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Peninsular War: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As War of Independence • Guerra de la Independencia
Date May 5, 1808 - March 1814
Location Iberian Peninsula • Portugal • Spain
Participants France • Portugal • Spain • United Kingdom
Context Napoleonic Wars

Photos

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, stands among British soldiers as the French flag is lowered and the Union Jack is raised at Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War.
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Related Topics and References

Topics
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Timeline

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Battle of Lodi
May 10, 1796
The Battle of the Pyramids
Battle of the Pyramids
July 21, 1798
Nile, Battle of the
Battle of the Nile
August 1, 1798
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War of the Oranges
April 1801 - June 1801
Battle of Copenhagen (1801)
Battle of Copenhagen
April 2, 1801
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Treaty of Amiens
March 27, 1802
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Battle of Ulm
September 25, 1805 - October 20, 1805
John Christian Schetky: The Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
October 21, 1805
Painting by Antoine-Jean Gros showing Napoleon I and Francis II meeting after the Battle of Austerlitz, with both figures in military dress and soldiers, horses, and smoke in the background.
Battle of Austerlitz
December 2, 1805
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth
Battle of Santo Domingo
February 6, 1806
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Battle of Jena
October 14, 1806
Napoleon on the Battlefield at Eylau, February 1807
Battle of Eylau
February 7, 1807 - February 8, 1807
Ernest Meissonier: 1807, Friedland
Battle of Friedland
June 14, 1807
The Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen
August 15, 1807 - September 7, 1807
On May 2, 1808, by Francisco de Goya
Dos de Mayo Uprising
May 2, 1808
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, stands among British soldiers as the French flag is lowered and the Union Jack is raised at Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War.
Peninsular War
May 5, 1808 - March 1814
The Battle of Wagram, 7 July 1809
Battle of Wagram
July 5, 1809 - July 6, 1809
The Battle of Grand Port
Battle of Grand Port
August 22, 1810 - August 29, 1810
Peninsular War
Siege of Badajoz
March 16, 1812 - April 6, 1812
The Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk
August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812
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Battle of Dresden
August 26, 1813 - August 27, 1813
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Battle of Leipzig
October 16, 1813 - October 19, 1813
Arthur Wellesley, The 1st Duke of Wellington
Battle of Toulouse
April 10, 1814
Historical battle map showing troop positions at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, near Brussels, Belgium. Red lines represent Anglo-Dutch infantry and cavalry under Wellington, positioned north of French forces. Blue lines show French infantry and cavalry under Napoleon, with both armies facing each other across a central road. Key locations like Chateau de Goumont (Hougoumont) and Plancenoit are labeled, and an inset map highlights the location within present-day Belgium and Europe.
Battle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815

Key People

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Napoleon I
emperor of France
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington
prime minister of Great Britain
Lithograph portrait of Joachim Murat in an elaborate military uniform with epaulettes and medals, facing forward with a neutral expression.
Joachim Murat
king of Naples
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Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
British statesman
Painting by Francisco de Goya of King Ferdinand VII wearing a red and white fur-trimmed royal mantle, holding a scepter, with a neutral dark background.
Ferdinand VII
king of Spain
John VI.
John VI
king of Portugal
André Masséna, duc de Rivoli
André Masséna, duc de Rivoli, prince d’Essling
French general
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Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult, duke de Dalmatie
French military leader
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Auguste-Frédéric-Louis Viesse de Marmont, duke de Raguse
French marshal
Moore, Sir John
Sir John Moore
British lieutenant general
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João Carlos de Saldanha, duke de Saldanha
Portuguese statesman
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Andoche Junot, duke d’Abrantès
French general
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Sir Hugh Gough
British military officer
Marshal Suchet
Louis-Gabriel Suchet, duke d’Albufera da Valencia
French marshal
Beresford, William Carr Beresford, Viscount, Baron Beresford of Albuera and Dungarvan, duke de Elvas
William Carr Beresford, Viscount Beresford
British general
Hill, Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount, Baron Hill of Almaraz and of Hawkestone, Baron Hill of Almaraz and of Hardwicke
Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill
British noble
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Francisco Espoz y Mina
Spanish military leader
Napier, Sir William Francis Patrick
Sir William Francis Patrick Napier
British general and historian

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