Editing Napoleonic Wars (section)

==Peninsular War, 1808–1814==
{{Main|Peninsular War}}
[[File:Antoine-Jean Gros - Capitulation de Madrid, le 4 décembre 1808.jpg|thumb|''[[Napoleon Accepting the Surrender of Madrid]]'' by [[Antoine-Jean Gros]] (1810)]]
[[File:El dos de mayo de 1808 en Madrid.jpg|thumb|''[[The Second of May 1808|The Second of May 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes]]'', by [[Francisco de Goya]] (1814)]]

The Iberian conflict began when [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] continued trade with Britain, despite French restrictions. When [[History of Spain (1700-1808)|Spain]] failed to maintain the Continental System, the uneasy Spanish alliance with France ended in all but name. French troops gradually encroached on Spanish territory until they occupied [[Madrid]], and installed a client monarchy. This provoked an explosion of [[Dos de Mayo Uprising|popular rebellions]] across Spain. Heavy British involvement soon followed.

After defeats in Spain suffered by France, Napoleon took charge and enjoyed success, retaking Madrid, defeating the Spanish, and forcing a withdrawal of the heavily out-numbered British army from the Iberian Peninsula ([[Battle of Corunna]], 16 January 1809). But when he left, the [[guerrilla war]] against his forces in the countryside continued to tie down great numbers of troops. The outbreak of the [[War of the Fifth Coalition]] prevented Napoleon from successfully wrapping up operations against British forces by necessitating his departure for Austria, and he never returned to the Peninsular theatre. The British then sent in a fresh army under [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington)]].{{sfn|Fremont-Barnes|2014}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}} For a time, the British and Portuguese remained restricted to the area around [[Lisbon]] (behind their impregnable [[Lines of Torres Vedras]]), while their Spanish allies were [[Siege of Cádiz|besieged in Cádiz]].

The Peninsular war proved a major disaster for France. Napoleon did well when he was in direct charge, but severe losses followed his departure, as he severely underestimated how much manpower would be needed. The effort in Spain was a drain on money, manpower and prestige. Historian David Gates called it the "Spanish ulcer".{{sfn|Gates|1986}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}} Napoleon realised it had been a disaster for his cause, writing later, "That unfortunate war destroyed me ... All the circumstances of my disasters are bound up in that fatal knot."{{sfn|Tone|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E2WtMq4LF90C&pg=PA243 243]}}

The Peninsular campaigns witnessed 60 major battles and 30 major sieges, more than any other of the Napoleonic conflicts, and lasted over 6 years, far longer than any of the others. France and her allies lost at least 91,000 killed in action and 237,000 wounded in the peninsula.{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|page=157}} From 1812, the Peninsular War merged with the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]].