Siege of Genoa (1800)

Siege of Genoa
Part of the War of the Second Coalition
Bombardment of the city of Genoa by the English on the night of 20 May 1800 by Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti, 1806-1807
Date 19 April – 4 June 1800 Location Genoa, Ligurian Republic 44°24′40″N 8°55′48″E / 44.41111°N 8.93000°E / 44.41111; 8.93000 Result Anglo-Austrian victory
Belligerents
France Liguria	Habsburg monarchy  Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
André Masséna Jean-de-Dieu Soult	Michael von Melas Peter Karl Ott Lord Keith
Strength
12,000 fit, 16,000 sick	24,000 1 British naval squadron
Casualties and losses
Siege: 4,000–8,000 dead Campaign: 14,000	Siege: 6,000–6,500 Campaign: 20,000
class=notpageimage| Location within Liguria Show map of Liguria Siege of Genoa (1800) (Italy) Show map of Italy

War of the Second Coalition:
Italy

50km
30miles

Marengo

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Verona

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  current battle

  Napoleon in command

  Napoleon not in command

The siege of Genoa saw an Austrian army led by Michael von Melas besiege the port of Genoa, which was occupied by a French garrison under the command of André Massena, from 19 April to 4 June 1800. It formed part of the larger Marengo campaign during the War of the Second Coalition. The Austrian army isolated Massena and half of the French army in Genoa, while driving the other half from the area. Once Genoa was under siege, Massena conducted a very active defense with frequent sorties. Besieged on land by 24,000 troops led by Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz and at sea by a Royal Navy squadron under Lord Keith, famine reduced the defenders to starvation. By the time Massena surrendered the city on 4 June, 30,000 of Genoa's 160,000 inhabitants had died of starvation and disease.^[1] While the Austrian army was focused on the siege, a French army under Napoleon invaded Italy from the northwest, triumphing at the Battle of Marengo.^[2]