TIMELINE

William I the Conqueror (1066-87)
William II Rufus (1087-1100)
Henry I (1100-35)

1109-1114 Anglo French War
1116-1119 Anglo French War
1123-1135 Anglo French War

Louis VI the Fat, King of France 1108-37, attacked Henry I in Normandy 3 times – all unsuccessful but did resist 1124 invasion of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, who had come to the aid of Henry I.

Stephen (1135-54)
Empress Matilda (1141)
Henry II (1154-89)

Anglo French War

Richard I the Lionheart (1189-99)
John (1199-1216)

Anglo French War

Henry III (1216-72)

Anglo French War (1243 5 year Truce)

Edward I (1272-1307)

Anglo French War

1303 Treaty of Paris - war between France and England came to an end. The marriage between Edward I and the sister of King Philip IV, as well as the one between Edward's son and the French king's daughter were agreed upon.

Edward II (1307-27)
Edward III (1327-77)

SLUYS 24 June More Info
Dramatic naval victory for Edward III over French.

The French gathered a fleet of 230 ships to prepare for an invasion of England. The French chained their ships together, whilst the 190 English ships commanded by Edward III remained mobile. The English were able to destroy the majority of the French fleet - 200 French ships were lost.

Treaty of Bruges

Richard II (1377-99)
Henry IV (1399-1413)
Henry V (1413-22)

End of Hundred Years War at Castillon. Everything but Calais returned .

Anglo French War

Anglo French War
French King Henry II declared war with the intention of retaking Boulogne, which fell to him in 1550.

Lady Jane Grey (1553)
Mary I, Tudor (1553-58)

La Rochelle Expedition
The first Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers, led a disastrous expedition to relieve the Huguenots of La Rochelle; he was at Portsmouth preparing another expedition to La Rochelle when he was murdered in 1628 by John Felton, a mentally disturbed ex-naval officer.

Treaty of Utrecht
Peace was made between England and France. England retained Gibraltar. British possession of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and most of the West Indies was confirmed.

George I (1714-27)

BATTLE OF PLESSEY 23 June
In 1756 Suraj Dowlah succeeded as Nabob of Bengal and breached the long standing treaty with the East India Company – throwing Company Men into the Black Hole of Calcutta.

Clive of India recaptured Calcutta, seized Chandernagore from the French before proceeding on to Plessey. Clive had a Company force of 1000 British, 2000 Indian soldiers faced the Nabob’s army of 50,000 men supported by French artillery. The Nabob started the battle by wasting his ammunition with a pointless bombardment, leaving the British forces to overwhelm his position with only 20 -70 men lost. The battle ended French trade and influence on the Indian subcontinent.

SECOND SIEGE OF LOUISBOURG 27 July
The Siege lasted from 2 June - 27 July 1758. The Fortress of Louisbourg, Canada, protected access to the French Canadian colony. The British force comprised of 21 Ships of the Line and 14 Frigates under Admiral Boscawen and 13,200 soldiers under Major-General Jeffrey Amherst. 5 French ships in the harbour prevented a naval assault on the 7,000 strong French garrison so British forces found a small unfortified creek to land in.

The British slowly set up their guns and managed to get a lucky shot blowing up the powder store of one of the French ships and destroying 2 more by the subsequent fire. The burning ships caused great damage to the town and fortress which soon capitulated. The British deported virtually all the French inhabitants to France.

BATTLE OF MIDDEN 1 August More Info
41,000 British and Hanoverian troops commanded by Ferdinand of Brunswick defeat 52,000 Frenchmen under Marshal Contades. A misheard order led the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry to advance without support of cannon or cavalry. When Ferdinand of Brunswick realised that the advancing British column had committed itself he ordered General Lord George Sackville to support them with the cavalry. Sackville refused and was later court martialed and dismissed.

The single English column some how managed to break through ‘three lines of cavalry, and four brigades of infantry, ranked in order of battle, and tumble them to ruin' and was largely responsible for the allied victory. Midden fell the next day.

BATTLE OF THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM 13 September More Info

Canadian battle that was precursor to Quebec's fall. James Wolfe found new route the Heighs of Abraham, overwealmed the French and promptly died.

BATTLE OF THE NILE 1 August
Otherwise known as Aboukir Bay. Nelso destroys the French fleet.

Having unsuccessfully tried to catch the French fleet on its way to Egypt, Britain's Admiral Nelson finally got within cannon shot at Aboukir Bay. Nelson had 13 ships under his command, four fewer than Admiral Brueys d'Aigalliers, who felt protected by land batteries and rocks. As soon as he saw the French Nelson set to them, but first his vessels had to brave fire from the battery placed on Aboukir Island. Having got past those guns, the British then exploited poor positioning by Brueys d'Aigalliers, who had allowed too much room at the head of his line, and sailed down the unmanned shore-side of the first French ships, pummeling them with little fear of return fire. Other arriving vessels also took advantage of similar gaps in the French line and even the mighty 120-gun L'Orient was in desperate trouble. It had forced the nearly sinking Bellerophon out of the battle but, at 10pm, the French flagship exploded after being set upon by a pack of British ships. The Nile was a stunning victory for Nelson with only four enemy vessels escaping.

Note: Courage and determination have never been more impressively characterised than those of Dupetit Thouars, captain of the Tonnant, during the Battle of the Nile. Thouars had his right arm shot away, then the left and finally one of his legs was taken off by a cannonball. Refusing to give up command, he insisted on being put in a tub of bran that was on deck and led his men until he collapsed from blood loss. One of his final orders was to nail the Tricolour to the mast so it could not taken down in surrender.

CAPTURE OF MALTA 5 September

2ND BATTLE OF ABOUKIR 22 March
Landing at Aboukir with 18,000 men, Britain's Sir Ralph Abercromby tried to push through the French positions sealing the narrow isthmus that led to Alexandria. Strong defence, however, foiled the move and so the British withdrew and set up defensive works of their own. A strong body of French reinforcements arrived and so General Jacques-Francois Menou decided to throw the British off with a daring night attack. A local spy tipped off the British, but Menou's plan was sufficiently clever to render the early warning almost useless. His men began an expected attack against the weaker British left wing but this was only a feint and the true target - the strong British right protected by Roman ruins and a redoubt - soon came under massive pressure.

Fortunately, for the redcoats, the troops there were led by the brilliant General Sir John Moore, who stemmed the assault and then ordered a bayonet-led counterattack by the 42nd Highlanders that sent the French into retreat - but advanced too far and was cut down by enemy horsemen. The situation was still dangerous for the British but reinforcements arrived just in time and overwhelmed the exhausted French. Menou lost 3000 men while the British suffered 1300 casualties, including the mortally wounded Abercromby who died a week later.

TRAFALGAR 21 October
This great deciding naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars took place between 27 British ships under Admiral Nelson and 33 French and Spanish vessels under Admiral Villeneuve. Needing to clear the British from the English Channel to allow an invasion of his implaccable national enemy, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted his navy to escape the British blockade, draw it away from Europe to the West Indies and then, after joining up with the Spanish, returning to hold the narrow stretch of water long enough to allow the crossing of his army. Surprisingly, Villeneuve did manage to slip through the blockade and a rare error by Nelson gave the French more than a week's head start. By the time he reached the West Indies the combined enemy fleet had begun returning towards Europe and safe harbour in Cadiz.

Determined to bottle up and destroy his foe, Nelson and his fleet prowled waiting for an opportunity and that came faster than expected. Bonaparte, believing there was only a small blockading force outside Cadiz, ordered Villeneuve from port and into the Mediterranean. To his horror, the French admiral found himself caught between Nelson's fleet and cut off from safety by the blockading squadron. On 21 October, Nelson sighted his prey and gave the order "England expects that every man will do his duty." After outlining a radical plan of attack to his captains, Nelson ordered the British fleet to head in two lines towards the in-line French and Spanish. This would open up his vessels to enemy broadsides, but would split their formidable line, reduce the odds and then allow the better-trained British sailors to use their superior gunnery and sailing skills to destroy at close range.

The plan worked brilliantly and with the French vanguard cut out of the battle by the British slicing through the fleet, Nelson's men proceeded to take the enemy fleet apart. Britain did not lose a ship, while 18 enemy vessels were destroyed. Some 14,000 French and Spanish sailors were lost, ten times the British casualties. However, the most notable death at Trafalgar was Nelson who was shot by a sharpshooter as the Victory passed by the Redoubtable. Mortally wounded, he died several hours later, but was safe in the knowledge he had won a massive victory.

7 September Britain captures Danish fleet.

VIMIERO 21 August
Four days after the initial clash at Rolica, the Duke of Wellington's army of 17,000 Anglo-Portuguese troops was attacked by General Junot and his Army of Portugal as it attempted to defeat the redcoats before reinforcements arrived by sea. Vimiero began as French battle of manouevre but keen British eyes watched as Junot tried to move against their left and Wellington was able to redeploy his army to face the assault. While outflanking troops tried to move around the British left, Junot sent in two central columns but these were forced back by sustained volleys from troops in line.

Soon afterwards, the flanking attack was beaten off and so Junot retreated towards Torres Vedras having lost 2000 men and 13 cannon. Wellington suffered 700 casualties to his army and considerable damage to his prestige when, following the battle, the new British commanders Generals "Dowager" Dalrymple and "Betty" Burrard worked out a deal whereby Junot would leave for France courtesy of the Royal Navy and take all his guns and equipment. This Convention of Cintra caused a massive outcry in Britain and, following an official enquiry, both Dalrymple and Burrard were blamed. Wellington - who had opposed the deal - was exonerated.

BENAVENTE 29 December
Delaying action in Moore 's retreate to Corunna. 600 French Imperial Guard cavalry under General Lefebvre-Desnouettes attempted to harry the English retreat. They were ambused by British cavalry under Henry Paget (10th Hussars and King's German Legion cavalry) who forced the French back across the river Cea. The French lost almost 200 in dead, wounded and captured, including the French General.

BATTLE OF CORUNNA 16 January
Convinced the War in the Peninsula was over Napoleon left Marshall Soult to finish Moore off and returned to France as 1809 began to prepare for war against Austria. Moore was far from finished and he made a stand at Corunna defeating Soult on 16th January although Moore died during the battle the remains of the British Army were able to escape by sea.

Having just completed an exhausting retreat through appalling cold, the British army arrived at Corunna just ahead of the pursuing French under Marshal Soult. More than 5000 British had died during the cruel march and while discipline had been strained to breaking point, the need to hold the French off while the troops were evacuated by ship to England brought the professionalism back. Led by Sir John Moore, the redcoats formed a series of defensive lines with the key position being the small village of Elvina. This point was targeted by Soult and, following a lengthy bombardment, he sent in a heavy attack against the defending 42 and 50th regiments.

The battle for the village was ferocious and it took several hours for the British to drive off the attackers. An attempt by French cavalry to outflank the British right was defeated by sharpshooting riflemen of the 95th. A more direct assault on the centre of the defenders was also driven off and, as night fell, the British returned to evacuating the troops. The cost to the British included some 900 men and the death of Sir John Moore, while the French suffered some 2000 casualties. The evacuation, however, was a complete success and led to some 27,000 men being saved to fight another day.

26 April Arthur Wellesley lands at Lisbon.

OPORTO 12 May
Lisbon was still free from French control and became the base of British operations when Wellesley returned, now with Portuguese allies under the command of William Beresford. Soult crossed into Portugal in the spring of 1809 but was defeated again by Wellesley at Oporto on 12th May.

With the inquiry into the distasteful Convention of Cintra behind him, Sir Arthur Wellesley returned to the Peninsula and again took up command of British forces there. The French still threatened that country through armies under Marshal Soult and Marshal Victor and so Wellesley decided to go on the offensive and remove the danger. He decided to attack Oporto, situated on the far side of the deep River Douro, despite the presence of Soult's troops in the city and the fact that the only bridge had been destroyed by French engineers. To add to his difficulties, Soult had removed all of the city's barges to the northern - French - bank.

In the early hours of the morning of the 12th, local Portuguese assisted British troops in recovering four wine barges from the north bank and, upon their return to the British side, they were loaded with the redcoat advance party. The target for the 120 or so men was the strongly built seminary to the east of the town. It was a perfect position for defending a bridgehead. Despite crossing the river in daylight, the British were not initially spotted by French sentries - who later mistook them for Swiss troops - and within half an hour had several hundred men preparing defences in the seminary. Protected by artillery batteries from a convent on the southern bank, the seminary would be a tough nut for the French to crack, as the local commander General Maximilien Foy discovered when he moved to throw the British out. Launching an initial assault with three battalions at about 10.30am, Foy's men came under ferocious fire from cannons firing shrapnel. Several assaults were beaten back and by midday more reinforcements had arrived for the British under the command of General Sir Rowland Hill. In addition to the crossing by the seminary, Wellesley had sent a large force six kilometres to the east to flank the French forces and it began its deployment via ferry. With an ever-increasing supply of boats being taken to the British by the local inhabitants, Soult decided his outnumbered force would not be able to hold off greater numbers of enemy troops and so he ordered a hasty withdrawal. Hill's troops now went on to the offensive and pursued the French, who would have been trapped had it not been for slow work by the force sent to control the flank. Oporto was a brilliant tactical effort from Wellesley, whose force succeeded in the highly daring venture with the loss of just over 120 men. Soult's men suffered up to 600 men and a further 1500 were captured in the town's hospital. That night Wellesley and his staff sat down at the former French headquarters and enjoyed a meal prepared for Soult and his officers.

TALAVERA 28 July
Wellesley now advanced into Spain with Spanish allies who proved unreliable as when Marshal Victor and Joseph Bonaparte attacked at Talavera 28th July 1809 they took no active part in the battle at all. Despite this Wellesley defeated the French but determined not to make Moores mistake retreated back into Portugal until he could be sure of his Spanish allies and was better prepared. For Talavera Wellesley became known as Wellington as his reward but would not become a Duke until 1814. the remains of the Spanish army were forced back to defend Cadiz as the free capital of Spain while Wellington prepared defences in Portugal for the expected French invasion, these became known as the Lines of Torres Vedras.

The soon-to-be Duke of Wellington had a sizeable force of some 55,000 men and 60 cannons with which to oppose King Joseph Bonaparte, Marshal Jourdan and Marshal Victor's 46,000 troops and 80 guns. Unfortunately, for Wellington, his force's number included 35,000 Spaniards under General Cuesta, with whom co-operation was difficult. Arrayed on the left of the positions behind the Alberche River, the British got an indication of the quality of their allies when the Spaniards panicked and fled after their own sentries fired a volley at patrolling French cavalry.

Later that night an assault by General Ruffin almost forced the British lines and only a counterattack sent the French packing. At 5am the next day, the French commanders launched three columns at the Allied lines, but each was beaten off within two hours. In extremely high temperatures the French continued to batter the defenders, but the volley fire halted them each time. A final attempt was made by Joseph and Jourdan to turn the flanks but was driven off by artillery fire. Following this failure they decided to withdraw. The British lost almost 5500 men, the Spaniards just over 1000 and the French some 7200. Many men wounded in the battle died in a grassfire that spread across the field.

FLUSHING 15 August
20,000 British under the Earl of Chatham together with a strong naval force set sail in July 1809 with the objective of taking Antwerp. The British set sail for the island of Walcheren in the mouth of Scheldt River to use as a base of operations. Defending was a small force under General Monnet who flooded the island. Delays in the English attack led the fortified town of Flushing to be reinforced by the French. A massive naval bombardment led to a decisive and easy English victory at Flushing. The French asked for terms on 15 August. Further delays and fever amongst the British meant the attack on Antwerp never materialised.

Wellesley – Created Viscount of Wellington

British seize Guadeloupe (last French colony)

BUSCAO 27 September
Retreating towards the impregnable defensive lines of Torres Vedras, the Duke of Wellington decided to buy himself more time to complete the withdrawal by checking Marshal Massena and his army of Portugal at Bussaco. The British numbered some 51,000 men while Massena, bolstered by the talents of Marshal Ney and generals Junot and Reynier had almost 66,000 troops at his disposal. Adopting his favoured tactic of hiding his true strength from the enemy, Wellington had drawn up only two divisions on a steep ridge in view of the French. Thinking this was only a rearguard, Massena sent Reynier's corps in a dawn attack, which reached the high ground on the British right before being repelled by a bayonet charge from the Connaught Rangers of the 88th. Within an hour two more attempts were made by the French to seize the ridge, but both failed with heavy losses. Just after 8am, Ney sent his corps against the British left and while successful in pushing the defenders back, the attack was stopped by concentrated firepower of cannons and muskets. The battle became sporadic after that with little serious effort by the French to advance and was eventually ended when Massena withdrew having lost 4500 men. Wellington, whose casualty list was just over 1250 men, continued on towards Torres Vedras.

BARROSA 5 March
The Barrosa beach is in Chiclana de la Frontera, province of Cádiz , Spain . At the time of the battle, Cadiz was being besieged by the French under the command of Soult, but Soult had stripped the besieging forces in order to raise a force of 20,000 men to besiege Badajoz . In an attempt to raise the siege of Cádiz, a mixed Anglo-Spanish force was landed at Tarifa to march up the coast, and attack the siege lines from the rear. The force (15,000 men) was under the command of the Spanish General La Pena, with the British contingent (5,000 men) being commanded by Lieutenant-General Graham. At the approaches to Cádiz, the French took up a position at the "Pinar de los Franceses", a marshy area about 15 km (10 miles) east of the Barrosa beach, where the road to Cádiz and San Fernando goes between a marshy area and a pine forest. This blocked attack on the siege lines, but left open a road to Cádiz. La Pena decided to march on to Cádiz, rather than attempt to force the French position and attack the siege lines.

To cover this, a mixed force was told off to act as rear guard. In the event, only the British component of the rearguard (a single battalion of 470 men drawn from the Gibraltar garrison) took up its positions on a low hill inland from Barrosa. This retreated when threatened by significant French forces (about 7,000 men), and as a result Graham's division came under long-range artillery fire. Graham therefore counter-marched his division to retake the hill. The British infantry advanced in line; the French came down the hill in columns to attack them. In an exchange of musketry at close range, the French came off worse, and fell back. 2 French regiments broke and fled, and the British captured a regimental eagle - the first to be captured by them in the Peninsular war.

Tactically, and in terms of casualties inflicted, the battle was a victory for the British troops. They had already marched a considerable distance during that day (and the preceding night), and were fighting a French force approaching twice their numbers (the Spanish were—on La Pena's instructions—not significantly involved). Strategically, it had no real effect; after the battle the force resumed its march to Cádiz without any further attempt to attack the siege lines.

The battle gives its name (despite the different spelling) to the Barossa wine-growing region of Australia . Of specific note: The first French eagle was captured from the French in this battle, the 8th of the line (French) losing its eagle to the 87th Irish Foot. Sergeant Matterson captured the eagle and was commissioned Lieutenant for this feat.

FUENTES DE ONORO 3 and 5 May
Desperate to relieve the besieged fortress of Almeida, Marshal Massena moved with almost 50,000 men towards his target, but found himself up against some 36,000 troops under the Duke of Wellington. The first clash came on the 3rd, when five French battalions were sent against just over 2000 British light infantrymen. After heavy fighting the defenders were ejected from the village, but a counterattack by three regiments retook it. The British suffered 259 casualties to more than 650 by the French. Skirmishing on the 4th was replaced by a serious attempt by Massena to gain the village. An early assault by infantry and cavalry routed Spanish cavalry units and the British horsemen, under General Sir Stapleton Cotton. The push against the right was only just held off by Wellington's men, but they managed to conduct a textbook withdrawal in the face of the enemy. Halting at prepared defensive lines, the British kept the attackers at bay on the right while the village of Fuentes was bitterly defended. A steady stream of reinforcements allowed Wellington to hold the position against up to 28 enemy battalions thrown at it. Massena withdrew leaving 2192 men behind as opposed to Wellington's 1500.

SECOND SIEGE OF ALMEIDA 10 May
First unsuccessful siege 16-28 August 1810. Second successful siege 4 April to 10 May 1811. Almeida was a Portuguese fortress that, like its Spanish counterpart at Ciudad Rodrigo, sat across the main northern route from Spain into Portugal. An attempt by Marshal Massena to break the encirclement was fended off by the Duke of Wellington at Fuentes de Onoro and, after hearing news of the defeat, the 1300-man garrison abandoned the fortress, fought their way through the British lines and escaped.

ALBUERA 11 May
While Lieutenant General Viscount Wellington was engaged in battling with Marshal Massena in the North, leading to the battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, Marshal Beresford was laying siege to Badajoz in the South, in uneasy co-operation with the Spanish general, Joachim Blake. In early May 1811 Marshal Soult marched up from Seville with his Army of Andalusia to relieve the French garrison in Badajoz. Beresford and Blake agreed to confront Soult at Albuera, a classic defensive ridge position previously selected by Wellington that screened the Badajoz siege works.
Beresford with his British and Portuguese troops and a small contingent of Spanish was in position at Albuera by 15th May 1811 and awaited the arrival of Blake’s army. The Spanish marched up from Almendrad, arriving during the night. The village of Albuera lay where the Seville to Badajoz road crossed the Albuera River, before ascending the ridge. Beresford placed his army on the ridge, expecting to receive a frontal assault across the river and through the village. He placed the Portuguese Division on the left, the British 2nd Division immediately above Albuera, supported by the 4th Division, and the Spanish army on the right. Albuera itself was held by Alten’s brigade of King’s German Legion. Soult, an able and versatile strategist, did not comply with Beresford’s expectations. Across the Albuera River from the high ground held by the Spanish on the right flank was a substantial hill. Soult assembled the majority of his army behind that hill. The British and Portuguese cavalry had been forced back across the Albuera River by the overwhelming strength of the French cavalry, enabling Soult’s troops to form up unseen. On the morning of 16th May 1811 General Godinot’s brigade continued up the road and attacked Albuera village as a diversion. Soult’s main force and his considerable preponderance of cavalry moved over the hill and across the Albuera River to take the Spanish in the flank.

Beresford sent aides de camp to Blake with directions to pull back his right wing to meet the French outflanking movement. Blake refused to comply, until the Marshal arrived in person and ordered the manoeuvre to be carried out. The Spanish troops were too slow in changing position and were caught in flank by the overwhelming French attack. That is other than General Zayas who had acted on his own imitative and already taken up a position facing the French. His brigade alone resisted the onslaught, the remainder of the Spanish force being driven back. Beresford brought up Stewart’s 2nd Division to support the Spanish on their right. The leading brigade, Colborne’s, climbed the hill and went into action as each battalion reached the crest, only to be caught undeployed by the French light cavalry. Three battalions of Colborne’s brigade, 1st/3rd Foot, 2nd/48th Foot and 2nd/66th Foot were nearly annihilated. Many of the British were taken prisoner.

At this point in the battle Soult failed to act with decision to secure the victory by vigorous use of his overwhelming strength in cavalry. Beresford was given the opportunity to reform his line. The brigades of the 4th Division were brought to the right flank in place of the Spanish. Hoghton’s Brigade (29th Foot, 1st/48th Foot, 1st/57th Foot) with the surviving battalion from Coleborne’s, 2nd/31st Foot, formed along the ridge and held the French back under a storm of artillery fire and musketry. In a twenty minute exchange of fire these battalions were reduced to a ruin, particularly the 2nd/57th Foot. The Fusilier Brigade (1st/7th Royal Fusiliers, 2nd/7th Royal Fusiliers, 1st/23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers) ascended the ridge and attacked the French with the Portuguese battalions of the 4th Division while Abercromby’s Brigade came up on the Spanish left. Lumley’s Cavalry moved to the extreme flank to block any French move against the British rear. Soult realised that he had lost the opportunity to win the battle and abandoned the attack, withdrawing over the Albuera River.

CIUDAD RODRIGO 19 January
Lacking any real siege train or the time to reduce the fortresses through starvation these were taken by bloody assaults.

BADAJOZ 6 April
More than 30,000 British troops blockaded the fortress at Badajoz, which commanded the southern route between Spain and Portugal. The siege commenced and by 6 April the 5000 defenders were steeling themselves to be attacked through three breaches. The night assaults began bloodily against the formidable defences and more than 40 times did the redcoats throw themselves into attack. By midnight, two entries to the city had been forced and an hour later the defenders under General Phillipon holed up in Fort San Christobal and accepted terms later that day. French losses were almost 1500 men, while some 3500 British troops became casualties.

SALAMANCA 22 July
Wellington continued to make his name defeating Massena's replacement Marshall Marmont at Salamanca on 22 July.

As more and more French troops were siphoned from Spain to prepare for the advance on Russia, the British position in the Peninsula became stronger. The Duke of Wellington was determined to maintain the pressure on his immediate counterpart, Marshal Marmont, and a dance of manouevre began as each side strove to get the upper hand. Wellington gained the advantage by capturing a series of forts at Salamanca, but word of fast-approaching additional French troops reached him. The British then set about preparing for another retreat to Portugal, with wagon convoys ordered to move the sick and injured, as well as baggage and unrequired stores, towards Ciudad Rodrigo. News of Wellington's imminent evacuation reached Marmont and he moved his army of 50,000 men, bolstered by almost 80 cannons, to try to catch the British on the march. He arrived at Salamanca on 21 July, but the only fighting was an initial series of fierce light-infantry skirmishes.

The next morning, Marmont planned his battle and made two major mistakes. The terrain around Salamanca was filled with dead ground that hid many areas from view and he thought the left wing of Wellington's army was only a small rearguard force. The dusty clouds he could see in the distance added to his perception that the British were pulling out and so he decided to swing most of his army around the delaying force and cut Wellington off from Portugal. When the British commander saw Marmont marching his army across the front of his own drawn-up, but hidden force of some 48,000 men, he let out a whoop of delight. He knew that by doing so, Marmont had potentially led his men into serious trouble. The French position was not helped by the fact that the leading troops were outpacing the rest of the army, which was slowly being split into several bodies of men. Wellington acted quickly and sent his brother-in-law Sir Edward Pakenham and his 3rd Division to stop the advance French troops. The assault caught the French unawares and scattered a full division almost instantly.
Then Wellington ordered a combined infantry and cavalry attack upon the second block of two French divisions which, also caught by surprise, were smashed and routed. During the fighting, one of Britain's best cavalry commanders - General John Le Marchant - was killed, and Marmont left the field, wounded by an exploding shell.

The battle had only been going for some 40 minutes and it was effectively already won by the British. However, the new French commander General Bertrand Clausel quickly stabilised the situation, fending off two British attacks and then going on to the offensive himself. In a superb combined infantry and cavalry attack he inflicted serious losses on the British 4th Division and, as he advanced into the centre of Wellington's men, looked as he could be on the verge of a seemingly improbable victory. Quickly repositioning his men, Wellington caught Clausel's attack in a vicious crossfire that firstly halted them, then broke them. It was a costly success, with heavy casualties on both sides. With the French now on the verge of defeat Wellington released a counterattack that broke their cohesion and scattered them.

Clausel's entire army could have been trapped had it not been for the failure of a Spanish force to block an escape route at the bridge at Alba de Tormes. More than 7000 French troops were killed or wounded, a further 7000 captured, while the British and their Portuguese allies suffered just under 5000 casualties. Salamanca was the decisive battle Wellington had needed to prise open France's grip on the Peninsula.

SECOND SIEGE OF BURGOS 12 June
First Siege, 19 September - 22 October 1812. Second Siege 10 - 12 June, 1813. The Duke of Wellington laid siege to Burgos twice, the first being a costly failure, while the second a quick victory. The first attempt against the 2000 Frenchmen garrisoning the fortress was hampered by huge amounts of rain and a lack of British siege artillery. Progress was woefully slow and despite gaining footholds in Burgos, the British were never able to seriously threaten its security. The gathering of two French forces to relieve the defenders sparked a British withdrawal. The month-long siege had cost Wellington more than 2000 men, while the French lost only some 600. Ten months later, a second move on Burgos captured the city within two days.

VITTORIA 21 June
In 1813 Wellington lead a much more confident Allied Army into Spain once more, once again facing Joseph Bonaparte and once again smashing the French army this time at the battle of 1813 Vittoria Wellington at the Battle of Vittoria, 21 June 1813. At this decisive battle of the Peninsular War of 1808–14, British forces under the Duke of Wellington defeated the French army of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdain at Vittoria in northern Spain, forcing Joseph Bonaparte – who had been made king of Spain by Napoleon – to flee back to France.

CAPTURE OF SAN SEBASTIAN 8 September
Siege lasted 7 July - 8 September, 1813. The port and fortress of San Sebastian was a French strongpoint on the northern coast of Spain that threatened the supply lines of any army moving into France. To prepare for the invasion of France, the Duke of Wellington had to clear the potential menace posed by General Louis Rey and his garrison of 3000 men. The siege began on 7 July and an impatient Wellington ordered a storming on the 25th. The British attack was repulsed with heavy losses and the reports of a French counterattack through the Pyrenees forced the commander to weaken his besieging force and move to stop Marshal Soult's offensive. When the danger had been ended at the battle of Sorauren, Wellington moved back to San Sebastian and brought his full force against the defenders. On 31 August he sent in a second attack and despite heavy losses - more than 2000 men - the British captured the town, although the French still held the important castle. With the failure of a final relief attempt in early September, Rey had little choice but to negotiate a surrender. He and his men were allowed to march out with full honours of war, having defied Wellington's army for more than two months. Rey's men had suffered more than 2000 casualities, while the British lost almost twice as many.

FIRST BATTLE OF VERA 1 September
The initial battle for the bridge over the Bidassoa at Vera was fought on 1 September as General Dominique Vandamme tried to force his way back to the main French force. At the head of some 10,000 soldiers, Vandamme attempted to overwhelm the understrength company of 95th Rifles guarding the span. The 70 British troops fought one of the most spectacular actions of the entire war, stopping many French assaults with deadly accurate fire. The captain in charge of the detachment, Daniel Cadoux, was refused reinforcements and in fact ordered to quit the post. Knowing how important the bridge was, Cadoux decided against withdrawal and fought on through the night, only giving ground when ammunition had run out. Up to that point, he had suffered only two casualties, but during the pullout almost every rifleman was wounded. Cadoux himself was killed. Vandamme's men then crossed the river, leaving behind their baggage and artillery.

SECOND BATTLE OF VERA 7 October
The second battle around Vera came just over a month later on 7 October when the British attacked key forst and high ground controlling the local area. The first target was the Star Fort, which only fell after a brutal see-sawing encounter, and the pursuit of the French led to the taking of the next important plateau. When the position known as the Hog's Back was captured the French found the area almost impossible to hold and withdrew, leaving behind 1300 casualties - almost a third of their inital force. The British suffered 850 killed and wounded, but a key piece of France's defences had been unlocked.

RIVER NIVE 13 December more info

31 March The Allies enter Paris.

6 April Napoleon abdicates

TOULOUSE 10 April
The last battle of the Peninsular war was fought at Toulouse on 10th April 1814 were Soult was once again defeated. Sadly this was a pointless battle and wasted many lives needlessly as Napoleon had abdicated on 6th April 1814 but news had yet to reach the combatants in the south.

QUATREBRAS 16 June
Caught on the hop by Napoleon Bonaparte's brilliant surprise march that brought the French emperor within a few days march of Brussels and a potential political victory, the commander of the Anglo-Allied army, the Duke of Wellington, had to buy himself time to regroup. An advance French unit had been delayed at a vital crossroads at Quatre Bras by a small force of 8000 men from Saxe-Weimar and it was imperative that they were reinforced immediately. The crossroads was the link between the mainly British Anglo-Allies and the Prussians. Maintaining an impassive front at a ball being held in his honour in Brussels, Wellington dispatched troops towards Quatre Bras as quickly as they became available.

Fortunately for the Allies, the French commander Marshal Ney did not move quickly on the morning of the 16th and it wasn't before 2pm that he sent forward General Reille with 20,000 men to clear the enemy away. Within an hour they had siezed two strongpoints on the Allied line, but struggled to clear Allied troops from woods that threatened the French left flank. Wellington arrived, as did the lead elements of British reinforcements, and the size of the clash moved from a skirmish to a full battle. By late afternoon, the defenders had grown to some 26,000 men with 42 cannons and they were forced to withstand a ferocious attack by Ney. French cavalry reached the crossroads and, despite Wellington being forced to shelter in a square to avoid capture, the lines held. At 6.30pm, a further reinforced Wellington (36,000) moved forward and retook almost all of the ground lost to the French that day. The Allies lost some 4800 men, while French casualties were 4000. It was a drawn clash tactically, but a major strategic blow for Bonaparte.

WATERLOO 18 June
Allied Army beats the French (again!)

191,300 soldiers fought one of the most decisive battles in the history of Europe - the battle of Waterloo . The battle was fought between 72,000 French, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Allied armies commanded by the Duke of Wellington from Britain (67,000 men) and General Blücher from Prussia (52,300 men). By the end of the day, 48,000 were killed or severely wounded - and Blücher and Wellington congratulated each other with the final victory over Napoleon.

15 July Napoleon leaves France for the last time aboard HMS Bellerophon

George IV (1820-30)

Sources

The above has been stolen shamelessly from the internet. More original content will be added fromt time to time Some of my references include:

BBC
Napoleon Guide
History Guy
Richard Karoo