Battle of Santa Lucia

Battle of Santa Lucia
Part of the First Italian War of Independence
Date 6 May 1848 Location Santa Lucia, Verona, Lombardy-Venetia Result Unexploited Austrian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Sardinia	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Carlo Alberto of Savoy	Josef Radetzky
Strength
33,000 infantry 8,500 cavalry 82 cannon	33,000 infantry 9,000 cavalry 84 field artillery 192 fortification cannon
Casualties and losses
110 dead 776 wounded	72 dead 190 wounded 87 prisoners

The battle of Santa Lucia was an episode in the First Italian War of Independence. On 6 May 1848, when the king of Sardinia, Carlo Alberto, sent I Corps of the Sardinian army to assault the fortified positions held before the walls of Verona by the Austrian army under field marshal Josef Radetzky. The Austrian army, though outnumbered, managed to withstand the attack and hold their positions. The battle is named after the Santa Lucia district of Verona. Franz Joseph (then only 17 years old) assisted at the battle.

Context

Scope of hostilities

See also: Five Days of Milan

On 18 March 1848, revolt broke out in Milan. The commander of the Lombard–Venetian army, field marshal Josef Radetzky, had excited the rebellion but did not know how to crush it and was forced to abandon the city of fierce fighting. At the same time many other cities in Lombardy–Venetia and at Como the entire garrison went over to the insurgents.

The day after Radetzky evacuated Milan, the king of Sardinia declared war on Austria and crossed the Ticino. His army was organised in 2 corps, the first entrusted to Eusebio Bava, the second to Ettore Gerbaix di Sonnaz.