Siege of Ragusa (1806)

For other uses, see Siege of Ragusa (disambiguation).

Siege of Ragusa (1806)
Part of the Second Archipelago Expedition during the Napoleonic Wars
Siege of Ragusa (illustration by H. F. Philippoteaux, c. 1870)
Date 27 May – 1 October 1806 Location Republic of Ragusa (inclusive of the city of Ragusa, which is present-day Dubrovnik, Croatia) Result French victory
Belligerents
France  •  Ragusa	Russia   Montenegro
Commanders and leaders
Auguste de Marmont Jacques Lauriston [a] Gabriel Molitor	Dmitry Senyavin Petar I Petrović-Njegoš
Units involved
Unknown	Imperial Russian Navy Vitebsk Musketeers 13th Jaeger Regiment
Strength
1,000–1,500 French (regulars) in Dubrovnik [b] 3,000 regulars and 4,000 Ragusians on Mount Bargart [c] (under Lauriston), plus 16 cannon [4] [5] 3,000 of Molitor's reinforcement [6] per Senyavin, total: 12,000 regulars 3,000 Ragusians [7]	2,300–3,000 Russian regulars [d] 5,000 Montenegrins [3] approx. 7,000 maritimes [e] Russian fleet, total: 10 ships of the line 5 frigates 6 corvettes 6 brigs 12 gunboats [10]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Greater casualties than France[ further explanation needed ]

The siege of Ragusa took place in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars (the War of the Third Coalition in a certain period). ^[11]

After French occupied the maritime republic of Ragusa, Russian and allied forces under the leadership of Vice Admiral Dmitry Senyavin laid siege to it for months. The Russian allies included Montenegrins, commanded by the Orthodox bishop of Montenegro, Petar I Petrović-Njegoš. Divisional general Auguste de Marmont was the "ruler" and supreme commander in the republic. The siege saw several stormings/engagements at local strongholds with varying results, but it all eventually resulted in the Russian alliance abandoning the siege attempt when French General G. Molitor appeared in the rear and thus saved the republic. Molitor, under the command of Jean-de-Dieu Soult, once managed to hold back the onslaught of Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov-Rymniksky at Näfels during the battle of Glarus; now he received the glory of being the victor over Admiral Dmitry Senyavin. ^{[6] [12] [13]}

During the siege, Senyavin and French General Jacques Lauriston, who commanded in the city of Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), conducted extensive correspondence and even met in person. ^[14]

Notes

1. in Dubrovnik ^[1]
2. • Estimates:
   •  •1,000 ^[2]
   •  •1,500 ^[3]
3. For some reason, Srđ is mentioned in Bronevsky's chronicles as Bargart.
4. • Estimates:
   •  •2,300 ^[3]
   •  •3,000 ^[8]
5. 12,000 Montenegrins and other maritimes. ^[9]

References

1. Tarle 1954, p. 278.
2. Harris 2006, p. 388.
3. Bersa 1941, p. 32.
4. Bronevsky 2020, pp. 242–244.
5. Tarle 1954, p. 253.
6. Bronevsky 2020, p. 260.
7. Tarle 1954, pp. 291–292.
8. Tarle 1954, p. 290.
9. Tarle 1954, p. 269.
10. Tarle 1954, pp. 250–252.
11. "Dubrovnik - Destination Napoleon - European Federation of Napoleonic Cities". 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
12. Tarle 1954, pp. 271, 282.
13. Harris 2006, p. 382.
14. Tarle 1954, pp. 268–283.

Attribution

• Tarle, Y. V. (1954). Экспедиция адмирала Сенявина в Средиземное море. Сочинения. Vol. 10.
• Bronevsky, V. B. [in Russian] (2020). Notes from a naval officer in the continuation of the campaign in the Mediterranean Sea under the command of Vice Admiral Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin from 1805 to 1810. Vol. 1. Moscow, Berlin: Directmedia Publishing. ISBN   978-5-4499-0588-8.
• Dictionnaire Napoléon, Jean Tulard, 1987
• Harris, Robin (1 October 2006). Dubrovnik: A History. London: Saqi Books. ISBN   0-86356-959-5.
• Bersa, Josip (1941). Dubrovačke slike i prilike (1800. - 1880.). Zagreb: REDOVNO IZDANJE MATICE HRVATSKE. Retrieved 2 January 2026.