The repercussion of the Spanish War of Independence (Peninsular War) in France

Gérard Dufour
Time, space, language, southern Europe and the Mediterranean (TELEMMe)
Aix-Marseille University

Published: 22/12/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31338/ahi.2023.2.5

ABSTRACT: At Saint Helena, Napoleon declared that the Peninsular War in Spain had caused his misfortune and the ruin of France. In this article, the different consequences that this “damn war” had in France are examined. Adverse effects, from the political-military point of view, with the significant number of casualties that caused the discouragement of public opinion and the attempts of a large part of the population to evade military conscription, even through self-mutilations, and economic consequences, with the creation of new taxes to deal with war expenses and caused widespread discontent that the Bourbons knew how to take advantage of in 1814; but also positive consequences, with the discovery of Spanish art, hitherto ignored or belittled, and the interest, not to say the admiration, that the heroic struggle of the Spaniards to defend their freedom aroused in France.

Keywords: Spanish War of Independence (Peninsular War), Napoleon I, French public opinion, military conscription, historical memories, Restoration of the Bourbons, French-fried, inquisition.