Siege of Cádiz
1810–1812 siege during the Peninsular War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The siege of Cádiz was a siege of the large Spanish naval base of Cádiz[5] by a French army from 5 February 1810 to 24 August 1812[6] during the Peninsular War. Following the occupation of Seville, Cádiz became the Spanish seat of power,[7] 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.[8] 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.
Siege of Cádiz | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
Map of Cádiz in 1813 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Spain United Kingdom Portugal | France | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Manuel la Peña José de Zayas Duke of Alburquerque Thomas Graham |
Claude Victor Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult Baron Sénarmont † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
896 dead 3,706 wounded[2] |
4,500–5,500 dead or wounded[3] 30 ships destroyed[4] |
During the siege, which lasted two and a half years, the Cortes of Cádiz – which served as a parliamentary Regency after Ferdinand VII was deposed – drew up a new constitution to reduce the strength of the monarchy, which was eventually revoked by Fernando VII when he returned.[9]
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 Coalition armies.[10] 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 Coalition forces.[1]