Battle of Tolentino

3 May, 1815

As King of Naples, Marshal Joachim Murat backed Napoleon Bonaparte's return to power in France and moved his 36,000-man army northwards to central Italy.

An Austrian force of some 10,000 troops under Field Marshal Baron Vicenz Bianchi moved to stop him and they met at the small town of Tolentino.

The quality of the Neopolitan army was ordinary, aside from Murat himself, and the disciplined Austrians moved in with courage and determination.

Despite his heroics, Murat's force was soundly beaten suffering 1700 casualties and having 2400 men captured. Bianchi's force lost fewer than 800.

After Tolentino the Neopolitan force ceased to exist as an effective fighting force and began the fall of Murat whose career would later end in front of a firing squad.