Atlas of Battles

siege, medieval

Siege of Alessandria

Siege of Alessandria was a siege conducted on 29 October 1174 at Alessandria, in what is now Italy; it lasted 5 months. It was part of Q1140335.

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Dipinto del 1851 di Carlo Arienti, raffigurante un episodio del 1175, la cacciata dell'imperatore Barbarossa da Alessandria
Dipinto del 1851 di Carlo Arienti, raffigurante un episodio del 1175, la cacciata dell'imperatore Barbarossa da Alessandria. Carlo Arienti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought29 October 1174lasted 5 months
WhereAlessandria, Italy44.913N, 8.620E
OutcomeLombard League victory; Imperial siege abandoned; Alessandria remains in League hands; Lombard relief army forces Frederick to withdraw toward Pavia
Belligerents20px Holy Roman Empire; Pavia; Marquisate of Montferrat; Imperial Italian contingents; Brabantine and other mercenaries; Bohemian contingent; Genoese crossbowmenagainst20px Lombard League; Alessandria; Piacenza
Part ofQ1140335

Where it sits in Q1140335

Battle of Volta Mantovana, 1080Battle of Sorbara, 1084Battle of Bianello, 1092Battle of Santa Lucia delle Spianate, 1145Battle of the Vernavola, 1154Siege of Tortona, 1155Siege of Milan, 1158Siege of Crema, 1159Battle of Siziano, 1159Battle of Carcano, 1160Siege of Milan, 1161Battle of Monte Porzio, 1167Siege of Alessandria, 1174Battle of Legnano, 1176Battle of Calcinato, 1201Battle of Casei Gerola, 1213Battle of Cortenuova, 1237Siege of Brescia, 1238Siege of Faenza, 1240Battle of Giglio, 1241Siege of Viterbo, 1243Battle of Florence, 1248Battle of Parma, 1248Battle of Fossalta, 1249Battle of Foggia, 1254Battle of Cassano, 1259Battle of Montaperti, 1260Battle of Colle Val d'Elsa, 1269Battle of Roccavione, 1275Battle of Desio, 1277Battle of Sperlinga, 1283Battle of Pieve al Toppo, 1288Battle of Campaldino, 1289Battle of Catanzaro, 1297Siege of Syracuse, 1298Siege of Pavia, 1302Battle of Gaggiano, 1313Siege of Pavia, 1315Battle of Ponte San Pietro, 1315Siege of Mirandola, 1321Battle of Bardi, 1321Battle of Gorgonzola, 1323Battle of Vaprio d'Adda, 1324Battle of Altopascio, 1325Battle of Zappolino, 1325Battle of Gamenario, 1345Battle of Casorate, 1356Battle of Solara, 1363Battle of Alessandria, 139110801391Siege of Alessandria, 1174
49 placed engagements of Q1140335 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date29 October 1174
to 12 April 1175
PlaceAlessandria, Italy
44.913N, 8.620E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength15,000–20,000; About 8,000 entered Italy with Frederick; Substantial reinforcements from Pavia and Montferrat; Brabantine and other mercenaries; German and Bohemian contingents; Genoese crossbowmen2,000–4,000; Alessandrian civic militia; 150 well-equipped Piacentine infantry under Anselmo Medico
Casualties and losses1,000–2,000 killed, wounded or captured; At least 300 killed in the final assault; Numerous prisoners; Heavy losses from disease, desertion and winter conditionsSeveral hundred killed or wounded
Commanders
  • Frederick Barbarossa
  • William V, Marquess of Montferrat
  • Philip I (archbishop of Cologne)
  • Arnold I of Vaucourt
  • Otto I, Duke of Bavaria
Siege of AlessandriaSiege of AlessandriaSiege of Alessandria (1657)Battle of AlessandriaBattle of MarengoFirst Battle of MarengoSecond Battle of MarengoSiege of Alessandria (1657)MilanTurinNiceGenoaPisaBergamoLuganoComo100 km44.913N, 8.620E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1174 and 1657.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1174

Siege of Alessandria is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3625431, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Alessandria (1175), revision 1379608282, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.