Magenta

magenta, dye

magenta: see fuchsin.

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Magenta, town, Italy

Magenta (mäjān`tä), town (1991 pop. 23,667), Lombardy, N Italy, near Milan. Manufactures include matches, textiles, and machinery. At the Ticino River nearby, the French and the Sardinians won a decisive victory (1859) over the Austrians, which opened the way to Milan. General MacMahon was made duke of Magenta by Napoleon III for his leading role in the battle.

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magenta

1. a deep purplish red that is the complementary colour of green and, with yellow and cyan, forms a set of primary colours

2. another name for fuchsin

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magenta [mə′jen·tə]

(organic chemistry)

fuchsin

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Magenta 

a city in northern Italy, 20 km west of Milan.

On June 4, 1859, during the Austro-Italo-French War of 1859 (the War of Italian Liberation), an engagement was fought near Magenta between Franco-Piedmontese troops under the command of Napoleon III and Austrian troops under the command of Lieutenant Field Marshal F. Cyulai. Less than half of the forces of both sides participated in the battle (54,000 French soldiers out of 135,000 Franco-Piedmontese troops and 58,000 out of 113,000 Austrian troops). The French troops struck at the right flank of the Austrian Army and captured Magenta, which led to a disorderly retreat of the Austrians; the Austrians lost 10,000 men, and the French, 4,500. The following day Cyulai did not dare to continue the fight and began a retreat across the Mincio River. The Franco-Piedmontese troops captured Milan on June 8 and took all of Lombardy by June 20. The victory at Magenta caused an upsurge of the national liberation movement in Italy.