The Battle of Ciudad Real was fought on 27 March 1809 and resulted in a
French victory under
General Sebastiani against the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
under General
Conde de Cartojal.
Background
The
Spanish campaign in early 1809 started with the
Battle of Uclés.
Battle
French 4th Corps (with attached Polish division under general Valance) had to cross the bridge over the
Guadiana
The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...
River which was defended by the Spanish corps of Count Urbina Cartaojal. Polish
lancers of the
Legion of the Vistula under colonel
Jan Konopka
Jan Konopka (1777 in Skołodycze near Słonim – 12 December 1814 in Warsaw) was a lieutenant in the Kościuszko Uprising, captain of the Polish Legions in Italy, regiment commander in the Legion of the Vistula, as well as general of the Fre ...
charged through the bridge taking it by surprise, then outflanked Spanish infantry and attacked it from behind as the main French and Polish forces crossed the bridge, and attacked the Spanish front lines.
The battle was over when undisciplined Spanish soldiers dispersed, and began to retreat in the direction of
Santa Cruz.
Józef Rudnicki, adjutant-major of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Legion, described the battle in his diaries (spelling according to the original):
''"as soon as the French regiments of the 4th Corps met our division, we rushed immediately toward the
Consuegra and
Ciudad Real, before of which town we found the Spanish corps, waiting for us on good positions. We were outnumbered, but thanks to the rational orders of the general
Sebastiani, in some od four hours on 27 March 1809 the Spaniards were defeated and dispersed. They were retreating in chaos toward
Almagro, where the
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava ( es, Orden de Calatrava, pt, Ordem de Calatrava) was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Orde ...
has its home, and toward the
Santa Cruz de Mudela
Santa Cruz de Mudela is a municipality of the Spanish Province of Ciudad Real located in the southeastern corner of the autonomous community Castilla–La Mancha.
Geography
Santa Cruz de Mudela has a Mediterranean–Continental climate that cons ...
, and even further, into the
Sierramorena Mountains."''
Results
The Spanish corps lost some 2000 men killed or wounded and many more were taken prisoner. After the battle the count of Cartojal was deprived of command for incompetency, and replaced by general
Venegas, hero of the
Spanish War of Independence
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, ...
, and later the viceroy of
New Spain.
Aftermath
The
Spanish campaign in early 1809 proceeded with the first Madrid offensive in the
Battle of Medellín.
Notes
References
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciudad-Real 1809
Conflicts in 1809
Battles of the Napoleonic Wars
Battles in Castilla–La Mancha
Battles involving Spain
1809 in Spain
1809 in France
March 1809 events
History of the province of Ciudad Real