Ten Days of Brescia
| Siege of Brescia Ten Days of Brescia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Italian Wars of Independence | |||||||
 Episode from the Ten Days of Brescia in 1849 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Brescia[1][2] |
 Austrian Empire[3] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Tito Speri Giuseppe Martinengo Pietro Boifava [4][5][6] |
Julius von Haynau Field marshal Johann Graf Nugent † Major general [7][8] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Numerous barricades[9] armed insurgents:[7][10] 2,000–3,000 |
Austrian garrison:[11] 4 companies & 30 guns Nugent Brigade:[7][8] 2,300 infantry & cavalry 4 guns 30-pound Mörser-Batterie | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
ca. 1,000 killed [12][13] Including Civilians [14] 16 executed[10] |
31 March and 1 April: [7] 53 KIA[7] including 3 officers 209 wounded[7] including 13 officers 54 MIA[7] | ||||||
The Ten Days of Brescia (Italian: Dieci giornate di Brescia) was a revolt which broke out in the northern Italian city of that name, which lasted from March 23 to April 1, 1849.
In the early 19th century Brescia was part of the Austrian puppet state called Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The revolt, headed by the patriot Tito Speri, began on the same day as the Battle of Novara (though news of Austria's victory there had not yet reached Brescia).
The Austrian troops under general Nugent, were initially surprised and retired to the castle, from which they heavily cannonaded the city, damaging many of Brescia's historical monuments. A total encirclement of Brescia was established by the Austrians beginning on the 8th day of the revolt, when reinforcements arrived. The following day General Haynau, later nicknamed "The Hyena of Brescia", came and demanded the unconditioned surrender of the Bresciani. As the latter refused, the fighting continued until late night, when the heads of the revolt decided to surrender. The following day (April 1), however, the Austrian troops sacked the city and massacred numerous inhabitants before the surrender could be signed.
Some 1,000 citizens were killed during the battle. For its fierce resistance, the city of Brescia earned the surname Leonessa d'Italia (Lioness of Italy).
Sources
- ^ a b Corti, Siro (1885). Breve storia del Risorgimento italiano narrata alla gioventù. Turin.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Wochenblatt, Freitag, 6. April (1849). Wochenblatt für den Königlich-Bayerischen Gerichtsbezirk Zweibrücken No. 41. Zweibrücken.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b W. & R. Chambers (1868). Chambers's encyclopaedia: Vol. 2. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Bradshaw, George (1898). Bradshaw's illustrated hand-book to Italy. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Murray, John (1858). Handbook for travellers in northern Italy Part I. and Part II. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Stramacci, Mauro (1991). Goffredo Mameli: tra un inno e una battaglia. Rome.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Aus der Kaiserlich Königlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei (1850). Kriegsbegebenheiten bei der Kaiserlich österreichischen Armee in Italien vom 20. März bis 1. April 1849. Vienna.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Rüstow, Wilhelm (1862). Der italienische Krieg von 1848 und 1849. Zürich.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Wagener, Friedrich Wilhelm Hermann (1862). Staats- und Gesellschafts-Lexikon. Berlin.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Sked, Alan (2011). Radetzky: Imperial Victor and Military Genius. New York.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Schweigerd, Carl Adam (1857). Geschichte des K.K. Linien-Infanterie-Regimentes No. 8, Erzherzog Ludwig. Vienna.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Keates, Jonathan (2005). The siege of Venice. New York.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Colburn, Henry (1860). The United service magazine, Part 1. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ July-December Vol.II (1859). The Eclectic review. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
See also