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Contemporary Period (Napoleonic Age)

  • Detalle de la sala: Época Napoleónica
  • Detalle de la sala: Época Napoleónica
  • Detalle de la sala: Época Napoleónica
  • Detalle de la sala: Época Napoleónica

The French Occupation brought Chiclana’s growth in many areas (demographic, economic, etc.) to a halt over a few very severe years of recession, which had long-lasting consequences. Although the growth period had its ups and downs (due to trade with the West Indies, the plague, Yellow Fever and so on), no period was darker than that of the Occupation before and after the Battle of Chiclana. 

The Andalucía campaign was quick and efficient for the French Imperial Army but resistance put up by the Isle of Leon and Cádiz prevented a complete victory by the French troops. The long siege of the two cities meant that the towns along the Bay of Cádiz were occupied. French troops arrived in Chiclana in 1810, turning the area into one huge military camp.

The Battle of Chiclana, also known as the Battle of La Barrosa, took place on March 5, 2011 as the allied forces (Spain under General Lapeña and England under General Graham) engaged with the occupying French army. The battle did not achieve the desired results, not breaking up the blockade on Cádiz or assuring communication with the Isle of Leon. The French troops stayed in Chiclana until August of 1812, leaving the land behind them in ruins and practically uninhabited.

A series of pieces captures that time: prints with the protagonists of those events, maps, projectiles, scale replicas of their uniforms, diagrams of the troops’ strategic movements and a scale model reproducing them that young visitors love. 

Pieces related to this room

Title: Battle of Chiclana
Período: S. XIX
Title: Cañones
Período: S. XIX
Title: Grabado de José Bonaparte
Período: S. XIX
Title: Maqueta Batalla de Chiclana
Período: S. XIX

Multimedia files in this room