Military Intervention
On 17 April 1823, French forces led by Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, son of the future Charles X, crossed the Pyrenees into Spain. Among those fighting with him was Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignano, soon to be King of Sardinia.
The French forces were welcomed by the Basques and in Catalonia. The duke dispatched a force to besiege San Sebastian while he launched an attack on Madrid, held by the rebel government, which on 23 May withdrew to Seville, Madrid's military commander secretly surrendered and fled to France, and the leaderless Madrid garrison could not keep out the French, who seized the city and installed a regent, pending Ferdinand's expected return.
The French moved south to besiege the rebels at Cádiz. The French besieged the fort of Trocadero, which controlled the access to the city. On 31 August 1823 they launched a surprise bayonet attack from the seaside, using the low tide, and took the fort. There were 400 French casualties and 500 to 600 Spanish, one-third of the garrison.
Cádiz itself held out for three weeks despite bombardments, but was forced to surrender on 23 September 1823 and King Ferdinand was handed over to the French. Despite a prior promise of amnesty, the king ordered reprisals against the rebels. The following years, an estimated 30,000 people were executed and 20,000 imprisoned.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Trocadero
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