Battle of Nicopolis (1798)

Battle of Nicopolis
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
French troops fighting amidst the ruins of the ancient theatre of Nicopolis, painting by Felician Myrbach
Date 23 October [O.S. 12 October] 1798 Location Isthmus of Nicopolis and town of Preveza 39°00′47″N 20°43′35″E / 39.01306°N 20.72639°E / 39.01306; 20.72639 Result Victory of Ali Pasha Fall of Preveza
Belligerents
Revolutionary France	Pashalik of Janina
Commanders and leaders
Jean Jacques Bernardin Colaud de La Salcette [fr]	Ali Pasha of Janina
Strength
440 French troops (other accounts: 300–600) 260 Prevezan civil guards and Souliotes (other accounts: up to 600) one company of Dalmatian marines	4,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry; eyewitness estimates 10,000–15,000 men
Casualties and losses
Heavy; 157 soldiers taken prisoner, many soldiers and civilians massacred	Unknown
class=notpageimage| Location within Greece

The Battle of Nicopolis was fought on 23 October [O.S. 12 October] 1798^[1] between the armed forces of Revolutionary France and the autonomous Ottoman-Albanian ruler, Ali Pasha of Janina. The French had seized the Venetian Ionian Islands off the western coast of Greece the previous year, after the Fall of the Republic of Venice. The islands also included a few mainland exclaves like Butrint and Preveza, which were coveted by Ali. French efforts to draw Ali into their camp against the Ottoman sultan failed, and when the Ottoman Empire turned against France, Ali attacked the French positions. The battle, which took place amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Nicopolis, resulted in a French defeat, and was followed by a devastating sack of Preveza.