Battle of Molins de Rei 1808
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 21 December 1808 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1808 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Spain | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Peninsular War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | First French Empire, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Naples, Kingdom of Spain, Switzerland in the Napoleonic era | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.4139, 2.0158 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Molins de Rei or Battle of Molins de Rey or Battle of Molins del Rey (21 December 1808) saw an Imperial French corps led by Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr attack a Spanish army temporarily led by Theodor von Reding and the Conde de Caldagues because its commander Juan Miguel de Vives y Feliu was absent. Saint-Cyr outmaneuvered his opponents, distracting them with a false attack in front while sending the bulk of his force across Llobregat River in a turning movement around the Spanish right flank. The Spanish defensive lines crumbled and the French captured 1,200 soldiers, all the Spanish artillery and Caldagues himself. The Peninsular War engagement was fought near Molins de Rei, located 15 kilometres (9 mi) west of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The Dos de Mayo Uprising caught the Imperial French occupation forces in Spain off guard. By the end of August 1808, the Franco-Italian garrison of Barcelona found itself isolated and in danger of capture. Emperor Napoleon soon assembled a substantial army, entrusted it to Saint-Cyr, and directed his general to relieve Barcelona. After a risky campaign, Saint-Cyr defeated a Spanish force at Cardadeu and reached Barcelona.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Molins de Rei (revision 1370450187), 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 Martorell (1114) 1114 · 10 km
- Battle of Martorell (1641) 1641 · 10 km
- Blockade of Barcelona 1808 · 12 km
- Siege of Barcelona (801) 800 · 13 km
- Battle of Barcelona (512) 512 · 13 km
- Sack of Barcelona (985) 985 · 13 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 Roliça 1808
- Battle of Sahagún 1808
All 124 battles of the Peninsular War →
Browse more: battles in Spain · Europe · 19th century battles