Napoleon's Great Blunder: Spain 1808
19th Century
•
19m
In 1808, Napoleon's rivalry with Britain led to an ill-fated intervention in Portugal and Spain, that sparked a nationalist revolt against the French. At Bailén Napoleon's Empire suffered its first major defeat, and though Napoleon himself then arrived in Spain to reassert French military dominance, he could not prevent the escape of Sir John Moore's small British army, after its defensive victory at Corunna on 16 January 1809. The British army would return, under new leadership, to play a major part in his downfall.
Up Next in 19th Century
-
Napoleon Defeated: Aspern 1809
In 1809, with Napoleon and his best troops bogged down in Spain, Austria decided to try to get revenge for her humiliation at Austerlitz three years before. Archduke Charles led an invasion of France's ally Bavaria, but Napoleon raised fresh troops and transformed the strategic situation in four ...
-
How Farmers Harvested and Threshed Wh...
Lazy days of summer start for some farmers only after they finish the most stressful time of their year – grain harvest. Weather conditions dictated the timing historically (and continue to do so today). At Firestone Farm, you can see the ways that farmers such as Benjamin Firestone combined weat...
-
Napoleon's Revenge: Wagram 1809
Six weeks after his bloody repulse at the Battle of Aspern-Essling, Napoleon led his reinforced army back across the Danube. The resulting clash with Archduke Charles's Austrian army was the biggest and bloodiest battle yet seen in European history, and despite heavy French losses, resulted in a ...
