-
Carlos IV became King of Spain
This event coincided with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire. -
Period: to
Reign of Charles IV (Spain)
-
Battle of Trafalgar
French and Spanish forces were defeated by the British at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Godoy, one of the most important ministers of Carlos IV, supported Napoleon in the war against Great Britain. -
Portugal and Great Britain were allied
Portugal and Great Britain were allied.
This coincided with the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. -
Treaty of Fontainebleau.
Spain signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau with France. This treaty proposed the division of the portuguese territories and it gave French troops permission to pass through Spain because they were going to attack Portugal. -
The portuguese family left Portugal.
The portuguese family, led by Juan VI, and 15000 more people left Portugal and they started going to Brasil. They would stay there until 1821. -
French army entered Lisbon
The French expeditionary army entered Lisbon on November 30th 1807. -
French troops entered Madrid
French troops, led by Murat, entered Madrid on 23rd March 1808, when they were still considered Spain's allies. -
Start of The Spanish Independence War
The Spanish Independence War began on 2 May 1808, when the people of Madrid rose up against the French occupation. It was a popular protest caused by the political uncertainty of the people. -
Joseph Bonaparte, new king of Spain
Carlos IV and his son Fernando were sent to Bayonne (France) by the French forces. In Bayonne, they renounced their rights to the Spanish throne in favour of Napoleon.
Then, Napoleon made his borther, Joseph Bonaparte, the new king of Spain. -
Bayonne Constitution
During the war, there were two separate government in Spain.
King Joseph I was the head of the French government in Spain. He imposed the Bayonne Constitution. This constitution included some enlightened reforms.
There was not freedom of religion. The few spanish people who participated in the constitution, retained the Catholicism as a state religion.
Everyone had to pay taxes and there was equality under the law.
The supporters of Joseph Bonaparte were called "afrancesados". -
Battle of Bailén
The French troops, led by the general Pierre Dupont, fought against Spanish troops. Spain won it.
A decisive fact in Spain's victory was that the battle took place at the gates of the city.
The Spanish troops take advantage of the situation. The locals helped them. They gave water supply to the Spanish soldiers.
The French forces were badly affected. Their cannons were overheated and malfunctioned.
General Pierre Dupont was defeated, and over 17,000 French soldiers laid down their weapons. -
Central Council
The other government during The Spanish Independence War was represented by the Central Council. It represented the absent Fernando VII in the areas not occupied by the French. For the first time, the Spanish people had their own elected representatives.
The Central Council coordinated local and provincial councils that had been elected.
In response to the French advances, the Central Council took refuge in Cádiz, wich had not been taken by the French. -
Battle of Somosierra
Battle between Spanish troops and French troops of Napoleon's "Grande Armeé". -
Period: to
Sitios de Zaragoza
Battles beetween Napoleon's French troops and Spanish forces. -
Battle of Uclés
In the municipality of Cuenca. -
Regency Council
The Central Council went to Cádiz to take refuge because of the French advances. On January 29th 1810, the Central Council was dissolved and it was replaced by the Regency Council.This was a provisional government of Spain, opposed to the French.
Then, the Regency Council joined with the "Cortes", which was a meeting of the representatives of the three states in Spain.
In the 18th century there had been various "cortes", wich were consolidated into a single body by the Bourbons. -
Cataluña joins the French empire
The formal annexation of Cataluña and the French empire was on January 26th 1812.
This union would end on May 28th 1814. -
First Spanish Constitution
The "Cortes of Cádiz aproved the first Spanish constitution on 1812. It established the following principles:
-Form of government: constitunional monarchy.
-Popular sovereignty with limited male suffrage.
-State religion: Catholicism.
-Separation of powers in three branches: executive, legislative and judicial.
-Rights and freedoms. Equality under the law, the right to privacy, freedom of the press and the prohibition of torture. -
Joseph I's reign ended
The Spanish reign of Joseph I ended on March 1813. -
The French were defeated - Battle of Vitoria
Some areas of Spain, such as Zaragoza and Girona, resisted the French for a time, but were finally conquered. Cádiz was the only city that did not fall to the French.
Finally, in 1813, the French were defeated in the Battle of Vitoria. In this battle, british, portuguese and spanish troops (led by Arthur Wellesley, who became Duke of Wellington) fought against the French troops.
At the end, the French army was expelled from Spain. -
Fernando VII came back to Spain
Finally, Fernando VII came back to Spain on March 22nd 1814. -
Napoleon abdicated
In April 14th 1814, with the Treaty of Fontainebleau (of 1814), Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated.
