Peninsular wars 1808-1814 Flashcards
(13 cards)
What was the cause of the Peninsular wars?
-Continental system
-Milan Decree of 1807 made French ships liable to capture any neutral ships that were affiliated with British ships
What 2 uprisings show the difficulty of imposing the continental system on Europe?
-Entered a war with Spain and Portugal in 1808 after Portugal refused to obey the continental system
-Russia left the continental system in 1810 (precursor to NB’s failed invasion in 1812)
When did France and Spain initially become allies and how long did this last
-1795: became allies
-Briefly ended in 1805-1807 after failures at Battle of Trafalgar
-Allies again in 1807, when Franco-Spainish force was used to contest Portugal which was a opening for British goods in continental Europe
When was Lisbon taken by Franco-Spainish forces?
-December 1807
What were the Madrid Riots and when were they?
-May 1808
-Riots of Spainish people who did not want French rule after they forced the abdication of Charles (pro-Britain) and Ferdinand
-150 French soldiers killed
-Put down by Joachim Murat
Why did the Spanish people not want French rule?
-Did not like the Concordat or secular France
-Conservative and Catholic peasantry were hostile to outsiders
-However, educated and enlightened middle classes welcomed it
What defeat did NB suffer in July 1808 and consequences?
Spaniards formed juntas which won a victory over France in battle of Ballien which forced a retreat and surrender of much of Spain to the insurgents
When was Arthur Wellesley sent by Britain to help Spain and who replaced him afterwards?
-August 1808
-A british/Spainish army beat France in battle of Vimiero in Portugal
-replaced by Sir John Moore
When did NB place himself in Charge of Spain?
-November 1808
-went to Spain with 80,000 troops of grande army
What did the Peninsular wars become?
-Law of attrition
What made the Peninsular wars difficult to win?
-Constant guerilla warfare by Spanish peasants combined with
-Communication between French forces were difficult as fighting in barren mountainous surroundings
When did Napoleon leave Spain and why?
-Napoleon left Spain in November 1809 to go fight the Austrian Campaign
When did Wellsley advance into Madrid and force the flee of Joseph Bonaparte (king of spain)
-Entered Madrid with 30,000 troops in 1813
-Led an invasion into France after victory against French soldiers in Toulouse in 1814.
