Battle of Évora (1808) 1808
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 29 July 1808 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1808 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Portugal | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Invasion of Portugal, Peninsular War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | First French Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Kingdom of Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 38.5714, -7.9086 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Évora (29 July 1808) saw an Imperial French division under Louis Henri Loison attack a combined Portuguese-Spanish force led by Francisco de Paula Leite de Sousa. Encountering Leite's smaller body of soldiers outside Évora, the French easily brushed them aside and went on to storm the city, which was held by poorly armed townsmen and militia. The French butchered the Portuguese defenders and brutally sacked the town. Loison was known among the Portuguese as the Maneta (One-Hand), because of his amputated arm. From savage acts such as those committed at Évora, the saying ir para o Maneta (going to the One-Hand) appeared. The clash occurred during the Peninsular War, phase of the Napoleonic Wars. Évora is located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of Lisbon.
In November 1807, a French army led by Jean-Andoche Junot mounted a successful Invasion of Portugal supported by allied Spanish troops. For several months, the French were able to maintain themselves. However, the Spanish Dos de Mayo Uprising against the French in May 1808 was quickly followed by a Portuguese revolt. Abandoning the north and south regions of the country, the French concentrated their forces to hold central Portugal. Junot sent Loison east to relieve the garrison of Elvas Fortress.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Évora (1808) (revision 1376009673), 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
- Battle of Ameixial 1663 · 38 km
- Battle of Montes Claros 1665 · 44 km
- Battle of Atoleiros 1384 · 56 km
- Capture of Juromenha 1170 · 61 km
- Siege of Olivença 1811 · 71 km
- Battle of the Lines of Elvas 1659 · 73 km
Other battles of the Peninsular War
- Battle of Alcolea Bridge 1808
- Battle of Bailén 1808
- Battle of Benavente 1808
- Battle of Cabezón 1808
- Battle of Cardedeu 1808
- Battle of Espinosa de los Monteros 1808
- Battle of Gamonal 1808
- Battle of Medina de Rioseco 1808
- Battle of Molins de Rei 1808
- Battle of Roliça 1808
All 124 battles of the Peninsular War →
Browse more: battles in Portugal · Europe · 19th century battles