Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 3 Nov 1811 – 9 Jan 1812 (approx. 67 days)
- French force size
- 20,000–30,000 troops
- Spanish defenders
- 16,000 soldiers surrendered
- Spanish escapees
- ~7,000 escaped the siege
Strategic Narrative Overview
Marshal Suchet began formal siege operations on 3 November 1811, surrounding Valencia with a force of 20,000 to 30,000 troops. The French progressively tightened the encirclement, cutting off Blake's garrison of roughly 16,000 Spanish soldiers. Attempts to resist or break out proved unsuccessful, and roughly 7,000 Spanish troops managed to escape the trap before the city's position became untenable.
01 / The Origins
During the Peninsular War, French forces under Marshal Suchet had steadily consolidated control over eastern Spain, including Aragon and Catalonia. Securing Valencia, a strategically important port city on Spain's eastern coast, was the next step in extending French dominance over the region. Captain General Joaquín Blake y Joyes commanded the Spanish garrison defending the city against Suchet's Army of Aragon in late 1811.
03 / The Outcome
On 9 January 1812, the Spanish garrison under Blake surrendered, with 16,000 soldiers taken prisoner. Suchet rapidly converted Valencia into a major French base of operations on the Iberian Peninsula's eastern coast. The fall of the city represented a significant French success in the region, though the broader Peninsular War continued to grind on against Wellington's forces elsewhere in Spain.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain General Joaquín Blake y Joyes.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.