Battle of Chiari The Battle of Chiari was fought on 1 September 1701 during the War of the Spanish Succession . The engagement was part of Prince Eugene of Savoy ' s campaign to seize the Spanish controlled Duchy of Milan in the Italian peninsula , and had followed his victory over Marshal Catinat at the Battle of Carpi in July . Marshal Villeroi replaced Catinat as commander of the Franco – Spanish – Savoyard forces in the theatre , carrying with him orders from King Louis XIV to push the Imperialists out of Italy . Foreseeing Villeroi ' s intention of attacking at any price , Eugene entrenched himself in front of the small fortress of Chiari , and waited for the attack . In a battle that lasted several hours the Austrians inflicted heavy casualties on Villeroi ' s forces , gaining an overwhelming victory . The campaign established Eugene in Lombardy , and helped to persuade the Maritime Powers to come to the aid of the Emperor . Within a week of the battle England , the Dutch Republic , and Leopold I , had signed the second treaty of the Grand Alliance . Prelude . After his defeat at the Battle of Carpi on 9 July 1701 the French commander , Nicolas Catinat , precipitously retired behind the river Mincio , leaving Prince Eugene in command of the whole country between that river and the Adige . Eugene now effected the passage of the Mincio at Peschiera del Garda , driving the French farther back across the Oglio . ( " See map " ) . The failure of Catinat to withstand the advance of a much smaller Imperial army evoked indignation at Versailles , leading King Louis XIV to replace Catinat with the ageing duc de Villeroi . Villeroi – with orders to risk a battle – arrived in theatre in late August . Louis XIV needed a victory to assure the continued loyalty of Italy to his grandson ' s regime . On 7 September , not knowing the battle had already been fought , the French King wrote to his commander , " I cannot tell you how pleased I am to have you in command … I have reason to believe that you will finish the campaign gloriously " . Villeroi joined the army , and his generals – the Duke of Savoy , Catinat , and the Prince of Vaudémont – and marched to find the enemy , confident he would drive them from Italy . Battle . Eugene welcomed the prospect of a decisive battle , and waited on the eastern side of the Oglio to be attacked . The Imperial commander had chosen his ground carefully , entrenching his troops and guns in front of the small fortress of Chiari . Streams protected his position on three sides : as there was not enough room for a cavalry engagement , Eugene could count on a frontal attack by the French infantry . Villeroi ignored Catinat ' s warning that Eugene was in a strong position , remarking that the King , " had not sent so many brave men just to look at the enemy through their spy glasses . " On 1 September the Franco - Spanish infantry advanced . Deceived by the report of spies that the Imperialists were retiring , Villeroi crossed the Oglio and pushed on to Chiari expecting to attack their rear guard ; but instead , the French commander encountered the whole Imperial army securely entrenched in their positions . Firing from point - blank range the Austrians drove back the French with a withering fire , imposing a heavy toll in a contest as destructive as any battle during the war in Italy . With only minor losses the Imperial army had inflicted over 3 , 000 casualties in the ranks , and over 250 officers . This number would grow rapidly as fever attacked the wounded . Villeroi lost personal control during the battle , and Catinat , despite being wounded , had to organise a retreat . The French dug themselves in only a mile or so away from the Austrians on the same side of the Oglio . Here , the two opposing sides remained for the next two months : the French were too much discouraged by their repulse to resume the assault , and Eugene was unwilling to risk the advantages he had gained by attacking the French in their strong defensive position . However , as autumn advanced , conditions deteriorated in both camps : fodder was so short that Eugene ' s horses were forced to eat fallen leaves . But the French , whose camp was built on marshy ground , suffered most , and they moved out first in mid - November , crossing the Oglio before entering winter quarters in the Duchy of Milan . Aftermath . In Milan the French presence proved increasingly unpopular : five million livres for soldiers ' pay and lodgings , and two million for fodder , had soon been imposed on the local population , most of which had to be taken by force . For his winter quarters Eugene proceeded to reduce the whole Duchy of Mantua , except the capital and Goito , which he closely blockaded ; shortly after he occupied Mirandola and Guastalla . Eugene ' s relationship with the local population had been good and he had kept a tight control : he had executed 48 of his men for looting , telling the Emperor that he had ' imposed more severe discipline than has possibly ever been seen in an army ' . Eugene had received little cash from the Emperor , far less than he expected , but he had secured a sound footing in northern Italy and , as hoped , his success helped to encourage the Maritime Powers to come to the aid of Leopold I . Since the beginning of the year Count Wratislaw had been in London as Imperial minister , pressing for assistance . With Eugene ' s two victories ( Carpi and Chiari ) , Leopold I had proved he would fight to protect his interests , giving Wratislaw the arguments he needed to push through the alliance with the Maritime Powers . On 7 September 1701 – within a week of the battle – England and the Dutch Republic signed the second treaty of the Grand Alliance , backing the Emperor ' s claims to the Spanish possessions in Italy . The French were still in Milan , but their position was weak : morale was poor and desertion was high . Louis XIV wrote to Villeroi urging him to work closely with Catinat and , " not again to attack the enemy without advantage . " " If you do … the King , my grandson , will lose Italy . " By October French optimism for the campaign was gone , but Louis XIV hoped to send reinforcements for next year ' s campaign , believing the Emperor would not be able to make a comparable increase in Eugene ' s strength . However , the campaign season was not yet over . As Villeroi settled down for the winter , Eugene was preparing to attack him at his headquarters in Cremona .