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| Siege of Bilbao (1835) | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Siege of Bilbao (1835) |
| Partof | First Carlist War |
| Date | October–December 1835 |
| Place | Bilbao, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain |
| Result | Liberal relief and Carlist withdrawal |
| Combatant1 | Isabella II supporters (Cristinos) |
| Combatant2 | Carlos V supporters (Carlists) |
| Commander1 | Baldomero Espartero, Reginald Picton, Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, Joaquín Blake y Joyes |
| Commander2 | Tomás de Zumalacárregui, Maroto, Borbón |
| Strength1 | Varied forces including María Cristina's troops, British Auxiliary Legion, French Foreign Legion |
| Strength2 | Regional militias, Guipuzcoan volunteers, irregulars |
| Casualties1 | Unknown |
| Casualties2 | Unknown |
Siege of Bilbao (1835) was a major operation during the First Carlist War in which Carlist forces attempted to capture the city of Bilbao between October and December 1835. The siege involved a mixture of regulars, irregulars, foreign volunteers, and naval elements, and ended with a strategic failure for the Carlists following pressure from Liberal relief forces. The engagement had significant effects on Basque politics, British involvement, and the course of the First Carlist War.
The confrontation grew out of the dynastic dispute after the death of Ferdinand VII of Spain and the regency of María Cristina, which prompted the claimant Don Carlos to assert his rights, leading to the First Carlist War. Bilbao, a commercial hub in Biscay, had strategic importance for control of the Cantabrian Sea coastline and access to the industrializing districts of Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa. The city’s allegiance to the Isabeline cause made it a focal point after earlier clashes at Vitoria-Gasteiz, Arrigorriaga, Galdakao, and along routes linking Pamplona and Bilbao. Carlist commanders, emboldened by successes near Lumbier and Guipúzcoa campaigns led by figures from Navarre and the royalist networks of Alava, saw Bilbao as vital to isolating Liberal strongholds such as Santander and disrupting commerce with Liverpool and Bordeaux.
On the Liberal side, forces defending Bilbao included officers loyal to Cristina Fernández de Borbón’s regency, units under the command of generals like Baldomero Espartero, and detachments of the British Auxiliary Legion raised under Sir George de Lacy Evans and officers from France and Belgium. Naval support and logistics involved merchants and shipowners from Bilbao and ports linked to Cadiz, Huelva, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Carlist forces were commanded by regional leaders from Navarre, Álava, and Guipúzcoa, including veteran guerrilla chiefs connected to families allied to Don Carlos such as the Maroto faction and followers of Tomás de Zumalacárregui’s legacy. Political figures like Ramón María Narváez and diplomats from London and Paris monitored the siege closely; British volunteers, investors, and newspapers such as the Times and Morning Chronicle reported on developments.
Carlist commanders employed blockade tactics, occupation of heights surrounding Bilbao such as the approaches from Getxo and the Nervión River valley, and attempted to cut supply lines along roads to Castro Urdiales and Portugalete. They established encampments near key points including Zorroza and sought to isolate the city from relief columns under generals operating out of Vitoria and Bilbao’s port. Liberal defenders utilized fortifications, barricades in districts like Abando and Casco Viejo, and coordinated with naval squadrons to keep lines of supply with Biscay and shipping to Bayonne. Skirmishes occurred at fords and bridges near Erandio and Sestao, while sorties by Liberal infantry and cavalry attempted to disrupt Carlist trenches and earthworks modeled on contemporary sieges such as the Siege of Zaragoza.
Carlist tactics relied on mobility, local knowledge from Basque militia, and guerrilla raids, contrasted with Liberal use of artillery, blockhouse construction, and supply convoys defended by British and provincial volunteers. Logistical challenges included rugged terrain of the Basque Mountains, winter weather affecting movement on routes via Durango and Ordizia, and the maintenance of ammunition and medical services in field hospitals influenced by practices seen in the Peninsular War. Naval logistics, involving coasters and merchantmen between Bilbao and Bordeaux, were vital for provisioning and for evacuation plans. Communications involved couriers to Madrid, telegraph alternatives, and liaison with foreign legions, while disease and attrition mirrored earlier campaigns like Burgos.
Casualty figures remain contested in contemporary reports from newspapers in London, Paris, and Madrid and in memoirs by officers from the British Auxiliary Legion and Spanish generals; both combatant sides suffered losses from combat, exposure, and disease. The failure to take Bilbao forced Carlist commanders to withdraw to defensive positions in Alava and Navarre, altering frontline dispositions and enabling Liberal consolidation. Prisoners and wounded were exchanged through intermediaries tied to clergy in Bilbao and to neutral consuls from Britain and France, while material losses affected merchant interests in Bilbao and industrialists connected to the emerging ironworks in Baracaldo.
Politically, the siege influenced debates in the Cortes and in foreign capitals about intervention, recognition, and subsidy; it strengthened the position of regents supporting Isabella II and encouraged further recruitment of foreign volunteers. Strategically, retention of Bilbao maintained a Liberal foothold in Vizcaya and preserved maritime lines to Bay of Biscay ports, complicating Carlosist plans for a quick campaign toward Madrid and reinforcements from Navarre. The episode affected subsequent operations leading to clashes at Luchana and campaigns by commanders such as Espartero that ultimately culminated in later actions including the Convention of Vergara negotiations.
Historians have debated the siege in works focused on the First Carlist War, Basque identity, and 19th-century European interventions, citing primary sources from British volunteers, Spanish official dispatches, and Basque municipal archives in Bilbao. Scholarly treatments reference analyses by historians of Spanish military history, comparative studies with the Peninsular War, and biographies of figures like Baldomero Espartero and Tomás de Zumalacárregui. The siege remains emblematic in regional memory and appears in Basque cultural histories, military studies, and collections in institutions such as the Museo Naval and archives in Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Category:First Carlist War Category:1835 in Spain Category:History of Bilbao