Siege of Gaeta (1806) 1806
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 26 February 1806 – 18 July 1806 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1806 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Third Coalition | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | First French Empire, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Naples, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.2108, 13.5714 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Gaeta (26 February – 18 July 1806) saw the fortress city of Gaeta and its Neapolitan garrison under General Louis of Hesse-Philippsthal besieged by an Imperial French corps led by Marshal André Masséna. After a prolonged defense in which Hesse was severely wounded, Gaeta surrendered, and Masséna granted its garrison generous terms.
The invasion of Naples by Napoleon's forces was provoked when King Ferdinand IV of Naples joined the Third Coalition against France. French troops rapidly overran the Kingdom of Naples, but Hesse stubbornly held out at Gaeta. The garrison put up such fierce resistance that a large part of Masséna's Army of Naples was tied up in the siege for nearly five months. This prevented Masséna from sending reinforcements to quell an uprising that had started in Calabria and allowed the British to land an expeditionary force under John Stuart and defeat a French army under Jean Reynier at the Battle of Maida. Stuart subsequently chose to attack French garrisons in Calabria, thus missing an opportunity to relieve the garrison at Gaeta. The city was finally captured in mid-July after French artillery smashed gaps in the city's defensive walls.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Gaeta (1806) (revision 1370741356), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Gaeta (1734) 1734 · 0 km
- Battle of Garigliano (1503) 1504 · 1 km
- Siege of Gaeta (1815) 1815 · 1 km
- Siege of Gaeta (1707) 1707 · 1 km
- Siege of Gaeta (1860–1861) 1860 · 2 km
- Battle of Lautulae 315 BC · 28 km
Other battles of the War of the Third Coalition
- Battle of Schöngrabern 1805
- Battle of Steyr 1805
- Battle of Verona (1805) 1805
- Battle of Wertingen 1805
- Battle of Wischau 1805
- Battle of Campo Tenese 1806
- Battle of Maida 1806
All 18 battles of the War of the Third Coalition →
Browse more: battles in Italy · Europe · 19th century battles