Hess 97 – Wellington’s Victory or The Battle of Vitoria (Opus 91) – 1816
Adapted by Beethoven himself for piano and two cannons (timpani).
Hess 97 – Wellington’s Victory or The Battle of Vitoria (Opus 91) – 1816, adapted by Beethoven himself for piano and two cannons (timpani).
Original Title: Wellingtons Sieg, oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria, Op. 91 Published in 1816 by S.A. Steiner in Vienna, this piece is an original work by Beethoven. It is referenced in Kinsky/Halm on p. 255. [Republished by Hess in SBG, Vol. VIII, 1964, p. 99.]
Historical Context: The Battle of Vitoria took place on June 21, 1813. The Duke of Wellington, along with Portuguese and Spanish allies, defeated the French army, marking a decisive victory in the Spanish War of Independence. Wellington commanded 118,000 British, Portuguese, and Spanish soldiers with 96 cannons, defeating 58,000 French troops with 151 cannons under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdan near Vitoria, Spain. In July 1812, after the Battle of Salamanca, the French evacuated Madrid, which Wellington’s army entered on August 12, 1812. He deployed three divisions to guard the southern entrances of the capital and marched north to besiege the fortress of Burgos, 226 km away. However, he underestimated enemy strength and had to abandon the siege on October 21, retreating first to Salamanca and then to Ciudad Rodrigo near the Portuguese border to avoid encirclement.
Wellington spent the winter reorganizing and reinforcing his forces. Meanwhile, Napoleon withdrew many French troops to rebuild his army after the disastrous Russian campaign.
In May 1813, Wellington advanced from northern Portugal, crossing mountains and the Esla River into northern Spain. On May 20, he maneuvered to outflank Marshal Jourdan’s 58,000 troops stationed between the Duero and Tagus rivers. The French retreated toward Burgos, pursued by Wellington’s forces, who aimed to push them toward the roads to France.
Jourdan planned to regroup scattered units to face the Anglo-Spanish forces with equal numbers, but King Joseph and other commanders opposed the idea. On June 20, Jourdan was ill, and King Joseph dangerously mispositioned his troops near Vitoria, a key road junction.
Wellington launched his attack on June 21 in three columns. After fierce fighting, Thomas Picton’s Third Division broke through the enemy center. The French retreat turned into a rout, with 8,000 men lost and 2,000 captured, compared to Wellington’s 4,500 casualties. The allies seized 151 cannons, and King Joseph narrowly escaped capture.
This battle marked the end of Napoleon’s reign in Spain. British soldiers failed to pursue the fleeing French, instead looting abandoned wagons containing the royal treasury. It’s estimated that over one million pounds were recovered (equivalent to nearly one hundred million pounds today). The chaotic scramble for loot led Wellington to exclaim angrily: “The British soldier is the scum of the earth, enlisted only for drinking.”
Order was soon restored. By December, after reaching San Sebastián and Pamplona, Wellington’s army camped in France.
