The French had seized the Venetian Ionian Islands off the western coast of Greece the previous year, after the Fall of the Republic of Venice.

The battle, which took place amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Nicopolis, resulted in a French defeat, and was followed by a devastating sack of Preveza.

At the end of the 18th century, the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Zakynthos, Cephalonia, Lefkada, Ithaca, and Kythira) along with a handful of exclaves on the Epirote mainland, namely the towns of Parga, Preveza, Arta, Vonitsa, and Butrint, were the sole remaining overseas possessions of the once mighty Republic of Venice in Greece.

[5] Both sides initially sought good relations: Gentili met in person with Ali at Butrint during his tour of the islands, and French envoys were frequent visitors at his court in Janina.

Built by the Ottomans in the early 18th century, it was very small and in a very poor state, as well as being indefensible due to the nearby houses being higher than its walls.

[6] The work was directed by Captain of Engineers Louis-Auguste Camus de Richemont [fr],[13] and was carried out by the local population as well as the French troops and their auxiliaries.

This central portion of the French front was likely commanded by chef de brigade (major) Jean Baptiste Hotte, and included the Souliotes under Kalogeros.

[6][9] The ruler of Janina made his camp at a hill called Michalitsi, likely at or on the Monument of Augustus, which commanded a good view of the battlefield.

[21] Either then or shortly before that, Christakis Kalogeros, Perraivos, and seventy Prevezans deserted the French lines and made for the shore, from where they escaped on boats to the Ionian Islands.

[21] At around 03:00, firing resumed, and continued sporadically until daybreak, when two French grenadier companies counter-attacked and drove the Albanians back to the ancient theatre of Nicopolis.

[24] The Prevezans holding the centre, arrayed in two ranks and assisted by the French artillery, inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers, but after a few of their officers fled, they too broke in disorder.

Moving at speed through the ruins of Nicopolis, they repulsed cavalry attacks, but were finally stopped by the Albanian infantry and forced to conduct a slow fighting retreat.

[26] On the extreme right of the French line, Tzarlabas and his Prevezans, aided by the Souliotes under the klepht Zacharakis, were still resisting until noon, when the Albanians abandoned the fight with them and Tissot's group and moved to capture Preveza.

They made for the residence of the local French consul, Pierre-Jérôme Dupré, where they held their ground for a few hours against repeated attacks with their backs to the sea.

[27] They hoped for assistance from the gunboat La Frimaire, which was at anchor off Preveza, but the captain of the ship, having received false news that no French had survived the battle, set sail and left before the eyes of Tissot's men.

There they met other French prisoners, including the former chief engineer in the Ionian Islands, Joseph Sécret Pascal-Vallongue [fr], and the diplomat and writer François Pouqueville, who wrote on the battle based on conversations with these eyewitnesses.