Editing War of the Spanish Succession (section)

===Italy===
[[File:North Italy 1700.png|thumb|right|upright=1.35|Northern Italy; Milan, Savoy, and Mantua were the primary areas of conflict]]

The war in Italy primarily involved the Spanish-ruled [[Duchy of Milan]] and the French-allied [[Duchy of Mantua]], considered essential to the security of Austria's southern borders. In 1701, French troops occupied both cities and [[Victor Amadeus II]], Duke of Savoy, allied with France, his daughter [[Maria Luisa of Savoy|Maria Luisa]] marrying Philip V.{{sfn|Dhondt| 2015|pp=16–17}} In May 1701, an Imperial army under [[Prince Eugene of Savoy]] moved into Northern Italy; by February 1702, victories at [[Battle of Carpi|Carpi]], [[Battle of Chiari|Chiari]] and [[Battle of Cremona|Cremona]] forced the French behind the [[Adda (river)|Adda]] river.{{sfn|Lynn|1999|pp=270–271}}

[[Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme]], one of the best French generals, took command and was substantially reinforced; Prince Eugene managed a draw at the [[Battle of Luzzara]] but the French recovered most of the territory that it had lost to Prince Eugene the year before.{{sfn|Lynn|1999|pp=276–277}} In October 1703, Victor Amadeus declared war on France; by May 1706, the French held most of Savoy except [[Turin]] while victories at [[Battle of Cassano (1705)|Cassano]] and [[Battle of Calcinato|Calcinato]] forced the Imperialists into the [[Trentino]] valley.{{sfn|Falkner|2015|p=1302}}

In July 1706 Vendôme and all the forces that could be spared were sent to reinforce France's northern frontier after the defeat at [[Battle of Ramillies|Ramillies]]. Reinforced by German auxiliaries led by [[Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau|Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau]], Prince Eugene broke the [[siege of Turin]] in September; despite a minor French victory at [[Battle of Castiglione (1706)|Castiglione]], the war in Italy was over. To the fury of his allies, the 1707 [[Convention of Milan]] Emperor Joseph gave French troops in Lombardy free passage to Southern France.{{sfn|Sundstrom|1992|p=196}}

A combined Savoyard-Imperial attack on the French base of [[Toulon]] planned for April was postponed when Imperial troops were diverted to seize the Spanish Bourbon [[Kingdom of Naples]]. By the time they [[Siege of Toulon (1707)|besieged Toulon]] in August, the French were too strong, and they were forced to withdraw. By the end of 1707, fighting in Italy ceased, apart from minor attempts by Victor Amadeus to recover Nice and Savoy.{{sfn|Symcox|1985|p=155}}