Siege of Cádiz

Part of the Peninsular War

Map of Cádiz in 1813.

Date

5 February 1810 – 24 August 1812

Location

Cádiz, Spain

Result

Allied victory

Proclamation of Spanish Constitution of 1812

Belligerents

Spain

United Kingdom

Portugal

French Empire

Commanders and leaders

Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult

Baron de Sénarmont †

Strength

17,000–18,000 Spanish
3,000–4,000 British
1,700 Portuguese
16 warships

60,000–70,000
30–35 warships

Casualties and losses

896 dead
3,706 wounded

4,500–5,500 dead or wounded
30 ships destroyed

Allied victory

The Siege of Cádiz was a siege of the large Spanish naval base of Cádiz by a French army from 5 February 1810 to 24 August 1812 during the Peninsular War. Following the occupation of Seville, Cádiz became the Spanish seat of power, and was targeted by 70,000 French troops under the command of the Marshals Claude Victor and Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult for one of the most important sieges of the war. Defending the city were 2,000 Spanish troops who, as the siege progressed, received aid from 10,000 Spanish reinforcements as well as British and Portuguese troops.

During the siege, which lasted two and a half years, the Cortes Generales government in Cadiz (the Cádiz Cortes) drew up a new constitution to reduce the strength of the monarchy, which was eventually revoked by Fernando VII.

In October 1810 a mixed Anglo-Spanish relief force embarked on a disastrous landing at Fuengirola. A second relief attempt was made at Tarifa in 1811. However, despite defeating a detached French force of 15,000–20,000 under Marshal Victor at the Battle of Barrosa, the siege was not lifted.

In 1812 the Battle of Salamanca eventually forced the French troops to retreat from Andalusia, for fear of being cut off by the allied armies. The French defeat contributed decisively to the liberation of Spain from French occupation, due to the survival of the Spanish government and the use of Cádiz as a jump-off point for the Allied forces.

In the early 19th century, war was brewing between French emperor Napoleon and the Russian Tsar Alexander I, and Napoleon saw the shared interests of Britain and Russia in defeating him as a threat. Napoleon's advisor, the Duke of Cadore, recommended that the ports of Europe be closed to the British, stating that "Once in Cadiz, Sire, you will be in a position either to break or strengthen the bonds with Russia".

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Wikipedia