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BATTLE // May 15, 1809

Battle of Tarvis

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Overview

The Battle of Tarvis from 16 to 17 May 1809, the Storming of the Malborghetto Blockhouse from 15 to 17 May 1809, and the Storming of the Predil Blockhouse from 15 to 18 May saw the Franco-Italian army of Eugène de Beauharnais attacking Austrian Empire forces under Albert Gyulai. Eugène crushed Gyulai's division in a pitched battle near Tarvisio, then an Austrian town known as Tarvis. At nearby Malborghetto Valbruna and Predil Pass, small garrisons of Grenz infantry heroically defended two forts before being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The Franco-Italian capture of the key mountain passes allowed their forces to invade Austrian Kärnten during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Tarvisio is located in far northeast Italy, near the borders of both Austria and Slovenia.

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

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • First French Empire25,000
    medium
  • Austrian Empire6,000
    medium

First French Empire fielded a 4.2 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • First French Empire1,010
    medium4% loss rate
  • Austrian Empire1,789
    medium30% loss rate
Order of battle →Casualties in detail →

Commanders (2)

Austrian Empire

First French Empire

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6 sibling battles · 0 factions

Last verified June 2026
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