Battle of Villafranca
Part of the Peninsular War
Date March 17, 1809 Location near Villafranca, Spain Result Spanish victory
Combatants
French Empire	Spain
Commanders
Unknown	José de Mendizábal
Strength
1,000 regulars	1,500 militia
Casualties
1,000 dead, wounded, or captured	Unknown

The Battle of Villafranca took place on March 17, 1809, during the French occupation of León in the Peninsular War. After a bloody four-hour siege the small and isolated French garrison at Villafranca surrendered to Spanish militia under Brigadier Mendizábal. For the 1862 American Civil War campaign, see Peninsula Campaign. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I  - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif Historical era Napoleonic... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For the 1862 American Civil War campaign, see Peninsula Campaign. ... The Battle of Grijo (May 10 – May 11, 1809) was a victory for the Anglo-Portuguese army commanded by Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future 1st Duke of Wellington) over the French army commanded by Marshal Soult in the Peninsular War In The History of the Rifle Brigade, Willoughby Verner describes... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants First French Empire United Kingdom Commanders Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult General Lord Wellesley In the (Second) Battle of Oporto (or the Battle of the Douro) Wellesley took the town of Porto and the French lost heavily. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Belligerent military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory belonging to a state passes to a hostile army. ... León province León (Llión in Asturian-leonese language) is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. ... For the 1862 American Civil War campaign, see Peninsula Campaign. ... Brigadier (IPA pronunciation: ) is a military rank, the meaning of which has a considerable variation. ...

Background

In 1809 Spanish military operations in northern Spain were marked by sporadic efforts to expel Marshal Ney's French VI Corps from the provinces it had overrun following the collapse of the Spanish armies the previous year. Fragments of the armies torn-apart by the French, operating in conjunction with some 30,000 guerillas and militia, prowled the coasts of Galicia and Asturias, raiding and skirmishing Ney's 17,000 troops. Garrisoning the hostile region ate up most of Ney's resources, and in March 1809, the French evacuated Vigo and Tuy and withdrew from guerrilla-infested southern Galicia.^[1] Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... Location Location of Vigo Coordinates : Time Zone : General information Native name Vigo (Galician) Spanish name Vigo Nickname La Ciudad Olvica (The Olive City) Postal code 36xxx Website http://www. ... Tuy is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. ...

One remaining Spanish formation, General La Romana's division of regular infantry, established itself in Asturias and harassed the French in León and Galicia, capturing Imperial troops and supplies with impunity. In March, elements of the unit, armed with a French 12-pound gun and munitions recovered from an abandoned post at Ponferrada, struck French communications with Madrid by attacking the French post at Villafranca. Lieutenant-General Caro y Sureda, Marquis de La Romana. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian has special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Location Location of Ponferrada in Europe Coordinates : 42º3240 N, 2º5410 W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Ponferrada (Spanish) Spanish name Ponferrada Founded 11th century Postal code 244xx Area code 34 (Spain) + 987 (León) Website http://www. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ...

The battle

The vanguard of the attack was formed of some 1,500 men of the Zaragoza and Zamora regiments under Mendizábal. On March 17 they entered the plaza at Villafranca and closed in on the French entrenched in the castle. A costly battle broke out that claimed the lives of several Spanish officers. After four hours of fighting the French agreed to surrender. Look up vanguard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Zaragoza (Spanish) Spanish name Zaragoza Founded 24 Postal code 50001 - 50018 Website http://www. ... Zamora may refer to Ecuador Zamora, Ecuador Zamora-Chinchipe Province Mexico Zamora, Michoacán Gutiérrez Zamora, Veracruz Spain Zamora, Spain Zamora (province) United States Zamora, California Venezuela Zamora Municipality, Aragua Zamora Municipality, Miranda Bobby Zamora, English footballer Ezequiel Zamora, 19th-century Venezuelan military commander Jesús Jiménez Zamora...

Notes

References

• Gates, David. The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. Da Capo Press 2001. ISBN 0-306-81083-2

External links

• Toma de Villafranca del Bierzo

This article about a battle in Spanish history is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.