Chronology of events of the Peninsular War

The following table shows the sequence of events of the Peninsular War (1807–1814). It includes major battles, smaller actions, uprisings, sieges and other related events that took place during that period.

For ease of reference using modern maps, the provinces/regions given for Spain and Portugal are those that correspond to the 20th century, that is, resulting from the 1976 Constitution of Portugal and the processes of devolution of Spain's transition to democracy (1979), which created 17 autonomous communities (regions) and 2 autonomous cities. This affects, in particular, the historical regions and provinces of León and Old Castile (Spanish: Castilla la Vieja), constituted in 1983 as Castile and León. Events in Portugal and France are specified.

Overview

The Peninsular War^[a] was a military conflict for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars, waged between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom and Portugal. It started when French and Spanish armies, then allied, occupied Portugal in 1807, and escalated in 1808 when France turned on Spain, its former ally. The war on the peninsula lasted until the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814, and is regarded as one of the first wars of national liberation, and significant for the emergence of large-scale guerrilla warfare. British and Portuguese forces eventually secured Portugal, using it as a safe position from which to launch campaigns against the French army, while both Spanish and Portuguese guerrillas weakened the occupying forces.

The Peninsular War overlaps with what the Spanish-speaking world calls the Guerra de la Independencia Española (Spanish War of Independence), which began with the Dos de Mayo Uprising on 2 May 1808 and ended on 17 April 1814. Although Spain had been in upheaval since at least the Mutiny of Aranjuez (March 1808), May 1808 marks the start of the Spanish War of Independence. The French occupation destroyed the Spanish administration, which fragmented into quarrelling provincial juntas. In 1810, a reconstituted national government, the Cádiz Cortes—effectively a government-in-exile—fortified itself in Cádiz but could not raise effective armies because it was besieged by up to 70,000 French troops. The combined efforts of regular and irregular forces throughout the peninsula prevented Napoleon's marshals from subduing the rebellious Spanish provinces, and the war continued through years of stalemate.^[1]

The final stages of the Peninsular War were fought on French soil, as the French army was pushed further back across the Pyrenees.

Table of events

Day, month, and year|Date	Event	Province/region (modern)	Outcome	Notes
					12–18 October 1807	French troops enter Spain en route to Portugal	Irun, Basque Country	Manoeuvre (French)	Junot crosses into Spain with 28,000 troops.[2] The Treaty of Fontainebleau, to be signed later that month, stipulates that three columns of Spanish troops numbering 25,500 men will support the Invasion of Portugal. Junot enters Portugal 19 November.
27 October 1807	Treaty of Fontainebleau signed by Charles IV of Spain and Napoleon I of France	Fontainebleau	Treaty	The accord proposed the division of the Kingdom of Portugal and all Portuguese dominions between the signatories.
19–30 November 1807	Portugal (Invasion of)	Portugal
29 November 1807	Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil			The Royal Court of Portugal, headed by the Prince Regent, Prince John and his mother, Maria I of Portugal, set sail for Brazil, escorted by the British Royal Navy, led by Sir Sidney Smith and Sir Graham Moore (younger brother of Sir John Moore).
17−19 March 1808	Aranjuez (Mutiny of)	Aranjuez, Madrid
19 March 1808	Abdication: Charles IV of Spain abdicates in favour of his son, Ferdinand VII[3]	Aranjuez, Madrid
23 March 1808	Murat enters Madrid[3]	Madrid	Manoeuvre (French)	In his letter to his brother Louis, dated 27 March 1808, offering him the throne of Spain, Napoleon stated that he had 100,000 troops in Spain, and that 40,000 of them had entered Madrid with Murat on 23 March 1808.[4]
24 March 1808	Ferdinand VII enters Madrid[3]	Madrid	Manoeuvre (French)
2 May 1808	Dos de Mayo Uprising	Madrid	Uprising: French victory	Following the fighting at the Royal Palace, rebellion spread to other parts of the city, with street fighting in different areas including heavy fighting around the Puerta del Sol, the Puerta de Toledo and at the barracks of Monteleón. Martial law was imposed on the city. Hundreds of people died in the fighting, including around 150 French soldiers. The uprising was depicted by the Spanish artist Goya in The Second of May 1808 (The Charge of the Mamelukes) and The Third of May 1808.
24 May 1808	Dupont marches from Toledo	Toledo – Córdoba	Manoeuvre (French)	After having originally received orders from Murat to head for Cádiz, and countermanded by Napoleon, thinking that his troops might be needed in Madrid, Dupont finally leaves Toledo with 18,000 second-line troops, originally raised as provisional or reserve formations, intended either for internal police services or garrison duty.
5 June 1808	Despeñaperros	Jaén, Andalusia	Spanish victory (guerrillas)	Two squadrons of French dragoons were attacked by insurgents at the northern entrance to the pass of Despenaperros, a steep gorge (defile) in the Sierra Morena, that separates Castile-La Mancha (including Madrid) and Andalusia, and forced to retreat to the nearby town of Almuradiel.
5 June 1808	Santa Cruz de Mudela (Uprising of)	Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha	Uprising: Spanish victory	The 700 French troops stationed in the village of Santa Cruz de Mudela are attacked by the population. 109 French soldiers are killed and 113 taken prisoner, while the rest flee back in the direction of Madrid, to Valdepeñas.
6 June 1808	Porto (Uprising of)	Porto (Portugal)	Uprising: Portuguese victory	On hearing of the rebellion in Spain, Spanish General Belesta, having participated in the Invasion of Portugal, and stationed in Porto with 6,000 Spanish troops, captures the French General of Division Quesnel, and marches to Coruña to join the fight against the French troops, sparking off a series of uprisings throughout the north of Portugal.
6 June 1808	Valdepeñas (Uprising of)	Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha	Uprising: Spanish victory	Following the previous day's uprising in Santa Cruz de Mudela, Ligier-Belair and Roize, at the head of some 800 troops, together with some 300 soldiers that had escaped from the Santa Cruz uprising prepare to march through the town of Valdepeñas. The population attack the leading column and Ligier-Belair sends in the dragoons, who are also forced to retreat. The resulting truce stipulates that the French troops will not pass through the village in return for a day's worth of food supplies. The guerrilla actions at Santa Cruz and Valdepeñas, together with more isolated actions in the Sierra Morena itself, effectively cut French military communications between Madrid and Andalusia for around a month.
6 June 1808	Coronation of Joseph I	Madrid		Napoleon's elder brother, Joseph Bonaparte, proclaimed King of Spain.[5] His reign lasted until 11 December 1813, when he abdicated and returned to France after the French defeat at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813.
6 June 1808	Bruch (First battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	Spanish victory	See also Bruch (Second battle of). Often grouped together as one battle, there were in fact two separate battles, separated by more than a week, with different armies and commanders involved: of the 12 French regiments that participated, only one of them fought at both battles.
7 June 1808	Alcolea Bridge (Battle of)	Córdoba, Andalusia	French victory	At Alcolea, 10 km from Córdoba, Dupont's troops are engaged in their first battle in Andalusia against 3,000 regular troops under Pedro Agustín de Echávarri who try to protect the bridge over the Guadalquivir. The same day, Dupont captures Córdoba.
7 June 1808	Córdoba	Córdoba, Andalusia	French victory	On their way to Seville, and ultimately to Cádiz, Dupont's 18,000 troops capture Córdoba, ransacking the city over four days. However, damaging guerrilla actions force Dupont to withdraw towards Madrid to meet up with Gobert's division, that had set out from Madrid on July 2 to reinforce Dupont. Only one brigade of this division ultimately reached Dupont, the rest being needed to hold the road north (to Madrid) against the guerrillas.
9 June 1808  – 14 June 1808	Rosily Squadron (Capture of)	Cádiz, Andalusia	Spanish victory
16 June 1808 – 18 June 1808	Olhão (Uprising of)	Olhão (Portugal)	Uprising: Portuguese victory	Portuguese civilians revolt and expel the French forces from Olhão. On 19 June the civilians in the city of Faro join the uprising and capture 170 French soldiers and General Maurin. By 23 June all French forces are expelled from the region of Algarve.
19 June 1808	Vedel marches from Toledo	Toledo – La Carolina	Manoeuvre (French)	Vedel, with the 6,000 men, 700 horse, and 12 guns of the 2nd Division, sets out south from Toledo to force a passage over the Sierra Morena, hold the mountains from the guerrillas, and link up with Dupont, pacifying Castile-La Mancha along the way. Vedel is joined during the march by small detachments under Roize and Ligier-Belair.
26 June 1808	Puerta del Rey (mountain pass)	Jaén, Andalusia	French victory	Vedel's column face Lieutenant-Colonel Valdecaños' detachment of Spanish regulars and guerrillas with six guns blocking the mountain pass. The following day, Vedel meets up with Dupont at La Carolina, reestablishing military communications with Madrid after a month of disruption. With the reinforcements from Vedel and Gobert, Dupont now has 20,000 men, albeit short of supplies.[6]
12 June 1808	Cabezón (Battle of)	Valladolid, Castile and León	French victory
14 June 1808	Bruch (Second battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	Spanish victory	See also Bruch (First battle of)
15 June 1808  — 14 August 1808	Zaragoza (First siege of)	Zaragoza, Aragón	Spanish victory
20 and 21 June 1808	Gerona (Battle of)	Girona, Catalonia	Spanish victory
24 June 1808  – 26 June 1808	Valencia (Battle of)	Valencia, Valencia	Spanish victory
27 June 1808	Gijón: Arrival of British officers	Asturias	Delegation	In response to the Junta General of Asturias' request to London, the Portland administration sent three British Army officers, led by a lieutenant colonel, to Gijón to assess the state of affairs. Following the Spanish victory at Bailén the following month, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, Viscount Castlereagh sent a second delegation, led by General Sir James Leith, who arrived in Gijón on 30 August 1808 charged with seeing how the north of Spain could be reinforced to prevent Napoleon sending in more troops through Irun, and isolating him in Madrid or Burgos. Leith would join Baird's forces in November 1808.[7]
14 July 1808	Medina de Rioseco (Battle of)	Valladolid, Castile and León	French victory	Also known as the Battle of Moclín, from the name of a nearby hill held by Spanish infantry.
16 July 1808  – 19 July 1808	Bailén (Battle of)	Jaén, Andalusia	Spanish victory (decisive)	Having lost some 2,000 men on the battlefield, together with some 800 Swiss troops that had gone over to Reding's Swiss regiment, Dupont called for a truce, formally surrendered his remaining 17,600 men on 23 July. Under the terms of surrender, Dupont, Vedel and their troops were to be repatriated to France. However, with the exception of the most senior officers, most of the French rank and file were confined on hulks in Cádiz, before being transported to the uninhabited island of Cabrera, where half of the 7,000 men starved to death.[8]
24 July 1808  – 16 August 1808	Gerona (Second siege of)	Girona, Catalonia	Spanish victory
29 July 1808	Évora (Battle of)	Alentejo (Portugal)	French victory	The following day, the French General Loison massacred the men, women, and children, of Évora, marking the future of the relationships between the different nations.
7 August 1808  – 11 October 1808	Evacuation of the La Romana Division	Denmark–Spain by sea	Manoeuvre (Spanish)	Some 9,000 men stationed in Denmark, belonging to the 15,000-strong Division of the North, comprising Spanish troops commanded by Pedro Caro, 3rd Marquis of la Romana, defected from the armies of the First French Empire under the leadership of Marshal Bernadotte. Transported aboard British navy ships, on reaching Santander, they reinforced Blake's Army of Galicia. Entering into battle at Valmaseda, on 5 November 1808, they defeated Victor's army, only to be defeated by the same forces a few days later at the Battle of Espinosa.
17 August 1808	Roliça (Battle of)	Leiria (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory, tactical French retreat	The first battle fought by the British army during the Peninsular War.
21 August 1808	Vimeiro (Battle of)	Lisbon (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory	Led to the signing of the Convention of Sintra on 30 August 1808, putting an end to Napoleon's invasion of Portugal.
30 August 1808	Sintra (Convention of)	Lisbon (Portugal)	French troops abandon Portugal	Following his victory at the Battle of Vimeiro (21 August) Sir Arthur Wellesley, against his wishes, was ordered by his immediate superiors, Sir Harry Burrard and Sir Hew Dalrymple, to sign the preliminary Armistice. The subsequent convention, agreed between Dalrymple and Kellerman, and despite the protests of the Portuguese commander, Freire,[9] allowed the evacuation of Junot's 20,900 troops from Portugal to France with all their equipment and 'personal property' (mostly loot) aboard Royal Navy ships. The public outcry in Britain led to an inquiry, held 14 November to 27 December 1808, which cleared all three British officers. Shortly after, George Woodward would caricature Wellesley in The Convention of Cintra, a Portuguese Gambol for the amusement of Iohn Bull, London, 1809[9]
31 October 1808	Pancorbo (Battle of)	Biscay, Basque Country	Indecisive	Although a tactical victory for the French, it was considered a strategic blunder
5 November 1808	Valmaseda (Battle of)	Biscay, Basque Country	Spanish victory
7 November 1808  – 5 December 1808	Roses (Siege of)	Girona, Catalonia	French victory
10 and 11 November 1808	Espinosa (Battle of)	Burgos, Castile and León	French victory
23 November 1808	Tudela (Battle of)	Tudela, Navarre	French-Polish victory
30 November 1808	Somosierra (Battle of)	Mountain pass 60 miles north of Madrid separating the provinces of Madrid and Segovia	French victory	Famous for the Polish light cavalry uphill charge, in columns of four, against Spanish artillery positions. The heavily outnumbered Spanish detachment of conscripts and artillery were unable to stop the Grande Armée's advance on Madrid, and Napoleon entered the capital of Spain on 4 December, a month after entering the country.[5]
4 December 1808	Napoleon enters Madrid with 80,000 troops.[10]	Madrid	French victory	Napoleon turns his troops against Moore's British forces, who are forced to retreat back towards Galicia three weeks later and, after a last stand at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809, withdraw from Spain.
20 December 1808 – 20 February 1809	Zaragoza (Second siege of)	Zaragoza, Aragón	French victory
16 December 1808	Cardadeu (Battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	French victory
21 December 1808	Molins de Rey (Battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	French victory
21 December 1808	Sahagún (Battle of)	León, Castile and León	British victory
25 December 1808	Retreat to Corunna		British retreat	John Moore starts a 250-mile (400 km) retreat and reaches La Coruña on 14 January
30 December 1808	Mansilla (Battle of)	León, Castile and León	French victory
1 January 1809	Castellón (Battle of)	Girona, Catalonia	Spanish victory	This Castellón refers to Castelló d'Empúries, in Catalonia, not the town or province in Valencia.
3 January 1809	Cacabelo (Battle of)	León, Castile and León	British victory
13 January 1809	Uclés (Battle of)	Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha	French victory
14 January 1809	Treaty between Great Britain and Spain	London	Treaty	"Treaty of peace, friendship, and alliance" by which Britain recognises Fernando as King of Spain.[11]
16 January 1809	Corunna (Battle of)	A Coruña, Galicia	Different analyses: British tactical victory[12][13][14] French strategic victory[15][16][17]	The British troops were able complete their embarkation, but left the port cities of Corunna and Ferrol, as well as the whole of northern Spain, to be captured and occupied by the French. During the battle, Sir John Moore, the British commander, was mortally wounded
18 January 1809	Corunna (Surrender of)	A Coruña, Galicia	French victory	Alcedo, whose garrison of two Spanish regiments had protected Sir John Moore's troops during the embarkation, surrendered to Marshal Soult, who was able to refit with the ample military stores available. A week later Soult's forces also captured Ferrol, a major Spanish naval base with an even greater arsenal than that of Corunna, and taking eight ships of the line.
25 February 1809	Valls (Battle of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	French victory
7 March 1809				British General William Beresford appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Army.
10 to 12 March 1809	Chaves (First siege of)	Norte (Portugal)	French victory	Francisco da Silveira would later recapture the town at the Second Siege of Chaves, from 21 to 25 March 1809.
17 March 1809	Villafranca (Battle of)	León, Castile and León	Spanish victory
20 March 1809	Braga (Battle of)	Braga (Portugal)	French victory	Also known as the Battle of Póvoa de Lanhoso or Battle of Carvalho d'Este.
21 to 25 March 1809	Chaves (Second siege of)	Norte (Portugal)	Portuguese victory
24 March 1809	Yevenes (Battle of)	Toledo, Castile-La Mancha	Spanish victory
27 March 1809	Ciudad Real (Battle of)	Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha	French-Polish victory
28 March 1809	Porto (First battle of)	Porto (Portugal)	French victory
22 April 1809	Creation of Anglo-Portuguese Army			Wellesley, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Army and integrated the two armies into mixed British-Portuguese divisions, normally on a basis of two British and one Portuguese brigades.
6 May - 1809  -12 December  1809	Gerona (Third siege of)	Girona, Catalonia	French victory	Depicted in The Great Day of Girona, by Ramon Martí Alsina.
10 May 1809  – 11 May 1809	Grijó (Battle of)	Porto (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory
12 May 1809	Porto (Second battle of)	Porto (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory (decisive)	Also known as the Battle of the Douro.
14 May 1809	Alcantara (Battle of)	Cáceres, Extremadura	French victory
23 May 1809	Alcañiz (Battle of)	Teruel, Aragón	Spanish victory
15 June 1809	María (Battle of)	Zaragoza, Aragón	French victory
7 June 1809  – 9 June 1809	Puente Sanpayo (Battle of)	Pontevedra, Galicia	Spanish victory
18 June 1809	Belchite (Battle of)	Zaragoza, Aragón	French victory
27–28 July 1809	Talavera (Battle of)	Toledo, Castile-La Mancha	Pyrrhic Anglo-Spanish victory Strategic French victory
8 August 1809	Arzobispo (Battle of)	Toledo, Castile-La Mancha	French victory
11 August 1809	Almonacid (Battle of)	Toledo, Castile–La Mancha	French victory
12 August 1809	Puerto de Baños (Battle of)	Cáceres, Extremadura	Anglo-Allied victory	Mountain pass
9 October 1809	Astorga (Combat of)	León, Castile and León	Spanish victory	Apparently unaware that the town had recently been heavily garrisoned, Kellerman sent Carrié with 1,200 infantry and two regiments of dragoons to attack the town.[18]
18 October 1809	Tamames (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	Spanish victory
20 October 1809	Torres Vedras (Wellington orders construction of the Lines of)	Lisbon, Portugal	Fortification (Anglo-Portuguese)	Wellington orders construction of the Lines. Under the direction of Sir Richard Fletcher, the first line was finished one year later, around the time of the Battle of Sobral.
11 November 1809	Ocaña (Combat of)	Toledo, Castile-La Mancha	French victory	Ocaña is a small town 65 km from Madrid, defended by five regiments of Milhaud’s dragoons and Sebastiani’s division (six battalions) of Polish infantry. Aréizaga sent his cavalry force, 5,700 strong, which outnumbered the French cavalry by three-to-one, and forced them to retreat behind the Polish infantry. After attempting to attack the squares, Areizaga realised that they would have to wait for Zayas' infantry to arrive and attack the following day. The French, however, retreated overnight to Aranjuez. Aréizaga entered the town the following day.[19]
19 November 1809	Ocaña (Battle of)	Toledo, Castile-La Mancha	French victory	65 km from Madrid
23 November 1809	Carpio (Battle of)	Valladolid, Castile and León	Spanish victory	El Carpio, some 20 km southwest of the town of Medina del Campo, is about 4 km from Fresno el Viejo. Both villages border the province of Salamanca at the southwestern tip of the province of Valladolid. The village, including its strategic 10th century fortress was completely destroyed by the French troops on 25 November.
26 November 1809	Alba de Tormes (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	French victory
21 January 1810	Mollet	Barcelona, Catalonia	Spanish victory
5 February 1810  – 24 August 1812	Cádiz (Siege of)	Cádiz, Andalusia	Spanish victory	The reconstituted national government of Spain, known as the Cádiz Cortes—effectively a government-in-exile—fortified itself in Cádiz, besieged by 70,000 French troops.
20 February 1810	Vich (Battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	French victory
21 March 1810  — 22 April 1810	Astorga (First siege of)	León, Castile and León	French victory
15 April 1810	Lérida: arrival of Suchet's troops	Lérida, Catalonia	Manoeuvre (French)	Suchet's army of 13,000 French troops arrive in front of Lérida. The siege proper starts on 29 April.
23 April 1810	Margalef (Battle of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	French victory	On 22 April, a Spanish force of 8,000 infantry and 600 cavalry,[20] incorporated into two divisions led by Ibarrola and Pirez, under O’Donnell,[21] descended the Monblanc defile of the Prades Mountains to relieve Lerida. They were surprised by Musnier's seven infantry battalions and 500 cuirassieres which, together with Harispe's three infantry battalions and two squadrons of hussars that had been stationed at Alcoletge, a bridgehead three miles from Lerida, forced them to retreat to the ruined village of Margalef, some 10 miles from Lérida.[20]
26 April 1810  – 9 July 1810	Ciudad Rodrigo (First siege of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	French victory
29 April 1810  – 13 May 1810	Lérida (Siege of)	Lérida, Catalonia	French victory
11 July 1810	Barquilla (Combat of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	French victory
24 July 1810	River Côa (Battle of the)	Guarda, (Portugal)	French victory	After having blown up the Real Fuerte de la Concepción on 20 July, Craufurd, positioned his Light Brigade, comprising five battalions of infantry, two light cavalry regiments, and one horse artillery battery (about 4200 infantry, 800 cavalry, and 6 guns)[22] east of the Côa River (disobeying Wellington's orders), near Castelo de Almeida and near the only bridge of an otherwise unfordable river. On the morning of the battle, they were surprised by Marshal Ney's 20,000 troops, on their way to besiege Almeida. Craufurd was able to defend the bridge against several attacks, but finally retreated at midnight. The Real Fuerte de la Concepción, in the province of Salamanca, was one of a series of star forts on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and Portugal. The Praça-forte de Almeida, 10 km away, in the Guarda District, was one of a series of Portuguese star forts.
25 July to 27 August 1810	Almeida (First siege of)	Guarda, (Portugal)	French victory
14 September 1810	La Bisbal (Battle of)	Girona, Catalonia	Anglo-Spanish victory
24 September 1810	Cádiz Cortes – opening session	Cádiz, Andalusia		The opening session of the Cortes was held eight months into the two-and-a-half-year Siege of Cádiz.
27 September 1810	Bussaco (Battle of)	Aveiro District (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory	Serra do Bussaco mountain range
13–14 October 1810	Sobral (Battle of)	Lisbon (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory
15 October 1810	Fuengirola (Battle of)	Málaga, Andalusia	Polish-French victory
19 – 22 January 1811	Olivenza (Siege of)	Province of Badajoz, Extremadura	French victory
15 January 1811	Pla (Battle of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	Spanish victory
26 January 1811  – 11 March 1811	Badajoz (First siege of)	Badajoz, Extremadura	French victory	The Spanish fortress fell to the French forces under Marshal Soult.
19 February 1811	Gebora (Battle of)	Badajoz, Extremadura	French victory
5 March 1811	Barrosa (Battle of)	Cadiz-Territory (Andausia)	Anglo-Spain victory
11 March 1811	Pombal (Battle of)	Leiria (Portugal)	French victory
12 March 1811	Redinha (Battle of)	Coimbra (Portugal)	French victory
14 March 1811	Casal Novo (Battle of)	French victory	Coimbra (Portugal)
15 March 1811  – 21 March 1811	Campo Maior Castle (Siege of)	Alentejo (Portugal)	French victory	800 Portuguese militia and 50 old cannon held out against 4,500 troops belonging to the V Corps under Marshal Mortier.
25 March 1811	Campo Maior (Battle of)	Alentejo (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese victory
3 April 1811	Sabugal (Battle of)	Guarda (Portugal)	Anglo-Portuguese Victory
14 April – 10 May 1811	Almeida (Second siege of)	Guarda, (Portugal)	Anglo-Allied victory	Also known as the Blockade of Almeida, since the Anglo-Portuguese Army had no heavy guns to breach the walls, they were forced to starve the garrison out. Because of this, it was technically a blockade rather than a siege. French troops abandoned the fort under cover of darkness and escaped. See Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.
22 April – 12 May/ 18 May – 10 June 1811	Badajoz (Second siege of)	Badajoz, Extremadura	French victory	The siege was briefly lifted while the Battle of Albuera was fought on 16 May.
3–6 May 1811	Fuentes de Oñoro (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	Tactically indecisive[23][24][25] Anglo - Portuguese victory strategic[26]	Spanish village on the border with Portugal. French failure to relieve Almeida. See Blockade of Almeida.
5 May 1811 – 29 June 1811	Tarragona (First siege of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	French victory
16 May 1811	Albuera (Battle of)	Badajoz, Extremadura	Allied victory	Allied forces engaged the French Armée du Midi (Army of the South) some 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Badajoz.
25 May 1811	Arlabán (Battle of)	Mountain pass between Gipuzkoa and Álava	Spanish victory	Guerrilla ambush led by Francisco Espoz y Mina. Also referred to as the First Surprise of Arlabán to distinguish it from the Second Surprise of Arlabán (April 1812).
25 May 1811	Usagre (Battle of)	Badajoz, Extremadura	Allied victory
29 July 1811	Montserrat (Battle of)	Barcelona, Catalonia	French victory
9 August 1811	Zujar (Battle of)	Granada, Andalusia	French victory
25 September 1811	El Bodón (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	French victory
4 to 14 October 1811	Cervera (Battle of)	Lleida, Catalonia	Spanish victory
25 October 1811	Saguntum (Battle of)	Valencia, Valencia	French victory
28 October 1811	Arroyo dos Molinos (Battle of)	Cáceres, Extremadura	Allied victory
3 November 1811  – 9 January 1812	Valencia (Siege of)	Valencia, Valencia	French victory
5 November 1811	Bornos (First battle of)	Cádiz, Andalusia	Spanish victory
7 January 1812  – 20 January 1812	Ciudad Rodrigo (Second siege of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	Allied victory
24 January 1812	Altafulla (Battle of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	French victory
9 April 1812	Arlabán (Battle of)	Mountain pass between Gipuzkoa and Álava	Spanish victory	Also referred to as the Second Surprise of Arlabán to distinguish it from the First Surprise of Arlabán (May 1811).
31 May 1812	Bornos (Second battle of)	Cádiz, Andalusia	French victory
29 June – 19 August 1812	Astorga, Second siege of	León, Castile-León	Spanish victory	Spanish troops liberate Astorga, in French hands since the first Siege of Astorga in 1810.
21 July 1812	Castalla (First battle of)	Alicante, Valencia	French victory
22 July 1812	Salamanca (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	Decisive Allied victory	Also known as the Battle of Arapiles, for the name of the nearby village, Arapiles, which in turn takes its name from the two low, flat-topped hills, Arapil Chico (Lesser Arapile) and Arapil Grande (Greater Arapile), over and around which part of the battle took place.
23 July 1812	Garcia Hernandez (Battle of)	Salamanca, Castile and León	Anglo-German victory
12 August 1812	Liberation of Madrid	Madrid	Anglo-Allied victory
19 September to 21 October 1812	Burgos (Siege of)	Burgos, Castile and León	French victory
23 October 1812	Venta del Pozo (Battle of)	Palencia, Castile and León	Indecisive; French tactical victory[27]	Also known as the Battle of Villodrigo.
25–29 October 1812	Tordesillas (Battle of)	Valladolid, Castile and León	French victory	Also known as the Battle of Villamuriel or Battle of Palencia.
13 April 1813	Castalla (Second battle of)	Alicante, Valencia	Anglo-Spanish victory
3–11 June 1813	Tarragona (Second siege of)	Tarragona, Catalonia	French victory
18 June 1813	San Millan-Osma (Battle of)	San Millan, Burgos, Castile and León / Osma, Álava, Basque Country	Anglo-Allied victory	Mountain pass northwest of Miranda del Ebro, just off the Burgos–Bilbao road.
21 June 1813	Vitoria (Battle of)	Álava, Basque Country	Allied victory (decisive)	Led to the abdication of Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, 11 December 1813. Beethoven's Op. 91, "Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria", completed in the first week of October 1813, commemorates the victory. Originally composed for the panharmonicon, it was first performed with Beethoven himself conducting, together with the premiere of his Symphony No. 7.[28]
7 – 25 July 1813	San Sebastián (First siege of)	Province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country	French victory	Although referred to as one siege, there were in fact two separate sieges. See Second siege of San Sebastián below.
25 July 1813	Pyrenees (Battle of the)		Allied victory	The Battle of the Pyrenees was large-scale offensive, involving several battles, launched by Marshal Soult to relieve the French garrisons under siege at Pamplona and San Sebastián.
25 July 1813	Roncesvalles (Battle of)	Roncevaux Pass, Spain	French victory	Mountain pass at 1,057 m (3,468 ft) on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees near the border with France. A battle included in the Battle of the Pyrenees.
25 July 1813	Maya (Battle of)	Navarre	French victory	Mountain pass on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees near the border with France.
28 July – 1 August 1813	Sorauren (Battle of)	Navarre	Allied victory	A battle included in the Battle of the Pyrenees.
8 August - 8 September 1813	San Sebastián (Second siege of)	Province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country	Anglo-Portuguese victory	Although referred to as one siege, there were in fact two separate sieges. See First siege of San Sebastián above.
7 October 1813	Bidassoa (Battle of the)		Allied victory (tactical)	Also known as the Battle of Larrun.
10 November 1813	Nivelle (Battle of)	Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France	Allied victory
11 December 1813	Abdication of Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain.
9 – 13 December 1813	Nive (Battle of the)	Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France	Allied victory
15 February 1814	Garris (Battle of)	Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France	Allied victory
27 February 1814	Orthez (Battle of)	Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France	Anglo-Portuguese victory

See also

• Peninsular War
• List of French general officers (Peninsular War)
• List of Spanish general officers (Peninsular War)
• List of Portuguese general officers (Peninsular War)

References

1. Chandler, David. The Art of Warfare on Land. p. 164.
2. Hindley, Meredith (2010) "The Spanish Ulcer: Napoleon, Britain, and the Siege of Cádiz" in Humanities, January/February 2010, Volume 31, Number 1. National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
3. Esdaile, Charles (2003). The Peninsular War: A New History. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-4039-6231-7. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
4. Alison, Archibald (2011) History of Europe During the French Revolution, p.563. Cambridge University Press. At Google Books. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
5. Fremont-Barnes, Gregory and Todd Fisher (2004) The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, pp. 15–16. Osprey Publishing At Google Books. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
6. Scott, Walter (Sir) (1839) The Life of Napoleon, p. 386. E. L. Carey and A. Hart At Google Books. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
7. Lastra Rodríguez, Alicia (1975) (Spanish) "Buscando a mi general: el periplo asturiano de Andrew Leith Hay en 1808" in Archivum, pp. 219–247. Universidad de Oviedo At Google Books. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
8. Esdaile, Charles (2003) The Peninsular War: A New History, p. 83. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6231-7. At Google Books. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
9. (Portuguese) Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
10. Fremont-Barnes, Gregory and Todd Fisher (2004) p. 205.
11. Chitty, Joseph (1824) A Treatise on the Laws of Commerce and Manufactures, and the Contracts Relating Thereto: With an Appendix of Treaties, Statutes, and Precedents, Volume 4, p. 84. A. Strahan At Google Books. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
12. Haythornthwaite, p. 87.
13. Sandler, Stanley, Ground warfare: An International Encyclopedia, Vol.1, (ABC-CLIO, 2002), 214; "Costly British victory in the Peninsular War.... Corunna was a British victory only in the sense that Moore was able to prevent Soult form annihilating his men...".
14. Chandler, p. 657.
15. Fremont-Barnes, "Canning strenuously maintained... in the great British tradition of characterizing defeat as victory ...". p.80.
16. Esdaile, p. 155.
17. According to The Times, "The fact must not be disguised ... that we have suffered a shameful disaster": Hibbert, p. 188. Carl Cavanaugh Hodge, Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914 (Greenwood, 2007), p. lxxiii: "French Victory at the Battle of Corunna. Britain Forced to Evacuate Spain."
18. Rickard, J. (2008) "Combat of Astorga, 9 October 1809" Retrieved 25 August 2013.
19. Rickard, J (2008) "Combat of Ocaña, 11 November 1809" Retrieved 31 August 2013.
20. Napier, William (1842) History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France: From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814, Volume 2, p. 138. Carey and Hart. At Google Books. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
21. Suchet, Louis-Gabriel (1829) (Spanish) Memorias del mariscal Suchet: duque de Albufera, sobre sus campańas en España, desde el año 1808 hasta el de 1814, Volume 1, p. 259. Bossange père At Google Books. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
22. Burnham, Robert "The Napoleon Series: Action on the River Coa" Retrieved 24 August 2013.
23. Both armies retained their positions. Brialmont p.381
24. Maxwell p.227
25. Currie p.126
26. Weller p.166
27. Gates, David. The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War, p. 473. Da Capo Press 2001. ISBN 0-306-81083-2
28. Rodman, Michael. "Wellington's Victory, for orchestra, Op. 91" Allmusic. Retrieved 6 September 2013.