Spanish Independence War (1808-1814)

SPANISH INDEPENDENCE WAR (1808-1814). By the year 1808 France had achieved domination over the great majority of continental Europe. French armies had successively eliminated Austria, Prussia and Russia as military opponents. Britain alone had withstood the power of France, achieving security against invasion through Nelson's victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar (1805). But, why Spain is allied of France?. In 1793 spanish army invaded eastern Pyrenees but after two years of war Spanish primer minister Manuel Godoy asked for peace. Spain ceded the eastern part of Hispaniola island to France and Spain signed an alliance with France (from enemies to friends). In 1807 prime minister Manuel Godoy negotiated the Treaty of Fontainebleau with Napoleon (Portugal would be divided between Godoy and France; Godoy would receive the southern half of Portugal). But in december french troops began to invade north Spain (supposedly french troops would pass along north Spain to invade Portugal but Napoleon changed his mind). In february 1808 Napoleon ordered French commanders to seize spanish key fortresses. Spanish Army was paralysed(under-equipped and leaderless). When prime minister Godoy realise that Napoleon was, in fact, invading Spain, ordered the king and queen and the court to flee to Aranjuez with the intention of escaping to America. In Aranjuez supporters of the prince Ferdinand spread word that Godoy had sold out Spain to Napoleon. On march 18 a popular uprising took place. A mob stormed Godoy's residence and king Charles IV had to abdicate in favour of his son, Ferdinand VII. Then, Napoleon decided to take advantage of dissesions in spanish court and invited Charles and Ferdinand to a meeting at Bayonne (south France). Napoleon forced both to abdicate, declaring the Bourbon dinasty deposed and installed his brother Joseph as king of Spain. On May 2, 1808, the commander of french troops Joachim Murat attempted to move the daughter and youngest son of Charles IV of Spain to the French city of Bayonne, where the Spanish King and his son Ferdinand, heir to the throne, had already been taken prisoners. The people of Madrid rose up against french troops. That day the Spanish rebels killed 200 French soldiers in the streets of Madrid. Although the uprising was brutally repressed by the French forces, the news of the rebellion spread throughout Spain. In July 1808, the Spanish Army of Andalusia, commanded by General Francisco Castaños, defeated a numerically superior French Army at the Battle of Bailen, which was the first French defeat in the Peninsular War. From June to August, 1808, the people of the Spanish city of Saragosa managed to hold off superior French forces. In Ausgust 1808, a British expeditionary force landed in Portugal. British and Portuguese armies recaptured Portugal, while Spanish guerrilla fighters attacked the occupiers. France had to evacuate Portugal and most of Spain. Then, Napoleon arrived in Spain at the head of 200,000 veteran troops. British troops had to retreat and finally evacuated by sea at La Coruña. By May 1809, the French armies were victarious almost everywhere in Spain. The whole spanish army fled south. The Spanish Supreme Central and Governing Junta of the Kingdom was coming under harsh criticism over its handling of the war. The Spanish people demanded that the ancient Cortes be summoned and the Junta agreed. The government then retreated to the city of Cadiz. For two years and half the city was surrounded by 70.000 french troops. The strong fortifications of Cádiz proved difficult for the French to attack, and the French also suffered from a lack of supplies, particularly ammunition, and from continuous guerrilla attacking the rear of their siege lines and their communications with Andalusia. The guerrilla style of fighting was the Spanish military' most effective tactic. Most organized attempts by regular Spanish forces to take on the French ended in defeat. Every province had its Guerrilla. The most famous guerrilla leader were: Juan Martin Diaz, El Empecinado (the Obstinate One). Born near Burgos, El Empecinado was originally a farm worker, but by 1811 he commanded a Guerrilla of almost 3000 infantry and 1000 cavalry. El Empecinado was such a problem to the French that they sent entire columns to track him down.

Jeronimo Merino, El Cura, outraged at the behaviour of the French in his home village, raised a Guerrilla of 2500 men. His speciality was the castration of captured French officers.

Ambrosio Carmena, El Pellejero, became active after the rape of his wife. His group operated near Toledo renowned for their ferocity.

Francisco Espoz y Mina. Born in Navarra, he worked on his family farm until 1808. When Napoleon invaded Spain, he joint guerrilla. In 1812 Cadiz government promoted him to the rank of commander of the Upper Aragon and Ebro. He claimed to inmobilize 26000 french troops.

Napoleon's invasion of Russia in June 1812 had ended in disaster and France had to evacuate Prussia and Poland. With Prussia re- entering the war against France, Napoleon was unable to spare fresh troops for the Peninsula as he prepared to counter-attack in the east. Napoleon withdrew troops from Spain and tried to hold a front line from Bilbao to Valencia. English general Wellington defeated french army at Salamanca and entered in Madrid. By summer 1813 Wellington had reached the Pyrenees and crossed into France. In the meantime, austrian and prussian troops were close to the French border from the east.

Paris was entered by the allies on 31st March, 1814. Then, Napoleon abdicated.

ACTIVITIES.

1. Read the text and write a brief biography of these characters:

MANUEL GODOY: NAPOLEÓN:

JOSEPH NAPOLEON: FERDINAND VII:

CHARLES IV: WELLINGTON:

2. Describe with your own words images number 1 and 2.

______

3. What is a guerrilla?. ______

4. What happened on May 2nd, 1808?. ______

5. Who is Francisco de Goya?. Search some information. ______