A decisive Spanish Bourbon victory near Arronches that repulsed an Anglo-Portuguese invasion threat from the Portuguese frontier during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Key Facts
- Date
- 7 May 1709
- Anglo-Portuguese casualties
- 4,000–5,000 killed, wounded, or captured
- Spanish casualties
- Approximately 400 dead or wounded
- Spanish commander
- Marquis de Bay
- Allied commanders
- Earl of Galway and Marquis of Fronteira
- River crossed
- River Caya (Caia)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the War of the Spanish Succession, an Anglo-Portuguese army advanced from Elvas, crossing the River Caya into Spanish territory, aiming to press an allied invasion through the Portuguese frontier into Extremadura against the Bourbon-held Spanish crown.
On 7 May 1709, on the plain of La Gudiña near Arronches, the advancing Anglo-Portuguese force met the Spanish Bourbon army of Extremadura under the Marquis de Bay. The Portuguese cavalry routed with little resistance, exposing two English infantry battalions that were surrounded and forced to surrender. The Earl of Galway narrowly avoided capture after his horse was shot from under him.
The remaining Anglo-Portuguese forces conducted an orderly retreat to Elvas and remained on the defensive for the rest of the campaign. The battle inflicted 4,000–5,000 allied casualties against only around 400 Spanish, effectively ending the allied threat of invasion from the Portuguese frontier for the season.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Marquis de Bay.
Side B
1 belligerent
Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway, Marquis of Fronteira.