Peninsular War

Historical eventApril 61812

Peninsular War

Peninsular War: After a three-week siege, the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, captured Badajoz, Spain, and forced the surrender of the French garrison.

Everything on April 6Original source
Photo: Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

In context

When
Monday, April 6 1812214 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1810s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: 1808-05-02 – 1814-04-17.

Place: Iberian Peninsula, Kingdom of Spain.

Type: war of national liberation, military occupation, and encyclopedia article.

Key figures / parties: Kingdom of Spain, First French Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Spain under Joseph Bonaparte, and Spain.

What came before

Part of: Napoleonic Wars.

Timeline

Followed by: Absolutist Sexennium.

What happened

The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by the Iberian nations Spain and Portugal, along with the United Kingdom, against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, it is considered to overlap with the Spanish War of Independence. It overlapped with the War of the Fifth Coalition (1809) and the War of the Sixth Coalition (1812–1814).

April 6 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1812Peninsular War
  2. 2009April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests
  3. 2010Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  4. 2010April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
  5. 2011San Fernando, Tamaulipas
  6. 2011Mexican drug war
  7. 2012Azawad
  8. 2012National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
  9. 20172017 Shayrat missile strike
  10. 2018Humboldt Broncos
  11. 2026Artemis II

Also in 1812

  • May 11Spencer PercevalSpencer Perceval was shot in the lobby of the House of Commons, becoming the only British prime minister to be assassinated.
  • August 15War of 1812War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors ambushed a United States Army convoy after it had evacuated Fort Dearborn, in present-day Chicago, and r…
  • November 3French invasion of RussiaFrench invasion of Russia: As Napoleon's Grande Armée began its retreat, its rear guard was defeated at the Battle of Vyazma.
  • June 221812 French declaration of war on RussiaFrance declared war on Russia, starting Napoleon's invasion two days later.
  • January 10New Orleans (steamboat)New Orleans (pictured), the first steamship on the Mississippi River, arrived at New Orleans to complete its maiden voyage.
  • June 24Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars: Led by Napoleon, the French Grande Armée crossed the Neman, beginning their invasion of Russia.
  • December 29War of 1812War of 1812: In a three-hour single-ship action, HMS Java (drawing shown) was captured by USS Constitution off the coast of Brazil.
  • October 13War of 1812War of 1812: British troops and Mohawk warriors repelled an American invasion from across the Niagara River at the Battle of Queenston He…

Everything we record for 1812 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Peninsular War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/peninsular-war-1812-april-6, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Peninsular War happen?

April 6 1812 — 214 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.