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1808-1814Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Peninsular War Turns Spain Into Napoleon's "Spanish Ulcer"

Napoleon installs his brother on the Spanish throne; guerrilla resistance and Wellington bleed his empire for six years

On the timeline · around 1808-1814 · Modern SpainGolden Age and Habsburg SpainModern SpainThe Peninsular War Turns Spain Into Napoleon's "Spanish Ulcer"170017251750177518001825185018751900

Quick facts

French invasion
February 1808
Joseph Bonaparte installed
May 1808
Decisive battle
Vitoria, June 21, 1813
Napoleon's own description
The "Spanish Ulcer"

What happened

In February 1808, French troops invaded Spain and soon occupied Madrid; in May, Napoleon forced the abdications of the Spanish king and installed his own brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the throne instead. Spaniards rose up against the occupation, and the National Army Museum notes that the stubborn Spanish defense of cities and towns tied down thousands of French troops in a war marked by large-scale guerrilla resistance, a term the conflict itself helped popularize. The British Army, under Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, fought alongside Spanish and Portuguese forces, and Wellington's victory at the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813 effectively ended French control of the peninsula.

Why it matters

The war became such a persistent drain on French resources and manpower that Napoleon himself called it the Spanish Ulcer, and the National Army Museum describes it as the British Army's main contribution to the wider war against Napoleon. For Spain, the war devastated the country economically and politically just as its American colonies were beginning to break away.

How we know

The Peninsular War's campaigns, from the French invasion through Joseph Bonaparte's installation to Wellington's 1813 victory at Vitoria, are documented in British, French, and Spanish military records of the period and summarized by the UK's National Army Museum.

Sources

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Part of a timelineHistory of Spain27 events · Iberian tribes, Roman emperors, a caliphate at Cordoba, and a Reconquista that took nearly 800 years to finishView all →
The Peninsular War Turns Spain Into Napoleon's "Spanish Ulcer" · History of Spain · SourcedStory