Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, early modern

Battle of Tarragona

Battle of Tarragona was a naval engagement fought on 20 August 1641 at Tarragona, in what is now Spain; it lasted 5 days. It was part of the Reapers' War, which ran from 1640 to 1659. The recorded result: Spanish victory; End of the French naval blockade; Spanish naval control of the area; Retreat of the French naval and land forces. Recorded strength: 26 galleons; 19 galleys; 8 brigantines; 4 fireships against 30–35 galleons and frigates; 29 galleys; 65 transport ships.

See it on the globe Read the article

Fought20 August 1641lasted 5 days
WhereTarragona, Spain41.166N, 1.214E
OutcomeSpanish victory; End of the French naval blockade; Spanish naval control of the area; Retreat of the French naval and land forces
BelligerentsKingdom of FranceagainstSpain
Casualties and lossesSevere human losses and; naval damage; 1 fireship capturedandMinor
Part ofReapers' War1640 to 1659

Where it sits in the Reapers' War

Siege of Ille-sur-Têt, 1640Battle of Coll de Balaguer, 1640Battle of Cambrils, 1640Battle of Montjuïc, 1641Battle of Constantí, 1641Siege of Tarragona, 1641Battle of El Catllar, 1641Battle of Tarragona, 1641Siege of Almenar, 1641Siege of Perpignan, 1641Siege of Monzón, 1642Siege of Salses, 1642Battle of Montmeló, 1642Battle of La Granada, 1642Siege of Collioure, 1642Siege of Tortosa, 1642Siege of Monzón, 1642Battle of Lleida, 1642Siege of Miravet, 1643Siege of Lleida, 1644Siege of Tarragone, 1644Battle of San Lorenzo de Mongay, 1645Siege of Balaguer, 1645Siege of Lérida, 1646Siege of Lleida, 1647Siege of Tortosa, 1648Battle of Montblanc, 1649Siege of Tortosa, 1650Siege of Barcelona, 1652Siege of Castelló d'Empúries, 1653Siege of Girona, 1653Siege of Villefranche-de-Conflent, 1654Setge de Puigcerdà, 1654Battle of Solsona, 1655Battle of Berga, 1655Battle of Castellfollit, 1657Battle of Camprodon, 165816401658Battle of Tarragona, 1641
37 placed engagements of the Reapers' War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date20 August 1641
to 25 August 1641
PlaceTarragona, Spain
41.166N, 1.214E
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength26 galleons; 19 galleys; 8 brigantines; 4 fireships30–35 galleons and frigates; 29 galleys; 65 transport ships
Casualties and lossesSevere human losses and; naval damage; 1 fireship capturedMinor
Commanders
  • Henri de Sourdis
  • García de Toledo Osorio, 6th Marquess of Villafranca
  • Jorge de Cárdenas y Manrique de Lara
Battle of TarragonaBattle of TarragonaBattle of ConstantíSiege of TarragonaNaval Battle of TarragonaSiege of TarragonaSiege of TarragoneSiege of TarragonaBarcelonaZaragozaCastelloMataró100 km41.166N, 1.214E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between 218 BC and 1813.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1641

Battle of Tarragona is one of 1,553 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 1,204 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q577948, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tarragona (August 1641), revision 1370590608, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.