Sunday, February 08, 2009

Napoleon's Campaign in Italy, 1796-97

Napoleon Bonaparte's fame as a military commander can be dated back to his campaign in Italy in 1796-97, where as the young and relatively unknown commander of a ragged and poorly supported army he managed to defeat a series of much larger Austrian and allied armies, conquer most of northern Italy, and force the Austrians to the negotiating table.

The Peace of Bologna (23 June 1796) ended Napoleon's first invasion of the Papal States, carried out to satisfy the French Directory.

The Peace of Tolentino (19 February 1797) ended the second of Napoleon's invasions of the Papal States during his first campaign in Italy.

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