The Battle of Saguntum on 25 October 1811 saw the French

First French Empire

The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

 Army of Aragon under Marshal

Marshal of France

The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

 Louis Gabriel Suchet

Louis Gabriel Suchet

Louis Gabriel Suchet, 1st Duc d'Albufera was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.-Early career:...

 fighting a Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 army led by Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

 Joaquín Blake y Joyes

Joaquín Blake y Joyes

Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:...

. The Spanish attempt to raise the siege of the castle of Sagunto (Saguntum)

Sagunto

Sagunto or Sagunt is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile comarca of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea...

 failed when the French, Italians, and Poles drove their troops off the battlefield in rout. The action took place during the Peninsular War

Peninsular War

The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...

, part of the Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

. The city lies a short distance from the east coast of Spain, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Valencia.

Suchet invaded the province of Valencia in September 1811. He tried to quickly seize the castle of Saguntum, but its garrison repulsed two attacks and the French-Allied army was forced to lay siege to the ancient fortress. When Blake's army advanced from Valencia, Suchet posted his smaller army to resist the Spanish. Blake's attack on Suchet's right flank went awry and soon the poorly trained Spanish troops were fleeing. The Spanish troops attacking Suchet's left flank were made of sterner stuff, however, and the contest there was more severe. Finally, the French-Allied troops gained the upper hand and put the entire Spanish army to flight. Blake's soldiers limped back to Valencia where they tried to put that city's defences in order.

Result

Spanish losses numbered 6,000 killed and wounded, plus several hundred prisoners, some cannons, and four colors. The 2,500-man garrison of Saguntum, demoralized after watching their relief army scattered, surrendered the next day. Suchet lost only 1,000 killed and wounded, but apart from the seizing the castle, he was unable to immediately capitalize on his victory. His army was too small to capture Valencia, especially after his battle losses and the need to provide a garrison for Saguntum. For several weeks the French-Allies paused to wait for reinforcements before launching the next phase of their offensive.