The town of Castel Bolognese was located on the banks of the Senio River 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Bologna, and the city of Faenza was also nearby.

The Siege of Mantua came to an end on February 2, 1797, when Austrian Field Marshal Dagobert Sigismund von Würmser capitulated to the army of General Napoleon Bonaparte.

Leaving General Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier to oversee the surrender, Bonaparte invaded Romagna, which formed part of the Papal States.

The Papal army, on the other hand, consisted of several regular “permanent regiments” reinforced by organized town or regionally trained militia battalions or cavalry squadrons called out in times of need.

The result in 1797 was a poorly resourced and unprofessionally led force, adequate for constabulary functions within the Papal States but not for facing the highly motivated and experienced French.