Atlas of Battles

siege, major, interwar and Second World War

Siege of Madrid

Siege of Madrid was a siege conducted on 8 November 1936 at Madrid, in what is now Spain; it lasted 15 days. It was part of the Spanish Civil War, which ran from 1936 to 1939. The recorded result: Nationalist victory; Republicans win the battle in 1936; City surrenders to Nationalists in 1939. Recorded strength: 42,000; 50 tanks; 70 guns against 20,000; 30 tanks; 120 aircraft.

See it on the globe Read the article

Fortín acorazado de ametralladoras de la Guerra Civil en el Parque del Oeste de Madrid. Hay tres.
Fortín acorazado de ametralladoras de la Guerra Civil en el Parque del Oeste de Madrid. Hay tres.. J.L. de Diego, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought8 November 1936lasted 15 days
WhereMadrid, Spain40.419N, 3.692W
OutcomeNationalist victory; Republicans win the battle in 1936; City surrenders to Nationalists in 1939
BelligerentsSpanish Republic; Supported by: Soviet Union; International BrigadesagainstNationalist Spain; Supported by: Nazi Germany; Fascist Italy (1922–1943)
Casualties and losses~5,000 dead or wounded (including civilians)and~5,000 dead or wounded
Part ofSpanish Civil War1936 to 1939

Where it sits in the Spanish Civil War

Siege of Almadén, 1934Siege of the Alcázar, 1936Battle of Lopera, 1936Extremadura campaign, 1936Andalusia campaign, 1936Siege of the Montaña Barracks, 1936Bombing of Tétouan, 1936Battle of Vigo, 1936Siege of Gijón, 1936Siege of Oviedo, 1936Campaign of Gipuzkoa, 1936Siege of Tocina barracks, 1936Siege of the Loyola barracks, 1936Battle of Guadarrama, 1936Mérida Offensive, 1936bombing of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, 1936Convoy de la Victoria, 1936Battle of Sigüenza, 1936Battle of Almendralejo, 1936Bombing of Cádiz, 1936Battle of Mérida, 1936Battle of Badajoz, 1936Battle of Majorca, 1936Saseta defence work, 1936Battle of Irún, 1936Córdoba offensive, 1936Battle of Monte Pelado, 1936Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe, 1936Battle of Talavera de la Reina, 1936Battle of Cerro Muriano, 1936Bombing of Chorín, 1936Siege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza, 1936Battle of Eibar, 1936Battle of Cape Espartel, 1936Bombing of Cartagena during the Spanish Civil War, 1936Battle of Seseña, 1936Siege of Madrid, 1936Battle of Ciudad Universitaria, 1936Bombing of the four hours, 1936Eight-hour bombing, 1936First Battle of the Corunna Road, 1936Second Battle of the Corunna Road, 1936Aceituna Campaign, 1936Villarreal Offensive, 1936Battle of Guadalajara, 1937Battle of Jarama, 1937Battle of El Escamplero, 1937Battle of Málaga, 1937Bombing of Albacete, 1937Battle of Cape Machichaco, 1937Battle of Pozoblanco, 1937North Campaign, 1937Biscay Campaign, 1937Bombing of Jaén, 1937Bombing of the Strike Factory, 1937Battle of Saibigain, 1937Battle of Intxortas, 1937Bombing of Guernica, 1937Battle of Bermeo, 1937Barcelona May Days, 1937Battle of Sollube, 1937Bombardment of Almería, 1937Battle of Bilbao, 1937Huesca Offensive, 1937Battle of Albarracín, 1937Battle of Brunete, 1937Battle of Belchite, 1937Battle of Quinto, 1937Asturias Offensive, 1937Battle of El Mazucu, 1937Battle of Cape Cherchell, 1937Battle of Santander, 1937Battle of Fuentes de Ebro, 1937Bombing of Peñíscola, 1937November 1937 bombing of Lleida, 1937Battle of Teruel, 1937Battle of Caspe, 1938January 1938 Barcelona bombing, 1938Bombing of Valladolid, 1938Battle of Alfambra, 1938Bombing of Alcañiz, 1938Aragon Offensive, 1938Bombing of Barcelona, 1938March 1938 bombing of Lleida, 1938Battle of Gandesa, 1938Battle of the Segre, 1938Taberna Catachú raid, 1938Balaguer Offensive, 1938Bombing of Maestrat, 1938Bombing of Alicante, 1938Bombing of Granollers, 1938Los Blázquez Offensive, 1938Merida pocket, 1938Battle of the Ebro, 1938Siege of Gandesa, 1938Bombing of Sant Vicenç de Calders, 1938Sinking of the SS Cantabria, 1938Bombing of Cabra, 1938Bombing of Torrebaja, 1938Bombing of Vic during the Spanish Civil War, 1938Catalonia Offensive, 1938Bombing of Figueres, 1939Bombing of Terrassa and Matadepera, 1939Bombing of La Garriga, 1939Bombing of Sant Hilari Sacalm, 1939Bombing of Xàtiva, 1939Battle of Bielsa pocket, 193919341939Siege of Madrid, 1936
107 placed engagements of the Spanish Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date8 November 1936
to 23 November 1936
PlaceMadrid, Spain
40.419N, 3.692W
KindSiege, interwar and Second World War
Strength42,000; 50 tanks; 70 guns20,000; 30 tanks; 120 aircraft
Casualties and losses~5,000 dead or wounded (including civilians)~5,000 dead or wounded; Casualties refer to the November 1936 battle only
Commanders
Siege of MadridSiege of MadridMarch to MadridSiege of the Alcazar of MadridSiege of the Montaña BarracksBattle of Ciudad UniversitariaFirst Battle of the Corunna RoadSiege of the Alcazar of MadridSalamancaToledoGuadalajara100 km40.419N, 3.692W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Madrid
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Madrid today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-28. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 673 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 564 to 743 m, 179 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 82% built-up, 17% tree cover.

built-up: 82%tree cover: 17%built-up 82%tree cover 17%
west to east, 10.0 km581 to 692 mnorth to south, 10.0 km567 to 730 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1520 and 1936.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1936

Siege of Madrid is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 1,204 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q685062, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Madrid, revision 1374225323, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.