Third siege of Girona (Peninsular War) 1809
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 6 May 1809 – 11 December 1809 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1809 | Wikidata P580 (start 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 Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.9844, 2.8211 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The third siege of Girona occurred in northern Catalonia, Spain from 6 May to 12 December 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars. A significant event of the Peninsular War, France's Grande Armée lay siege to the town of Girona for seven months. Girona was strategically important because it controlled the main road between France and Spain.
Some 32,000 French and Westphalian troops besieged the town. General Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr was in command of the French during much of the siege. Marshal Pierre Augereau took command after 12 October. The Girona defense was under General Mariano Álvarez de Castro, with about 9,000 regular troops and militiamen. Girona held out until disease and famine compelled it to capitulate.
Though badly outnumbered, the Spanish defenders forced a lengthy siege, and a large French army was pinned down for an entire campaigning season. The battle became legendary over the course of Spain's War of Independence, and Álvarez became a national hero.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Third siege of Girona (Peninsular War) (revision 1370750650), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Girona (1710–1711) 1710 · 0 km
- First Siege of Girona (Peninsular War) 1808 · 0 km
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Other battles of the Peninsular War
- First Siege of Girona (Peninsular War) 1808
- Second Siege of Girona (Peninsular War) 1808
- Siege of Roses (1808) 1808
- Siege of Zaragoza (1808) 1808
- Siege of Zaragoza (1809) 1808
- Battle of Alba de Tormes 1809
- Battle of Alcañiz 1809
- Battle of Alcántara (1809) 1809
- Battle of Almonacid 1809
- Battle of Arzobispo 1809
All 124 battles of the Peninsular War →
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