevice, suffering many casualties including general Holstein, who led the attack.

The Spanish artillery under the Marquis of Villadarias played a crucial role during the battle, causing many casualties and confusion in the Austrian army. The battle raged until evening, when a counterattack by the Spanish cavalry bashed all hopes of an Austrian victory. The Austrians withdrew, leaving 6,000 dead and wounded. The Spanish losses were 2,000 dead and wounded.

Aftermath

The Marquis de Lede didn't pursue the Austrians, giving them the opportunity to recover from this defeat. The Austrians later besieged Messina, which fell after 9 enemy attacks. The war continued until the peace was signed in the Treaty of The Hague (1720) on February 17, 1720. The Spanish troops had to evacuate Sicily, and were transported back to Spain by the British Navy. The island of Sicily became an Austrian possession.

Notes

References

*Chandler, David G. "The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough." Spellmount Limited, (1990). ISBN 0-946771-42-1
* [http://www.ingenierosdelrey.com/guerras/1717_cuadruple/1719_francavilla.htm BATALLA DE FRANCAVILLA (20 de junio de 1719)]