Battle of Toulouse, the last major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on April 10, 1814, between the British and French armiez. Fought in southern France, the battle proved that the French were still determined and able to fight, and although it was inconclusive, the British suffered more casualties than the French, leading many historians to consider it a French victory. Ironically, whatever the outcome, it turned out to be a pointless encounter. Four days earlier, albeit unknown to the French and British commanders, Napoleon had surrendered to the Allied Sixth Coalition.

　　During 1814 Field Marshal Wellington and his allies began to advance into southern France. Marshal Nicolas Soult, the French commander, withdrew to Toulouse to replenish his army, closely followed by Wellington and a combination of British, Portuguese, and Spanish troops.

　　Napoleonic Wars Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Battle of Lodi May 10, 1796

　　Battle of the Pyramids July 21, 1798

　　Battle of the Nile August 1, 1798

　　War of the Oranges April 1801 - June 1801

　　Battle of Copenhagen April 2, 1801

　　Treaty of Amiens March 27, 1802

　　Battle of Ulm September 25, 1805 - October 20, 1805

　　Battle of Trafalgar October 21, 1805

　　Battle of Austerlitz December 2, 1805

　　Battle of Santo Domingo February 6, 1806

　　Battle of Jena October 14, 1806

　　Battle of Eylau February 7, 1807 - February 8, 1807

　　Battle of Friedland June 14, 1807

　　Battle of Copenhagen August 15, 1807 - September 7, 1807

　　Dos de Mayo Uprising May 2, 1808

　　Peninsular War May 5, 1808 - March 1814

　　Battle of Wagram July 5, 1809 - July 6, 1809

　　Battle of Grand Port August 22, 1810 - August 29, 1810

　　Siege of Badajoz March 16, 1812 - April 6, 1812

　　Battle of Smolensk August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812

　　Battle of Dresden August 26, 1813 - August 27, 1813

　　Battle of Leipzig October 16, 1813 - October 19, 1813

　　Battle of Toulouse April 10, 1814

　　Battle of Waterloo June 18, 1815 keyboard_arrow_right Wellington surrounded the city on three sides. To the west, he dispatched Lieutenant General Sir Rowland Hill with his 2nd Division and the Portuguese Division to capture the suburb of St. Cyprien and draw away Soult’s troops. To the north, the 3rd Division, under Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton, and the Light Division would provide feint attacks, while, to the east, the main assault would be made against the dominating Heights of Calvinet. This attack would be led by two divisions under Marshal Sir William Beresford, supported by two Spanish divisions commanded by General Manuel Freires.

　　On the morning of April 10 Hill’s force took St. Cyprien with ease, but to the north an overeager Picton pushed on farther than ordered, and his troops were repulsed with heavy losses. Beresford initially had difficulties arriving at his start line, and an impatient Freires ordered the Spanish troops to attack without British support. They were driven off the heights with heavy losses, abandoning the field and leaving the battle to the British. At last, Beresford managed to capture the position. Realizing the danger after mounting two unsuccessful counterattacks, Soult then quietly slipped away from Toulouse to the south, to agree to armistice terms with Wellington after learning of Napoleon’s abdication.

　　Losses: Allied, some 5,500 casualties of 50,000; French, some 2,700 casualties of 42,000.

　　Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now