Battle of Bayonne 1814
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 April 1814 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1814 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Campaign in south-west France | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | First French Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Kingdom of Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 43.3333, -1.4667 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Bayonne (14 April 1814), the last major battle of the Peninsular War, ensued when the French garrison of Bayonne led by General of Division Pierre Thouvenot launched a sortie against a besieging force of British, Portuguese, and Spanish troops commanded by Lieutenant General John Hope. It was fought after unofficial news of the abdication of French emperor Napoleon on 4 April had reached the opposing forces. Thouvenot's reasons for initiating the sortie are not clear; there was apparently nothing for the French to gain by fighting. After initial success for the French, Allied forces drove them back inside Bayonne with heavy losses on both sides.
The Allies had initiated the Siege of Bayonne by mounting a complex land-sea operation that bridged the Adour estuary downstream from Bayonne. Allied positions already faced the south side of Bayonne, so crossing the Adour allowed Hope's troops to also close off the north side of Bayonne, completely investing the city. Once Bayonne was surrounded, the siege was pursued lethargically on both sides until the sortie.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Bayonne (revision 1370107521), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Bayonne (1130–1131) 1130 · 0 km
- Battle of Nivelle 1813 · 6 km
- Battle of Maya 1813 · 14 km
- Battle of Sans Culottes Camp 1794 · 19 km
- Battle of the Bidassoa 1813 · 19 km
- Battle of the Baztan Valley 1794 · 21 km
Other battles of the Campaign in south-west France
- Battle of the Bidassoa 1813
- Battle of Garris 1814
- Battle of Orthez 1814
- Battle of Toulouse (1814) 1814
All 5 battles of the Campaign in south-west France →
Browse more: battles in France · Europe · 19th century battles