Battle of the Panaro

Battle context

The Battle of the Panaro was an early Neapolitan victory in the Neapolitan War of 1815, in which King Joachim Murat's forces defeated a smaller Austrian force under Frederick Bianchi on the banks of the Panaro River south of Modena. The engagement compelled the Austrians to withdraw behind the Po River, representing a meaningful territorial and operational gain for Naples at the outset of the campaign. The Neapolitan force of 7,000 inflicted 461 Austrian casualties while suffering 409 of their own, reflecting a closely fought but decisive action. By pushing Bianchi's force back across the Po, Murat temporarily seized the initiative in northern Italy during the opening phase of the war.