Siege of Zaragoza (1809)

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Second siege of Zaragoza
Part of the Peninsular War
Assaut du monastère de Santa Engracia by Louis-François, Baron Lejeune. Depicts the fighting of February 8, 1809. Oil on canvas.
Date 19 December 1808 – 20 February 1809[1] Location Zaragoza, Spain 41°39′00″N 0°53′00″W / 41.6500°N 0.8833°W / 41.6500; -0.8833 Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
France Duchy of Warsaw Switzerland	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Jeannot de Moncey Édouard Mortier Jean Lannes Louis-Gabriel Suchet	José de Palafox
Strength
50,000 regulars[1]	30,000 regulars and militia[1] 1,400 cavalry 160 guns 20,000 Spanish civilians[2]
Casualties and losses
6,000 dead or wounded in combat[1] 6,000 died of disease[1]	30,000 military[1] 34,000 civilians dead[1][3]

Peninsular war: Napoleon's invasion

200km
125miles

Corunna

14

13

12

11

10

9

Zaragoza

8

7

Somosierra

6

Tudela

5

4

3

Roses

2

Zornoza

1

  

  current battle

The siege of Zaragoza was the French capture of the Spanish city of Zaragoza (also known as Saragossa) in 1809 during the Peninsular War. It was particularly noted for its brutality.^[4] The city was heavily outnumbered against the French. However, the desperate resistance put up by the Army of Reserve and its civilian allies had been heroic: a great part of the city lay in ruins, the garrison had suffered 24,000 deaths being augmented by 30,000 civilians dead.^[5]