Piacenza 1746
Europa Simulazioni‘s Piacenza 1746 recreates the Battle of Piacenza. It was fought between a Franco-Spanish army and the Austrian army near Piacenza, in Northern Italy on June 16, 1746. It formed part of later operations in the War of the Austrian Succession. The result was a victory for the Austrian forces, led by Prince Josef Wenzel.
- 2 Players
- Ages 14+
- Complexity: 6/10
Highlights
- Regimental-level warfare in the Age of Reason
- Highly interactive sequence of play; focused on maneuvers
- Formations move in “linear mode”, the typical way of fighting a battle at that time
- A 22″ x 25″ fine-art map, based on ancient map of the battle
- Detailed order of battle
- Limited play time
The Battle and the War
The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) was a dynastic war, initiated by the European powers to counter the legitimate claim of Maria Theresa Habsburgs to maintain control of all her family possessions, when her father—the Emperor Charles VI—died in 1740.
Frederick II of Prussia was the first to act. He invaded Silesia because he wanted to reach a glorious military success at the beginning of his reign. Maria Theresa reacted promptly and two alliance sides formed for the war with all the major European countries and many minor states involved.
In 1745, war extended to Italy where France and Spain were in arms against Austria and her ally, Savoy. After a sound defeat near Alessandria, the following year the Austrian side defeated the French-Spanish army at the battle of Piacenza. This battle marked the end of the Franco-Spanish attempts to defeat Maria in Italy: “I want to hope that this event will dispel from the minds of my enemies the desire to totally banish myself from Italy.”
Components
- 22″ x 25″ map of Piacenza and its southern area
- 216 5/8″ (large) die-cut counters
- Rule booklet
- Chart
- Box
Pick up a copy of Piacenza 1746 today!
