Lentorama 2022: It Happened on Easter

Day 13: The Battle of Toulouse begins

One of the last battles of the Napoleonic Wars the Battle of Toulouse actually started after the abdication of Napoleon and the capitulation of the French Empire, but as news traveled slowly in those days the fighting continued. 

A force led by the Duke of Wellington pushed out of Spain and proceeded to Toulouse, one of the last strongholds for Napoleon in the south. Fighting began on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1814, with a plan of using a diversonary attack to draw off some of the French troops so that the main body of Wellington's army could take the Heights of Calvinet. Muddy fields and some battlefield confusion led to some disjointed fighting early on, but by the end of the day the main force had taken the heights, and the French pulled back behind the city's fortifications. 

From their new positions, the allied army was able to move its forces up the next day, leading the French commander to abandon the city. Officials turned the city over to Wellington on the 12th, at which point he learned of Napoleon's abdication. An armistice was signed a few days after that, once French military leaders were satisfied that the provisional government was legitmate.