Siege of Mequinenza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Mequinenza
Part of Peninsular War
Mequinenza lies on the Segre, overlooked by a castle on a mountain spur. The Ebro flows from the west, unseen in the photo, down the valley behind the spur.
Date 15 May to 8 June 1810 Location Mequinenza, Aragon, Spain 41°22′0″N 0°18′0″E / 41.36667°N 0.30000°E / 41.36667; 0.30000 Result French victory
Belligerents
First French Empire	Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
Louis Gabriel Suchet	Colonel Carbon
Units involved
III Corps	Army of Aragon
Strength
6,000	1,800
Casualties and losses
100	1,800

The Siege of Mequinenza was an important battle that happened between May 15 and June 8, 1810. It was part of the Peninsular War, which itself was a big part of the Napoleonic Wars. During this siege, a large French army of 6,000 soldiers attacked a smaller Spanish group of 1,800 soldiers. The French army was led by General Louis Gabriel Suchet, and the Spanish defenders were led by Colonel Carbon.

The battle took place in Mequinenza, a town in Aragon, Spain. Mequinenza is located where two rivers, the Ebro and Segre Rivers, meet. It's about 211 kilometers (131 miles) west of Barcelona. After about three weeks of fighting, the French army won and took control of Mequinenza and its castle.

The Battle for Mequinenza Castle

Mequinenza had an old town wall that was not very strong. However, its castle was built on a mountain high above the town. This made the castle a very difficult place to attack.

General Suchet's military engineers had to work for two weeks to build a special zig-zag road up the mountain. Once the road was ready, the French soldiers pulled their heavy cannons to the top. From there, they started firing at the castle.

The town of Mequinenza was successfully attacked and taken by the French on June 5. After eight days of constant bombing, the castle was badly damaged. Colonel Carbon, the Spanish commander, had no choice but to surrender. Because Mequinenza was at the start of the Ebro River where boats could travel, General Suchet later used the town as a place to get supplies for his next big attack. This was during the siege of Tortosa in the winter of 1810 and 1811.

Why Mequinenza Was Important

Before the Siege of Mequinenza, there was another long and tough battle called the second siege of Zaragoza. The Spanish soldiers fought bravely for many months, but the city finally fell on February 20, 1809. Many Spanish defenders were taken prisoner.

After this, the French armies quickly took over much of the Ebro River valley. The strong fortress of Jaca surrendered easily to the French on March 21, 1809. The towns of Monzón and Fraga were also soon taken. However, the castle of Mequinenza refused to surrender when the French first asked.

A French general named Marshal Édouard Mortier even came to the castle with his soldiers, but the Spanish commander still would not give up. Marshal Mortier left, planning to come back later. But then, Emperor Napoleon ordered his troops to move to Tudela because a new war, the War of the Fifth Coalition, was about to begin. Napoleon needed Mortier's soldiers to help his army in Germany.

This left General Suchet's army with only 15,000 soldiers to control the area of Aragon. At the same time, Napoleon put General Suchet in charge instead of General Jean-Andoche Junot. This set the stage for the important Siege of Mequinenza.

See also

In Spanish: Asedio de Mequinenza para niños