In the Battle of Cervera (4 to 14 October 1811) a

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 ...

force led by Luis Roberto de Lacy attacked a series of Imperial French garrisons belonging to the

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VI ...

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Jacques MacDonald Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are ove ...

. The actions were highly successful and netted nearly 1,000 enemy prisoners. The clashes occurred during the

Peninsular War 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, ...

, part of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The largest garrison was located at

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor, ...

which is located about east of

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

, in Catalonia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Background

After the Army of Catalonia was nearly destroyed in the sieges of Tarragona and

Figueres Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...

during July and August 1811, Lacy replaced Luis González Torres de Navarra, Marquess of Campoverde as

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

. Marshal

Louis Gabriel Suchet Louis-Gabriel Suchet (2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), Duke of Albufera (french: Duc d'Albuféra), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded ...

struck another blow against the Catalans when his troops seized the

miquelet Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in the Spanish ...

base in the Battle of Montserrat on 25 July 1811. The unpopular but vigorous Lacy quickly reorganized the 8,000-man remnant of his army into three small divisions under Generals Baron de Eroles, Pedro Sarsfield, and Francisco Milans del Bosch. With the Royal Navy's assistance, Lacy seized the

Medes Islands The Illes Medes ( es, Islas Medas) is a small and craggy group of seven islets in the Costa Brava area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the Medes Archipelago belongs to the Baix Empordà comarca, Catalonia, Spain. The isl ...

at the mouth of the

Ter River The Ter is a river in Catalonia, Spain, that rises at an approximate elevation of near the Ulldeter refuge at the foot of a glacial cirque delimited by the nearby peaks of el Bastiments, el Gra de Fajol, or el Pic de la Dona. It runs throug ...

on 12 September.

Battle

On 4 October 1811, Lacy's forces captured 200 Imperial troops at

Igualada Igualada () is a municipality in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway. Igualada is the capital and central market of the ...

on the highway between Barcelona and

. Continuing west, the Spanish column seized a French convoy near Cervera on the 7th. Lacy overwhelmed the garrison of Cervera on 11 October, bagging another 645 prisoners. Finally, on the 14th the Spaniards took 150 more captives at

Bellpuig Bellpuig () is a town in the ''comarca'' (county) of l'Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. Nowadays Bellpuig is the third most important town in the area of Urgell. The town, located between the three little hills appearing in the flag, is served by Be ...

. After these defeats, the French evacuated the monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat on Montserrat Mountain.

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cervera 1811, Battle of Battles of the Peninsular War Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Battles involving Spain Battles involving France Battles in Catalonia Conflicts in 1811 October 1811 events

Background

Battle

Notes

References

Further reading

External links