Giovanni Marchese di Provera
| Giovanni Marchese di Provera | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1736 Italy |
| Died |
5 July 1804 (aged 67) Venice, modern-day Italy |
| Allegiance |
 Habsburg Austria
|
| Rank | Feldmarschallleutnant |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Military Order of Maria Theresa |
Giovanni Marchese di Provera, or Johann Provera, born c. 1736 – died 5 July 1804, served in the Austrian army in Italy during the French Revolutionary Wars. Provera played a significant role in three campaigns against General Napoleon Bonaparte during the Italian Campaign of 1796.
Since he was 60 years old in 1796, Provera was born around 1736. During the Seven Years' War he fought at the Battle of Kolin. On 18 June 1789 he was promoted to General-Major (Major General) in the Austrian army. He fought in Italy during the campaigns of 1794 and 1795, and became a Feldmarschall-Leutnant (Lieutenant General) on 4 March 1796. He was a Knight of the Order of Malta and held the noble rank of Marchese.
During the Montenotte Campaign in the spring of 1796, Provera led a 4,000-man Austrian-Sardinian division in the 21,000-strong army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. The Sardinians were allied to a 32,000-man Austrian army led by Johann Beaulieu. On 12 April at the Battle of Montenotte, Bonaparte's French army managed to drive a wedge between the two allied armies. Pushing west, the French forces encountered part of Provera's division on 13 April at the Battle of Millesimo and pushed it back. To cover the retreat, Provera and about 900 men occupied a ruined castle from which they repelled repeated French assaults. On the morning of 14 April, Provera and his men were compelled to surrender.
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