Ciudad Rodrigo (Spanish: [θjuˈðað roˈðɾiɣo] ⓘ) is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca,[3] in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896.

The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right bank of the River Águeda, has been occupied since the Neolithic Age.

In the 12th century, the site was repopulated by King Ferdinand II of León, walling it and re-establishing the old Visigothic diocese of Calabria into the new bishopric as suffragan of the Diocese of Santiago de Compostela; it comprised a big part of the province of Salamanca, and a portion of the province of Cáceres, an act confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1175.

The first bishop of whom anything certain is known was called Pedro (1165) and one of the most celebrated was the learned jurist Don Diego de Covarruvias y Leyva (1560).

During the 15th century, a series of artworks of perhaps 35-panels (only 26 panels survive), known as the Retablo (altarpiece) of the Cathedral of the Ciudad Rodrigo[5] was created by Fernando Gallego, Maestro Bartolomé,[6] and the artists of their workshops.

The 5,500-man Spanish garrison of Field Marshal Don Andreas de Herrasti put up a gallant defense, surrendering only after French artillery opened a breach in the walls and their infantry were poised for an assault.

The British General Wellington began his 1812 campaign by taking Ciudad Rodrigo by storm on the night of 19–20 January 1812, after preparatory operations lasting about 10 days.

Meanwhile, two breaches in the walls had been opened by Wellington's twenty-three 24-lb and four 18-lb siege guns under the command of Captain Alexander Dickson.