During the Peninsular War (1808-1814), sieges against cities became a decisive aspect of the conflict. The author deals with the one carried out by the French troops against Badajoz, on the border with Portugal, between January and March, 1811, with the city’s capitulation, as well as the three defenses of the enclave sustained by the French garrison against the Anglo-Portuguese army up to the French capitulation in April, 1812. The research offers a two-sided perspective of the siege with the same protagonist, since Napoleon’s soldiers fixed their resources as attackers first, and later as defenders sheltered inside the enclosure, becoming "war fanatics", as they were described by some contemporary chronicles. There is a detailed analysis of the tactics put into practice, the activities developed during the occupation of a Position of high strategic value and the obstacles found in order to preserve it. There is also an explanation of the reasons why Spanish historiography has not paid to these episodes the attention they deserve, and why History has not granted them the place of honor given to other sieges such as that of Saragossa or Gerona.
Keywords: Sieges, Badajoz, España, Portugal border, Peninsular War.