Editing Peninsular War (section)

===Joseph I's régime===
{{Main article|Spain under Joseph Bonaparte}}

[[File:Joseph-Bonaparte.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Portrait of Joseph Bonaparte]]'' by [[François Gérard]], 1808]]

Joseph contented himself with working within the apparatus extant under the old regime, while placing responsibility for local government in many provinces in the hands of royal commissioners. After much preparation and debate, on 2 July 1809 Spain was divided into 38 new provinces, each headed by an [[Intendant]] appointed by King Joseph, and on 17 April 1810 these provinces were converted into French-style [[prefecture]]s and [[sub-prefecture]]s.

The French obtained a measure of acquiescence among the propertied classes. [[Francisco de Goya]], who remained in Madrid throughout the French occupation, painted Joseph's picture and documented the war in a series of 82 prints called ''[[The Disasters of War|Los Desastres de la Guerra]]'' (''The Disasters of War''). For many imperial officers, life could be comfortable.{{sf|Brandt|1999|p=87}} Among the liberal, republican and radical segments of the Spanish and Portuguese populations there was much support for a potential French invasion. The term ''[[afrancesado]]'' ("turned French") was used to denote those who supported the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], [[Secularism|secular ideals]], and the [[French Revolution]].{{sfn|McLynn|1997|pp=396–406}} Napoleon relied on support from these ''afrancesados'' both in the conduct of the war and administration of the country. Napoleon removed all feudal and clerical privileges but most Spanish liberals soon came to oppose the occupation because of the violence and brutality it brought.{{sfn|McLynn|1997|pp=396–406}} Marxians wrote that there was a positive identification on the part of the people with the Napoleonic revolution, but this is probably impossible to substantiate by the reasons for collaboration being practical rather than ideological.{{sfn|Esdaile|2003|p=239}}