Siege of Toulon (1793)

The siege of Toulon took place during the War of the First Coalition. Following the insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793, a Federalist revolt against the French First Republic broke out in Toulon. The Federalists were soon supplanted by more numerous French Royalists, who requested the First Coalition sent forces to help them hold the city. An Anglo-Spanish fleet arrived on 28 August transporting 13,000 British, Spanish, Neapolitan and Sardinian troops. As Toulon was strategically vital, being a major naval port which was then host to a third of the French Navy's ships of the line, the French Republican government quickly moved to recapture the city.

French Republican troops soon arrived in the area around Toulon and began laying siege to the city. The defenders constructed several forts around Toulon to defend the city from Republican attacks, but these were eventually captured by the besiegers, who constructed several artillery batteries to bombard Toulon. This made the position of the defenders untenable, and a council of senior defending officers agreed to evacuate the city on 18 December. During the evacuation, British and Spanish forces burnt or captured several French warships, temporarily crippling much of the French Navy. Republican troops entered Toulon on 19 December and summarily executed up to 800 Royalist prisoners. One of the Republican commanders at the siege, Napoleon Bonaparte, would go on to enjoy a prodigious military career and eventually become Emperor of the French.