Atlas of Battles

siege, major, early modern

Siege of Nice

Siege of Nice was a siege conducted on 22 August 1543 at Nice, in what is now France; it lasted 18 days. It was part of France–Habsburg rivalry. The recorded result: Imperial-Savoyard victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Siege by Ottoman and French fleets in 1543 before ramparts of Nice.
Siege by Ottoman and French fleets in 1543 before ramparts of Nice.. Unknown authorUnknown author Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in its country of or, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought22 August 1543lasted 18 days
WhereNice, France43.700N, 7.267E
OutcomeImperial-Savoyard victory
BelligerentsHoly Roman Empire; Spain; Savoy; Genoaagainst24px Ottoman Empire; France
Casualties and lossesNice: 5,000 captives; Relief army: 4 galleysandUnknown
Part ofFrance–Habsburg rivalry

Record

Date22 August 1543
to 9 September 1543
PlaceNice, France
43.700N, 7.267E
KindSiege, early modern
StrengthNice: Unknown; Relief army: 57 galleys; 40 carracks24px 100 galleys; 24px 30,000 soldiers; 26 galleys; 18 carracks; 7,000 soldiers
Casualties and lossesNice: 5,000 captives; Relief army: 4 galleysUnknown
Commanders
  • Hayreddin Barbarossa
  • Salah Rais
  • Francis, Count of Enghien
Siege of NiceSiege of NiceSiege of NiceBattle of NiceSiege of AntibesBattle of GiletteBattle of Les Illes LerinsBattle of GiletteBattle of Les Illes LerinsMarseilleGenoaToulonBastia100 km43.700N, 7.267E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Nice
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Nice today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-26. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 15 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -1 to 572 m, 573 m of relief, steep country and today it is 45% built-up, 32% water, 21% tree cover.

built-up: 45%water: 32%tree cover: 21%built-up 45%water 32%tree cover 21%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 220 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 318 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1543 and 1944.

Elsewhere in 1543

Siege of Nice is one of 1,470 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 1,495 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815184, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Nice, revision 1374546456, 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.