 Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy had initially been an ally of France but switched sides in October 1703.La Feuillade was appointed deputy to Vendôme, French commander in Italy, who gave him responsibility for occupying Villefranche and the County of Savoy, now part of modern-day France.Largely complete by the end of 1705, the primary objective in 1706 was to capture Victor Amadeus' capital of Turin; with an army of 48,000, La Feuillade initiated the siege on 12 May, although it was not completely cut off until 19 June.