Key Facts
- Duration
- 13 days (7–20 January 1812)
- Anglo-Portuguese force
- Up to 40,000 men
- French garrison
- 1,800 troops
- Allied casualties
- ~1,700, including two generals killed
- Storming date
- Evening of 19 January 1812
Strategic Narrative Overview
Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army of up to 40,000 men invested the city on 7 January 1812. Royal Artillery batteries blasted two breaches in the city walls over nearly two weeks of siege operations. On the evening of 19 January, British assault columns stormed both breaches simultaneously, overwhelming the 1,800-strong French garrison under General Jean Léonard Barrié. Following the successful storm, attacking troops broke discipline and went on a rampage through the city for several hours before officers restored order.
01 / The Origins
During the Peninsular War, Ciudad Rodrigo was a fortified border city under French occupation that controlled the northern route between Portugal and Spain. Wellington identified its capture as essential to enabling an offensive into the Iberian interior. With French forces dispersed across Spain, January 1812 offered a window to besiege the city before a relief force could be assembled, making rapid reduction of the garrison a strategic necessity.
03 / The Outcome
The French garrison was defeated and Ciudad Rodrigo fell by 20 January 1812. Allied losses totalled approximately 1,700 casualties, including two generals killed. The victory secured the northern gateway into French-occupied Spain and allowed Wellington to turn his attention southward to the siege of Badajoz, accelerating the broader Allied offensive campaign in the Peninsula.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lord Wellington.
Side B
1 belligerent
Jean Léonard Barrié.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.