Battles & Campaigns · 1808
Battle of Somosierra
Somosierra Pass, Segovia/Madrid, Spain
What happened
Napoleon's French army, with Polish light cavalry, attacked Spanish forces under Benito de San Juan holding a mountain pass. Spanish troops with cannons blocked the narrow Somosierra Pass on the road to Madrid. While French infantry climbed the slopes, Polish horsemen charged straight up the road at the Spanish gun batteries. Once the guns were taken, the Spanish defence collapsed.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It removed the last obstacle on the road to Madrid, which the French entered a few days later. The Polish charge became famous in Poland.
What came next
The French entered Madrid on 4 December 1808. The charge's leader, Jan Kozietulski, later saved Napoleon from attacking Cossacks in Russia.
Timeline
- 30 November 1808Battle of Somosierra.
- 4 December 1808The French enter Madrid.
- 13 December 1809Kozietulski receives the Legion of Honour.
- 3 February 1821Kozietulski dies in Warsaw.