Battle of Staffarda The Battle of Staffarda , 18 August 1690 , was fought during Nine Years ' War in Piedmont - Savoy , modern - day northern Italy . The engagement was the first major encounter in the Italian theatre since Victor Amadeus , the Duke of Savoy , had joined the Grand Alliance in opposition to France earlier that year . The battle was a clear victory for the French commander , Nicolas Catinat , who proceeded to take other Piedmontese strongholds . The French also overran most of the Duchy of Savoy , but due to sickness , lack of infantry , and problems with supply , Catinat was unable to besiege Amadeus ' s capital Turin as King Louis XIV had hoped . Background . By 1690 , the Nine Years ' War was in its third year . The greater part of the forces involved on both sides was engaged in the Spanish Netherlands where the Dutch , with considerable English and a little Spanish help , concentrated their war effort . Along the Rhine – where ultimately the war would prove no more decisive than the Netherlands ' campaign – the German Princes provided the bulk of the troops to face France . The one area where the Allies had great hopes of forcing – " … a door … into France , big enough … for us to get in at " , was Italy . The territories of Victor Amadeus II , Duke of Savoy , split into several distinct areas : the County of Nice , the Duchy of Savoy , the Duchy of Aosta , and the Principality of Piedmont . Nice occupied the region on the Mediterranean where the Alps meet the sea ; Savoy occupied the region where the Alps border the French province of Dauphiné ; and Piedmont , which also contained the capital city of Turin and was the most important and populous region , linked the mountains to the Po valley . King Louis XIV tended to consider the Savoyard state as subsidiary to his rule – despite Amadeus ' s determination to maintain his independence he was often little more than a vassal compelled to follow the French king ' s wishes . Even before the outbreak of the war Louis XIV had a military presence in Italy with the control of two imposing fortresses : Pinerolo , to the west , annexed by France fifty years earlier in defiance of the 1631 Treaty of Cherasco ; and to the east in Duchy of Montferrat , the fortress of Casale , acquired in 1681 after Ferdinand Charles , Duke of Mantua , surrendered it to Louis XIV in exchange for an initial payment of 1 , 000 , 000 livres and an annual subsidy of 60 , 000 livres . Prelude . At the beginning of 1690 Amadeus had yet to declare himself against Louis XIV . Although his small army ( 8 , 000 men at the start of 1690 ) aroused only French contempt , Louis XIV understood that he had to retain Savoy in the French orbit . Ignoring Amadeus ' s own sovereign interests , the French sought guarantees and made their demands on the Duke : Amadeus was either to send 2 , 000 infantry and three dragoon regiments to assist French forces in the Spanish Netherlands – nearly half his army – or , he was to unite them with Nicolas Catinat ' s forces for an attack on the Spanish Milanese ; he was also to hand over to Catinat the citadel of Turin and , further down the Po River , Verrua . If he did not do so he would , in Louvois ' words , " be punished in such a manner that he remembers it for the rest of his life . " French demands from the Duke were nothing less than an attack on Savoyard independence , and the intimidation ultimately proved counter - productive . In the early summer of 1690 Amadeus realised he had to stand up to France and he began to look towards the Grand Alliance . But he had conditions . Amadeus reiterated his family claim to the Duchy of Montferrat , over which the House of Savoy was in perennial dispute with the Duke of Mantua , stipulating the razing of Casale as the minimum he would accept in this region ; he also demanded the reacquisition of Pinerolo as the " sine qua non " of Savoyard entry into the war on the Allied side , and sought to take over at least one French place in Dauphiné . Amadeus ' s hectic preparations for war and his negotiations for financial assistance from England and Spain , were followed by a declaration of war against France on 4 June . Battle . In July Catinat took command of French forces in Piedmont , totalling some 12 , 000 men . Amadeus , meanwhile , received 10 , 000 Spanish reinforcements from the Spanish possession of Milan , and was also promised 5 , 000 Imperial troops under Prince Eugene of Savoy – a cousin of Amadeus . Additionally , Amadeus ' s Protestant community , the Vaudois , who had previously suffered religious persecution from Louis XIV and Amadeus alike , had since become reconciled with their Duke , and took up arms in defence of their valleys . Little quarter was asked or given when fighting the French . Determined to punish Amadeus , Louis XIV had ordered Catinat to use his force to burn and tax ( put under contribution ) large tracts of parts of Savoy and the Plain of Piedmont – attempts by local peasants to retaliate were met by hanging anyone who was found carrying arms . However , the Marquis de Feuquieres , sent by Catinat with 1 , 200 troops to Luserna , suffered a major setback and was forced to abandon the town with the loss of some 600 men . While Catinat ' s army manoeuvred on the Piedmontese plain Marquis de Saint - Ruth took most of the exposed Duchy of Savoy , routing the Savoyard forces ; only the great fortress of Montmélian , less than 60 km north of Grenoble , remained in ducal hands . Although Savoy was far less important than Piedmont , its loss was a major setback for the Grand Alliance , making an invasion of France now much less likely . In a desperate attempt to halt the destruction and intimidation Amadeus – against the advice of Eugene – insisted on engaging the French with his own and Spanish troops . Believing that Feuquieres was lost , and anxious to catch the French whilst they were weak , Amadeus left his camp at Villafranca with the intention of attacking and surrounding Catinat . Catinat left his camp at Cavour and marched south with the intention of taking Saluzzo ; when Amadeus moved to stop him , the result was the engagement at the abbey of Staffarda on 18 August . Marshes and hedges impeded movement on the battlefield and sheltered the Savoyard line , but French troops eventually broke Amadeus ' s army . Only Eugene ' s command of the Savoyard cavalry and his conduct in retreat saved the Allied army from disaster . Amadeus suffered 2 , 800 casualties and 1 , 200 prisoners ; he also lost 11 of his 12 cannon . Catinat ' s casualties amount to some 2 , 000 troops . Aftermath . Catinat subsequently took Saluzzo , Savigliano , and Fossano . More of Amadeus ' s territory was put under contribution ; those towns which Amadeus ordered not to pay – such as Ceresole and Autrive – were torched . When Eugene ' s Imperial troops finally arrived in Piedmont little could be achieved due to Spanish hesitancy and reluctance : in Eugene ' s words : " … they want to do absolutely nothing . " The Imperial commander had to be satisfied with small raids against the enemy . In one such operation in September Eugene was unable to prevent his men – who were used to the brutality of the Turkish wars – castrating then killing 200 French prisoners . Catinat proceeded to Susa , a vital fortress controlling communications with Briançon in Dauphiné , opening trenches there on 11 November ; the stronghold capitulated two days later . But hopes of taking Turin , and capturing the Asti region and south - east Piedmont in order to link up with Casale had to be scaled back due to supply and communication problems , manning shortages , and sickness within the army . The French , therefore , unable to live off the resources of a devastated Piedmont , were forced into winter quarters in Savoy , Dauphiné , and Provence . Eugene ' s imperialists found quarters in Montferrat much to the consternation its pro - French ruler , the Duke of Mantua .