Which Italian city did Napoleon capture in 1796?

Which Italian city did Napoleon capture in 1796? Napoleon captured Milan in 1796 during his first Italian campaign.

The victory followed a rapid sequence of French successes against Austrian and Piedmontese forces. Napoleon took command of the Army of Italy in March 1796 and used speed, concentrated attacks, and bold maneuvering to separate his enemies. After victories at Montenotte, Millesimo, Dego, and Mondovi, he turned against the Austrian army in Lombardy.

The French victory at the Battle of Lodi on May 10, 1796, opened the road toward Milan. Napoleon entered the city five days later, on May 15, after Austrian forces withdrew. Milan was strategically valuable because it controlled access to the wealthy Po Valley and served as the capital of Austrian-ruled Lombardy.

The capture transformed Napoleon’s reputation. His army gained supplies and prestige, while France established political influence across northern Italy. Milan was not the final objective: Napoleon continued the campaign against Austria, eventually forcing the Habsburg monarchy into peace negotiations. A common mix-up is Venice, which Napoleon conquered the following year, in 1797.