A place of considerable importance: Lord Cochrane and the siege of Roses 1808

Journal article

Five months before the battle of Aix Roads (April 1809), his successful but frustrated attack on the French Brest fleet and his last action as a Royal Navy frigate commander, Captain Thomas, Lord Cochrane was engaged in an important operation at Roses on the coast of Catalonia. The Catalonia maritime theatre is considered by some historians to have been something of a backwater for the Royal Navy during the Peninsular War, but Napoleon Bonaparte’s overall strategic vision demanded unfettered access to the Mediterranean, and the Royal Navy’s constant patrols, many based on or near Rosas, kept the French navy contained at Toulon and the French army under duress on the right flank of Bonaparte’s southern Continental theatre. This article, from original research and analysis of primary source material, much of it unpublished, sheds new light on the events surrounding the Siege of Roses in November and December 1808, particularly the strategic context of the part played by Lord Cochrane, and the strategic importance of Rosas as a rendezvous for British fleets and a beachhead for allied forces.

Authors: Reay, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Society for Nautical Research
• Journal: Mariner's Mirror
• Volume: 95
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 400-428
• Publication date: 2009-11-01
• Edition: Publisher's version
• Language: English
• Keywords: Royal Navy
• Subjects: International,imperial and global history; History of Britain and Europe; History of War; History