The National Constituent Assembly has become the effective government of France following the storming of the Bastille on 14 July.

The number of the Estates-General had increased significantly during the election period, but many deputies take their time arriving; some of them will reach Paris as late as 1791.

According to Timothy Tackett, there were a total of eleven hundred and seventy-seven deputies in the Assembly by mid-July 1789.

Among them, two hundred and seventy-eight belong to the nobility, two hundred and ninety-five to the clergy, and six hundred and four are representatives of the Third Estate.

For the entire duration of the Assembly, a total of thirteen hundred and fifteen deputies will be certified: three hundred and thirty clerics, three hundred and twenty-two nobles, and six hundred and sixty-three deputies of the Third Estate.

Tackett will note that the majority of the Second Estate has a military background, and the Third Estate is dominated by men of legal professions.

Some of the leading figures of the Assembly at this time are:

    The conservative foes of the revolution, later known as "The Right":
        Jacques Antoine Marie de Cazalès – a forthright spokesman for aristocracy
        the abbé Jean-Sifrein Maury – a somewhat inflexible representative of the Church
    The Monarchiens ("Monarchists", also called "Democratic Royalists") allied with Jacques Necker, inclined toward arranging France along lines similar to the British constitution model with a House of Lords and a House of Commons:
        Pierre Victor, baron Malouet
        Trophime-Gérard, marquis de Lally-Tollendal
        Stanislas Marie Adelaide, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre
        Jean Joseph Mounier
    "The Left" (also called "National Party") is still relatively united in support of revolution and democracy, representing mainly the interests of the middle classes but strongly sympathetic to the broader range of the common people.

In the early period, its most notable leaders include Honoré Mirabeau, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Jean-Sylvain Bailly (the first two of aristocratic background).

Mignet also points to Adrien Duport, Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave, and Alexander Lameth as leaders among the "most extreme of this party" in this period, leaders in taking "a more advanced position than that which the revolution had [at this time] attained." (Mignet, François (1856). History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814. France. p. 61.)

Lameth's brother Charles also belongs to this group.

In regard to the proposition of legislation in this period, the Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, especially for a time, manages to bridge the differences between those who want a constitutional monarchy and those who wish to move towards more democratic, even republican directions.

Victor's force has been diminished because of requests for reinforcement from Soult to aid his siege of Badajoz.

This has brought the French numbers down to between twenty thousand and fifteen thousand and encourage the defenders of Cádiz to attempt a breakout, in conjunction with the arrival of an Anglo-Spanish relief army of around twelve thousand infantry and eight hundred cavalry under the overall command of Spanish General Manuel La Peña, with the British contingent being led by Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham.

Marching towards Cádiz on February, this force defeats two French divisions under Victor at Barrosa on March 5.

The Allies fail to exploit their success and Victor soon renews the blockade.

Soult with twenty thousand men has besieged and captured the fortress towns of Badajoz and Olivenza in Extremadura from January through March 1811, capturing sixteen thousand prisoners, before returning to Andalusia with most of his army.

Soult is relieved at the operation's speedy conclusion, for intelligence received on 8 March tells him that Francisco Ballesteros' Spanish army is menacing Seville, that Victor had been defeated at Barrosa and Masséna had retreated from Portugal.

Soult redeploys his forces to deal with these threats.

The Siege of Tarifa (Winter 1811–1812) – A Failed French Assault

As part of Napoleon’s efforts to consolidate French control in southern Spain, Marshal Claude Victor launched an attack on the small Anglo-Spanish garrison at Tarifa during the winter of 1811–1812. However, his attempt to crush the defenders was ultimately frustrated by torrential rains and determined resistance, forcing the French to abandon their siege efforts.

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Tarifa’s Strategic Importance

• Tarifa, located on the southern coast of Spain, was a key defensive stronghold controlling access to the Strait of Gibraltar.
• Its capture would have threatened British naval dominance in the region, allowing the French to challenge British resupply operations in the Mediterranean.
• The garrison consisted of Anglo-Spanish forces, who braced for a prolonged siege.

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The French Assault and the Elements Against Victor

• Over the winter of 1811–1812, Marshal Victor’s troops launched attacks on Tarifa’s outer defenses, hoping to overwhelm the small garrison.
• However, the fortifications held, with the defenders resisting fiercely despite being outnumbered.
• Torrential rains wreaked havoc on the French siege operations, turning the battlefield into a quagmire and flooding French trenches, making further assaults impossible.

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Outcome – A Failed French Siege

• Victor’s troops were unable to breach Tarifa’s defenses, and the weather conditions made continued operations untenable.
• By early 1812, the French abandoned their assault, marking the end of their efforts to capture Tarifa.
• The defenders' resilience ensured that the town remained in Allied hands, protecting British and Spanish supply routes.

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Strategic Consequences

• The failed siege demonstrated that the French were losing their ability to dominate southern Spain, particularly in the face of combined British and Spanish resistance.
• With French efforts at Tarifa and Cádiz both unsuccessful, the initiative in the Peninsular War continued shifting toward Wellington and the Allies.
• This failure was one of several setbacks that would culminate in the French withdrawal from Andalusia later in 1812.

The Siege of Tarifa marked the end of French offensive operations in the region, reinforcing the growing momentum of Allied forces as the Peninsular War moved toward its climax.