Battle of Vitoria (1813): Wellington Drives France From Spain

The Battle of Vitoria, fought on 21 June 1813 in northern Spain, was the decisive victory of the Duke of Wellington’s campaign in the Iberian Peninsula. His British, Portuguese and Spanish army outmanoeuvred and routed the French army of King Joseph Bonaparte, capturing almost all its guns and an enormous baggage train. The battle effectively ended Napoleon’s attempt to rule Spain through his brother.

Background: the Peninsular War turns

The Peninsular War began in 1808, when Napoleon placed his elder brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. For five years French armies fought regular British, Portuguese and Spanish forces as well as widespread guerrilla resistance. Wellington, operating from Portugal, won major victories such as Salamanca in July 1812, but was forced back after a failed siege of Burgos.

The balance changed after Napoleon’s disaster in Russia in 1812. Napoleon withdrew experienced troops from Spain to rebuild his armies in Germany, while Wellington received reinforcements and was given command of the Spanish armies as well. In May 1813 he advanced from Portugal with a force of roughly 75,000–80,000 men.

Wellington’s advance

Instead of attacking the French head-on, Wellington repeatedly sent columns through the hilly country to the north, outflanking the French positions along the Douro and the Ebro. Joseph Bonaparte, with Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan as his chief military adviser, fell back again and again, giving up Burgos and the line of the Ebro.

By 20 June the French, about 57,000–60,000 strong, had halted in the basin of Vitoria in the Basque province of Álava. They were burdened with a huge convoy of wagons carrying officials, families, archives and treasure, and they hoped to wait for reinforcements while protecting the great road back to France through Bayonne.

The battle on 21 June

Wellington divided his army into four columns. On the right, General Sir Rowland Hill attacked through the Puebla heights and the Puebla pass in the morning, drawing French reserves towards the south. In the centre, two columns crossed the Zadorra River at several bridges, some left unguarded or poorly defended, including the bridge at Tres Puentes; Wellington accompanied this part of the attack.

On the left, General Sir Thomas Graham led a wide flanking march to the north to cut the main road to Bayonne. His troops met fierce resistance from General Honoré Reille’s men around the village of Gamarra Mayor but succeeded in blocking the road.

By the afternoon the French line was under pressure from the south, the west and the north. Its positions collapsed one after another, and late in the day the retreat turned into flight eastwards along the road to Pamplona, the only escape route left open.

The baggage train

The French left behind about 150 of their roughly 153 guns, ammunition and the vast baggage train. It contained military pay chests, private fortunes, documents, and paintings taken from the Spanish royal collections. Joseph Bonaparte himself narrowly escaped capture.

Many Allied soldiers stopped to plunder the wagons, and the cavalry pursuit was weak. As a result, the bulk of the French infantry escaped. Wellington was furious at the breakdown of discipline and complained bitterly about it in his despatches. Marshal Jourdan’s baton was found among the spoils and sent to the Prince Regent, who responded by making Wellington a field marshal.

The paintings recovered from Joseph’s baggage were later offered back to King Ferdinand VII of Spain, who allowed Wellington to keep them. Many still hang at Apsley House in London.

Key people

• Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington, commander of the Allied army, later Duke of Wellington.
• Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s elder brother and King of Spain from 1808.
• Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, Marshal of France and Joseph’s chief of staff.
• Sir Thomas Graham, who led the northern flanking column.
• Sir Rowland Hill, commander of the right wing.

Consequences

The defeat cost Joseph his kingdom. Napoleon removed him from command and sent Marshal Nicolas Soult to restore the situation. Soult’s counter-offensive in the Battles of the Pyrenees in July 1813 failed. San Sebastián fell to the Allies at the end of August and Pamplona in late October, and on 7 October 1813 Wellington’s army crossed the Bidassoa River into France.

News of Vitoria reached Central Europe during the summer armistice of 1813 and was celebrated by the powers fighting Napoleon, encouraging the coalition that would fight at the Battle of Leipzig in October. In December 1813 Napoleon agreed by the Treaty of Valençay to restore Ferdinand VII, who returned to Spain in 1814.

Timeline

• 1808: Joseph Bonaparte is made King of Spain; the Peninsular War begins.
• 1812, 22 July: Wellington wins the Battle of Salamanca.
• 1813, May: Wellington’s army advances from Portugal.
• 1813, 13 June: The retreating French blow up the castle of Burgos.
• 1813, 21 June: Battle of Vitoria; the French army is routed.
• 1813, 31 August: San Sebastián is stormed by the Allies.
• 1813, 7 October: Wellington crosses the Bidassoa into France.
• 1813, 11 December: The Treaty of Valençay restores Ferdinand VII.

Why it matters

Vitoria ended French control of Spain and turned the Peninsular War into an invasion of southern France. It confirmed Wellington’s reputation as one of the leading commanders of the age, two years before his final confrontation with Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.