Peninsular War

Quick Facts: Who was Peninsular War?

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Peninsular War

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A protracted conflict (1808–1814) fought in Iberia against Napoleonic French occupation.

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Origins & Early Life

The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by the Iberian nations Spain and Portugal, along with the United Kingdom, against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, it is considered to overlap with the Spanish War of Independence. It overlapped with the War of the Fifth Coalition (1809) and the War of the Sixth Coalition (1812–1814). The war can be said to have started when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugal in 1807 by transiting through Spain, but it escalated in 1808 after Napoleonic France occupied Spain, which had been its ally. Napoleon Bonaparte forced the abdications of Ferdinand VII and his father Charles IV and then installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne and promulgated the Bayonne Constitution.

Career & Major Achievements

Most Spaniards rejected French rule and fought a bloody war to oust them. The war on the peninsula lasted until the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814, and is regarded as one of the first wars of national liberation. It is also significant for the emergence of large-scale guerrilla warfare. In 1808, the Spanish army in Andalusia defeated the French at the Battle of Bailén, considered the first open-field defeat of the Napoleonic army on a European battlefield. Besieged by 70,000 French troops, a reconstituted national government, the Cortes—in effect a government-in-exile—fortified itself in the secure port of Cádiz in 1810.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The British army, under Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, guarded Portugal and campaigned against the French alongside the reformed Portuguese Army and provided whatever supplies they could get to the Spanish, while the Spanish armies and guerrillas tied down vast numbers of Napoleon's troops. In 1812, when Napoleon set out with a massive army on what proved to be a disastrous invasion of Russia, a combined allied army defeated the French at Salamanca and took the capital Madrid. In the following year the Coalition defeated King Joseph Bonaparte's army at the Battle of Vitoria, paving the way for victory in the war in the Iberian Peninsula. Pursued by the armies of Britain, Spain and Portugal, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, no longer getting sufficient support from a depleted France, led the exhausted and demoralized French forces in a fighting withdrawal across the Pyrenees during the winter of 1813–1814. The years of fighting in Spain were a heavy burden on France's Imperial Army.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1807: 1807 Milestone — The war can be said to have started when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugal in 1807 by transiting through Spain, but it escalated in 1808 after Napoleonic France occupied Spain, which had been its ally.
2. 1808: 1808 Milestone — The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by the Iberian nations Spain and Portugal, along with the United Kingdom, against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. 1809: 1809 Milestone — It overlapped with the War of the Fifth Coalition (1809) and the War of the Sixth Coalition (1812–1814).
4. 1810: 1810 Milestone — Besieged by 70,000 French troops, a reconstituted national government, the Cortes—in effect a government-in-exile—fortified itself in the secure port of Cádiz in 1810.
5. 1812: 1812 Milestone — In 1812, when Napoleon set out with a massive army on what proved to be a disastrous invasion of Russia, a combined allied army defeated the French at Salamanca and took the capital Madrid.
6. 1813: 1813 Milestone — Pursued by the armies of Britain, Spain and Portugal, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, no longer getting sufficient support from a depleted France, led the exhausted and demoralized French forces in a fighting withdrawal across the Pyrenees during the winter of 1813–1814.
7. 1814: 1814 Milestone — The war on the peninsula lasted until the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814, and is regarded as one of the first wars of national liberation.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Peninsular War

True or False: “The Peninsular War was solely a conflict between Spain and France.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The war involved Portugal and the United Kingdom fighting alongside the Iberian nations against French forces.

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