Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The obelisk of 10 April 1814, located in Toulouse, commemorates the battle between the French troops of Marshal Soult and the Anglo-Hispano-Portuguese forces of Wellington. This battle, delivered on 10 April 1814 from 6am to 9pm, was a tactical French victory but a strategic defeat, because Toulouse was abandoned the next day. The battle, although without real stake (Napoleon having already abdicated on April 6), marked the end of the clashes in the South-West.

The monument, designed by Urban Vitry, was inaugurated in 1839 after a first stone laid in 1835. It takes the form of a brick obelisk resting on a square base of 4 meters side, decorated with inscriptions like "To the brave dead for the homeland". Originally, two copper plates engraved by J.B. Mercadier, listing the subscribers and participants, were attached inside. Today at the Paul-Dupuy Museum, they testify to the tribute paid to the soldiers.

The battle itself was a bloody episode of the Spanish War (1808-1813), where Soult tried to defend Toulouse against Wellington. In spite of the heavier losses among the coals, Sult evacuated the city on the night of April 11-12, allowing the British to enter triumphantly. The monument, classified in 1991, symbolizes both the French resistance and the political divisions of the period, between Bonapartists and royalists.

The historical context reveals a divided Toulouse: after Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the "Verdets" (ultraroyalists) carried out a "white terror" against the Bonapartists, as evidenced by the assassination of General Ramel. The obelisk, located on Camille-Flammarion Avenue, remains a tangible vestige of these tensions, while honouring the fallen soldiers in a battle that has become obsolete even before its end.

Architecturally, the obelisk is distinguished by its internal staircase leading to a top opened by a six-pointed star bay. Its base, inspired by ancient mausoleums, reinforces its commemorative character. The choice of the red brick, local material, anchored the monument in the Toulouse landscape, while its inscription "Recognizing Toulouse" underscores the desire for post-conflict reconciliation.

External links