Key Facts
- Date of fall
- 25 August 1762
- Siege duration
- 9 days
- British reinforcements
- 8,000 troops halted further Spanish advance
- Returned to Portugal
- Via Treaty of Paris (1763)
Strategic Narrative Overview
The southern Spanish column, in which Fernando Vélaz de Medrano y Bracamonte, 4th Marquess of Tabuérniga, played a leading role, blockaded and besieged Almeida, capturing it after nine days on 25 August 1762. A deeper Spanish advance was then checked by the arrival of 8,000 British troops and a disruption of Spanish supply lines at the Battle of Valencia de Alcántara, stalling the offensive.
01 / The Origins
During the Seven Years' War, France and Spain launched a coordinated offensive to overrun Portugal, Britain's longstanding ally. A northern Spanish force crossed from Galicia threatening Porto, while a southern force advanced from Ciudad Rodrigo toward the fortified city of Almeida. The campaign aimed to pressure Britain by striking at Portugal and was commanded overall by the Count of Aranda.
03 / The Outcome
Almeida remained the only major fortress in Spanish hands at the war's close. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Spain returned Almeida to Portugal in exchange for Britain restoring Havana and Manila to Spain. The brief occupation had no lasting territorial effect, but the episode illustrated the interconnected global and Iberian dimensions of the Seven Years' War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Count of Aranda, Fernando Vélaz de Medrano y Bracamonte, 4th Marquess of Tabuérniga.
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.