Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the historical event that made Bailen’s name echo around the world. A glorious battle that pitted the impregnable power of the French army against the courage and bravery of the Spanish troops, supported by civilians, it would end with the first defeat on open field of the French in the entirety of Europe.
To contextualize the situation Spain found itself at previous to the Battle of Bailén of 1808, we must go back to an economic recession and the lack of will to lead the government that King Carlos IV displayed, who was at the same time subdued by his wife Queen María Luisa de Parma and the Minister Manuel Godoy, as well as the desire of both for the son of the king, Fernando VII, to inherit the throne, which prompted Napoleón to take his chance and, with the excuse of crossing the peninsula to reach Portugal with the intention of invading it (“Fontainebleu Treaty“), handed him the perfect ingredients to force both of them to abdicate in the “Abdications of Bayona“, father and son in this case. Instead, the Spanish throne was given to his brother José I Bonaparte, thus initiating the Spanish War of Independence and forcing the royal family into exile.
At the time, the French Emperor dominated almost the entirety of the European continent, with the exception of England due to its difficult access. Therefore, it was essential to close the coasts of Portugal and block commercial traffic. Through a treaty with Spain, they reach an agreement that would allow the french army to invade Portugal by crossing through the Iberian peninsula.
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