Osprey Essential Histories 17 : The Napoleonic Wars (3) : The Peninsular War 1807-1814

Gregory Fremont-Barnes covers the beginning of the end for Napoleon as he faced repeated losses in the Peninsular Wars. In 1808 Napoleon seized Spanish and Portuguese leaders in a brutal coup designed to consolidate his mastery of Europe. But when both countries united against him, they shocked the world by scoring stunning victories. Despite Napoleon's best efforts, he could not bring the war to a close. Spain might seem temporarily crushed, and Portugal defenceless, but the arrival of a new general, or a new guerilla leader meant that Napoleon's victories never proved decisive. Six years of hard campaigning followed. When Britain allied herself with Spain and Portugal and entered the field against Napoleon, he faced yet more failures. Under the generalship of Wellington, perhaps the greatest British soldier ever, the British army was led to victory after victory. Yet success on the battlefield alone could not win the war; guerilla warfare, counter-insurgency and vicious streetfighting all played their part, presaging a style of warfare not seen again until the twentieth century. For the British, the Peninsular War was a time of glory that overturned their previously poor military record. For Napoleon, it 'the Spanish ulcer' that stole life from the Empire. However for Spain, the seven years of battles caused a level of devastation that left scars for more than a century.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Background to War : Perennial Foes : Britain, France and Spain
• Warring Sides : Opposing Forces
• Outbreak : Origins of the Conflict
• The Fighting : A War of Contrasts
• Portrait of a Soldier : Private Edward Costello, 95th Rifles
• The World around War : The Artistic Works of Francisco Goya
• Portrait of a Civilian : George Canning
• How the War Ended : Anti-climax : The Campaign of 1814
• Conclusion and Consequences : Losses, Lessons and Legacy