Battle of Nicopolis

Overview

The Battle of Nicopolis was fought on 23 October [O.S. 12 October] 1798 between a French-led army and the autonomous Pashalik of Yanina ruled by Ali Pasha of Yanina. France had occupied the Venetian Ionian Islands off the western coast of Greece in 1797 after the fall of the Republic of Venice in the same year. The islands also included a few mainland exclaves like Butrint and Preveza, which were coveted by Ali. French efforts to draw Ali into their camp against Sultan Selim III failed, and when the Ottoman Empire declared war on France Ali attacked the French positions. The battle, which took place amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Nicopolis, resulted in a French defeat, and was followed by a devastating sack of Preveza.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The overview supplied describes the medieval Battle of Nicopolis (1396), not the engagement listed here between Ali Pasha of Yanina and French forces under Colaud de La Salcette in October 1798. The structured facts provide only the belligerents, commanders, and an approximate force size for the Pashalik of Yanina; no outcome, terrain, or narrative of the 1798 action is recorded. On that basis, the battle's significance within the War of the Second Coalition cannot be established from the available source material.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)