On 16 January 1809, in Elviña, a small village near A Coruña, a battle took place between 14,000 British and 20,000 French soldiers.
This battle, known to the Spanish as the Battle of Elviña and to the English as the Battle of Corunna, was part of the Peninsular War (known in Spain as the Spanish War of Independence), one of the many Napoleonic Wars.
The battle left some 2,500 soldiers dead or wounded. The British managed to hold off the Napoleonic forces commanded by Marshal Soult, but they lost their general Sir John Moore, who is buried in the San Carlos Garden and is honoured in the city.
From the port of A Coruña, Moore's troops managed to return home with the Royal Navy, but the battle would go down in history as one of the most important of the Peninsular War.
The Napoleonic tour of A Coruña recounts this battle in detail.
You can download the brochure about Sir John Moore here.