Atlas of Battles

battle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Roncesvalles

Battle of Roncesvalles was a battle fought on 25 July 1813 at Roncevaux Pass, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Peninsular War, which ran from 1808 to 1814. The recorded result: French victory. Recorded strength: 40,000 men; 25,000 men engaged; 8 guns against 11,000 men.

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Image is a map of the Combat of Roncesvalles. It is copied from Sir Charles Oman's "A History of the Peninsular War: Volume VI" which was originally published in 1922. Oman died in 1946.
Image is a map of the Combat of Roncesvalles. It is copied from Sir Charles Oman's "A History of the Peninsular War: Volume VI" which was originally published in 1922. Oman died in 1946.. Charles Oman (1860-1946). From "A History of the Peninsular War" Volume VI. Originally published 1922., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 July 1813
WhereRoncevaux Pass, Spain43.014N, 1.305W
OutcomeFrench victory
BelligerentsFrench EmpireagainstUnited Kingdom; Portugal
Part ofPeninsular WarBattle of the Pyrenees

Where it sits in the Peninsular War

French invasions of Portugal, 1807Combat of Padrões de Teixeira, 1808Battles of El Bruch, 1808First Battle of El Bruc, 1808Battle of Alcolea Bridge, 1808Burning of L'Arboç, 1808Capture of the Rosily Squadron, 1808Battle of Cabezón, 1808First Siege of Zaragoza, 1808Battle of the Eras, 1808Battle of Montgat, 1808Battle of Gerona, 1808First Siege of Girona, 1808Battle of Épila, 1808Battle of Valencia, 1808Action of July 2, 1808, 1808Battle of Medina de Rioseco, 1808Battle of Bailén, 1808Second Siege of Gerona, 1808Battle of Évora, 1808Action of August 4, 1808, 1808Battle of Roliça, 1808Battle of Vimeiro, 1808Blockade of Barcelona, 1808Battle of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 1808Battle of San Jeroni de la Murtra, 1808Battle of Zornoza, 1808Battle of Balmaseda, 1808Siege of Roses, 1808Battle of Espinosa, 1808Battle of Burgos, 1808Battle of Tudela, 1808Battle of Bubierca, 1808Battle of Somosierra, 1808Battle of Cardadeu, 1808Battle of Sant Cugat, 1808Second Siege of Zaragoza, 1808Battle of Molins de Rey, 1808Battle of Sahagún, 1808Battles for the bridges on the Tagus, 1808Battle of Benavente, 1808Battle of Mansilla, 1808Battle of Castellón, 1809Battle of Cacabelos, 1809Battle of Villagodio, 1809Battle of Lugo, 1809Battle of Uclés, 1809Battle of Palavea, 1809Battle of Corunna, 1809Siege of Ferrol, 1809Battle of El Llano, 1809Battle of Mora, 1809Battle of Valls, 1809Battle of Molins de Rey, 1809Battle of Valle de Monterrey, 1809Battle of Trepa, 1809First Siege of Chaves, 1809Siege of Tui, 1809Battle of Villafranca, 1809Combat of Mesas de Ibor, 1809Battle of Braga, 1809Battle of Miajadas, 1809Second Siege of Chaves, 1809Battle of Yevenes, 1809Battle of Ciudad-Real, 1809Battle of Medellín, 1809First Battle of Porto, 1809Reconquest of Vigo, 1809Battle of the Bridge of Amarante, 1809Siege of Girona, 1809Battle of Grijó, 1809Second Battle of Porto, 1809Battle of Alcántara, 1809Battle of Los Carbayedos, 1809Battle of Alcañiz, 1809Battle of Campo de la Estrella, 1809Battle of Ponte Sampaio, 1809Battle of María, 1809Battle of Belchite, 1809Battle of Talavera, 1809Battle of Aranjuez, 1809Battle of Arzobispo, 1809Battle of Almonacid, 1809Battle of Puerto de Baños, 1809Battle of Astorga, 1809Battle of Tamames, 1809Battle of Maguelone, 1809Battle of Ontígola, 1809Battle of Ocaña, 1809Battle of Carpio, 1809Battle of Alba de Tormes, 1809Siege of Hostalric, 1810Battle of Mollet, 1810French invasion of Seville, 1810Siege of Cádiz, 1810Battle of Portazgo, 1810Capture of Málaga, 1810Battle of Vic, 1810Siege of Astorga, 1810Battle of Manresa, 1810Siege of Lérida, 1810Battle of Margalef, 1810Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, 1810Siege of Mequinenza, 1810Combat of Barquilla, 1810Battle of the Côa, 1810Siege of Almeida, 1810Battle of Villagarcía, 1810Battle of La Bisbal, 1810Battle of Fuente de Cantos, 1810Battle of Bussaco, 1810Battle of San Quintín, 1810Trant's raid, 1810Battle of Sobral, 1810Battle of Fuengirola, 1810Battle of Baza, 1810Battle of La Fuensanta, 1810Siege of Tortosa, 1810Siege of Olivença, 1811Battle of Pla, 1811First siege of Badajoz, 1811Battle of the Gebora, 1811Battle of Barrosa, 1811Battle of Pombal, 1811Battle of Redinha, 1811Battle of Casal Novo, 1811Battle of Foz de Arouce, 1811Combat of the Alva River, 1811Battle of Campo Maior, 1811Battle of Sabugal, 1811Blockade of Almeida, 1811Siege of Figueras, 1811Second siege of Badajoz, 1811Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, 1811Siege of Tarragona, 1811Battle of Albuera, 1811Second Siege of Badajoz, Part II, 1811Battle of Usagre, 1811Battle of Arlabán, 1811Battle of Cogorderos, 1811Battle of Montserrat, 1811Battle of Zujar, 1811Battle of El Bodon, 1811Battle of Aldeia da Ponte, 1811Battle of Cervera, 1811Battle of Saguntum, 1811Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos, 1811Battle of Bornos, 1811Battle of Osonilla, 1811Siege of Tarifa, 1811Siege of Valencia, 1811Battle of Navas de Membrillo, 1811Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812Battle of Almagro, 1812Battle of Alicante, 1812Combat of Villaseca, 1812Action of 23 January 1812, 1812Battle of Altafulla, 1812Siege of Badajoz, 1812Battle of Arlabán, 1812Battle of Villagarcia, 1812Battle of Raboser, 1812Battle of Almaraz, 1812Battle of Bornos, 1812Battle of Maguilla, 1812Siege of the Salamanca forts, 1812Siege of Astorga, 1812Battle of Castalla, 1812Battle of Salamanca, 1812Battle of Garcia Hernandez, 1812Battle of Majadahonda, 1812Battle of Seville, 1812Siege of Burgos, 1812Battle of Venta del Pozo, 1812Battle of Tordesillas, 1812Battle of Alba de Tormes, 1812Battle of San Muñoz, 1812Battle of Castalla, 1813Batalla de la Bisbal, 1813Battle of Morales, 1813Siege of Tarragona, 1813Battle of San Millan-Osma, 1813Battle of Vitoria, 1813Battle of Senpere, 1813Siege of Pamplona, 1813Battle of Tolosa, 1813Siege of San Sebastián, 1813Batalla de l'Esquirol, 1813Battle of the Pyrenees, 1813Battle of Roncesvalles, 1813Battle of Maya, 1813Battle of Sorauren, 1813Battle of San Marcial, 1813Battle of San Miguel Bridge, 1813Battle of Ordal, 1813Battle of the Bidassoa, 1813Campaign in south-west France, 1813Battle of Nivelle, 1813Battle of the Nive, 1813Battle of Saint-Pierre-d'Irube, 1813Battle of Garris, 1814Battle of Orthez, 1814Battle of Aire-sur-l'Adour, 1814Battle of Tarbes, 1814Combat of Croix d'Orade, 1814Battle of Toulouse, 1814Battle of Bayonne, 181418071814Battle of Roncesvalles, 1813
207 placed engagements of the Peninsular War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 July 1813
PlaceRoncevaux Pass, Spain
43.014N, 1.305W
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength40,000 men; 25,000 men engaged; 8 guns11,000 men
Commanders
  • Galbraith Lowry Cole
  • John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford
Battle of RoncesvallesBattle of RoncesvallesBattle of Roncevaux PassBattle of Roncevaux PassBattle of OrbaizetaBattle of AldudesBattle of the Baztan ValleyBattle of Roncevaux PassBattle of the Baztan ValleyBilbaoLogroñoAgenVitoriaBiarritzTarbes100 km43.014N, 1.305W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between AD 778 and 1813.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1813

Battle of Roncesvalles is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,204 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4872203, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Roncesvalles (1813), revision 1370273105, 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.