Tudela

23 November, 1808

Spanish Battle Tour Guides

With Spanish armies lurking too close to his flanks on his march towards Madrid, Napoleon Bonaparte sent his trusted friend Marshal Jean Lannes with 31,000 men to end their threat.

Under the command of General Francisco Castanos, one Spanish army was caught at Tudela and found itself in trouble from the outset.

Poorly deployed, the 19,000 Spanish could not hold off Lannes' well executed attacks that took advantage of the major gaps in the enemy lines and quickly defeated the defenders.

Spanish casualties would have been much higher had Marshal Ney, in command of a force sent to cut off any routes of retreat, managed to close the trap in time.

As it was, Castanos lost some 4000 men, while Lannes suffered only 650 men killed and wounded.