Castiglione was the first attempt by the Austrian army to break Destroying the French Siege Besieging of Mantua , which was the primary Austrian fortress in northern Italy .

Hofer was arrested Arrest and brought Bringing to Mantua , where Eugène de Beauharnais , the French viceroy of Italy , first wanted to pardon him , but was overruled by his stepfather Napoleon .

The song `` Zu Mantua in Banden '' deals Resolve_problem with the death of Hofer and his vain resistance against the `` foreign '' occupants .

The Archduke wanted to secure the Rhine crossings so he could send Sending troops to northern Italy to relieve Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser at besieged Mantua ; an armistice with Moreau would allow Preventing_or_letting him to do that .

Spanish support was blocked Hindering at sea by a flotilla of 12 Dutch and 10 English warships , and on land by the war in Mantua .