Key Facts
- Duration
- 7 November – 5 December 1808 (28 days)
- French & Italian force
- Over 13,000 infantry, artillery and cavalry
- Defending garrison
- ~3,500 Catalan and Spanish defenders
- British naval support
- HMS Imperieuse (38-gun frigate) and other warships
- Location
- 43 km northeast of Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Strategic Narrative Overview
French and Italian siege forces of over 13,000 men invested Roses from 7 November 1808, capturing the town and harbour before tightening lines around Trinity Castle and the citadel. British warships under Captain Robert Hallowell bombarded French positions, and Thomas Cochrane's crew of HMS Imperieuse reinforced the castle's Catalan defenders. Despite determined resistance, the Franco-Italian siege lines steadily advanced, and the garrison could not hold the citadel indefinitely.
01 / The Origins
In summer and autumn 1808, during the Peninsular War, a French corps under Duhesme found itself isolated in Barcelona by a 24,000-strong Spanish army. Gouvion Saint-Cyr marched south from the French border with 23,000 men to relieve Duhesme. The fortified haven of Roses, defended by a large citadel and a headland castle, stood as the first major obstacle blocking the Franco-Italian relief column's advance along the Catalan coast.
03 / The Outcome
The garrison surrendered on 5 December 1808. Soldiers and civilians inside the citadel were taken captive to Figueres, while local castle defenders were evacuated by the British to join Vivès's Spanish forces in the southern marshes. With Roses secured, Gouvion Saint-Cyr pressed on toward Girona, executing a bold maneuver that led directly to the Battle of Cardedeu on 16 December 1808.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr.
Side B
2 belligerents
Peter O'Daly, Thomas Cochrane, Robert Hallowell.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.