The Battle of Cassano was fought in the Autumn of 1259 between a Guelph and a Ghibelline army in northern Italy. In 1259, Ezzelino da Romano and his Ghibelline army moved into Lombardy and besieged Orci Novi. But the approach of the Guelph army forced Ezzelino to abandon the siege and cross the Oglio River. Joined by exiled nobles fom Milan, the Ghibellines attempted to take the city of Monza by force, but the attempt failed. Ezzelino and his troops, aware of the dangerous position they were now in, retreated to the Adda river.