The Spanish Peninsular War (1808–1814), which saw open confrontation between the Spanish people together with their British and Portuguese allies against Napoleon, was more than just a war of occupation and national liberation. Remembered for its violence and drama, it was unusual given that two countries who had traditionally been allies, France and Spain, entered into armed conflict without their governments declaring war.

Histories and memoirs drafted since then in France, England or Spain show clear bias in their interpretations, hence the difficulty in finding reliable information to draft a rigorous analysis of those historic events. However, two centuries having elapsed since the start of this conflict allow us to address the topic today with greater objectivity.

At the start of the war, the climate in London was favorable to cooperation with Spain. Yet the feeling of failure soon took hold of British society due to having embarked in another long and costly war, and many felt disappointment with the scarce cooperation of Spanish troops. However, among the few who defended the importance of the Spanish cause were the Wellesley brothers, the 'British Gracchi', who together maintained this fragile alliance between both countries until the final victory over the French.

Richard, the eldest brother and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Kingdom, changed the war against France and was decisive in the success on the Iberian Peninsula. Beside him, his younger brother Henry coordinated official relations between Britain and Spain in his role as ambassador plenipotentiary in Cádiz, maintaining a climate of collaboration up to the end of the war. But the efforts of the two brothers would not have borne fruit without the intervention of a third, Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington), who, in a five-year campaign defeated the French troops which outnumbered his, liberating Portugal and Spain from Napoleon’s grip. The same man who in 1815 commanded one of the allied armies which came together to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo.

Based on original sources, this book aims to clarify the setting in which these important events for the history of Spain unraveled, through the study of anglo-hispanic relations during the years of conflict.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Maps
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 The Wellesley brothers
• Chapter 2 First military operations of Arthur Wellesley in the Peninsula. Arrival of Richard Wellesley in Cádiz
• Chapter 3 Richard Wellesley, from British ambassador in Spain to Foreign Secretary in London
• Chapter 4 The first Regency Council. The arrival of the French in the Bay of Cádiz
• Chapter 5 Return and first acts of Henry Wellesley in Spain
• Chapter 6 The arrival of Thomas Graham in Cádiz
• Chapter 7 The intensive diplomatic and political activity of the Wellesleys during the summer of 1810
• Chapter 8 The opening of Parliament in the Isla de Leon
• Chapter 9 The victory at Bussaco, in Portugal. The appointment of a second Regency by Parliament
• Chapter 10 The transfer of Parliament to Cádiz. The attempts by the allies to lift the French blockade in the bay
• Chapter 11 The Battle of La Barrosa, 5 March 1811. An apparently profitless victory
• Chapter 12 Evaluation of the Battle of La Barrosa
• Chapter 13 The French withdrawal from Portugal. The war in Spain
• Chapter 14 The process for appointing a third Regency Council. Tomás Lapeña in Cádiz. The loss of the Spanish Levante
• Chapter 15 Long live la Pepa! The 1812 Constitution of Cádiz
• Chapter 16 Wellington’s counter-offensive. The resignation of Richard Wellesley
• Chapter 17 The Battle of Los Arapiles, 22 July 1812. The French abandon the siege of Cádiz
• Chapter 18 The fourth Regency Council. The Battles of Vitoria and San Marcial. The French withdrawal
• Chapter 19 1814: The return of Ferdinand VII el Deseado (the Desired). Napoleon’s defeat and exile
• Chapter 20 Conclusions
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Plates Section