Page 254 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo I

254 XXXIV Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

The impact of the Peninsular War on the Portuguese civil
population (1807-1809)

JORGE MARTINS RIBEIRO

the Peninsular War, as all wars, had a negative impact on civil populations, and the
French armed intervention in Portugal between 1807 and 1812 was no exception. Of course
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we have to think that this was an early 19 century conflict, in many aspects different from
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the wars of the beginning of the 21 century, but the sufferings it caused on the civilians is
not very different from nowadays. Perhaps there is a change on scale and I would probably
dare to affirm that nowadays impact, due to the new technologies and to the fact that there is
not a real war front, is worse than it was in those days.
it is important however to explain what brought the Napoleonic armies to the iberian
Peninsula, namely to Portugal. Napoleon needed to close Portuguese ports to British ships
and navigation, since Portuguese ports were a good base for the Royal Navy in the European
Continent. In fact, as early as 1801, by means of his brother Lucien Bonaparte, sent as envoy
to Madrid, he managed to persuade D. Manuel Godoy, Spain’s Prime-minister, to accept the
possibility of a war against his Iberian neighbour. After the signature of the Madrid Conven-
tion, in January 1801, Portugal was attacked through the borders of the Alentejo in May.
The invasion lasted 2 weeks and the so-called Treaty of Badajoz, whose articles were very
unfavourable to Lisbon, put an end to it on June 1801 (Serrão, 1982: VI, 326).
Things however changed with the battle of Trafalgar, as great victory for Britain as it
was a big defeat to Napoleon. After October 1805 the British became masters of the ocean
and as French Historian, andré latreille writes, Napoleon was confined to the continent and
condemned to its conquest. The Emperor won several victories over Austria (Ulm), Russia
(Austerlitz) and Prussia. After the signature of the Peace of Tilsit, Russia adhered to the
Continental Blockade (Latreille, 1974: 143; Godechot, 1984: 166-170, 174, 176; Droz, 1972:
232, 237-238; Fugier, 1994: II, 171, 176-177).
Unable to beat Britain militarily, Napoleon decided to use an economic weapon to defeat
her. So, by the decrees of Berlin (21 November 1806) and Milan (17 December 1807), he
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forbade all trade between the United Kingdom and continental Europe. He hoped this would
provoke serious social problems and force the English cabinet to negotiate peace. London
however replied by the Orders in Council, declaring France and her allies in state of blockade
(Godechot, 1984: 181-182; Macedo, s.d.: 339; Ribeiro; 1990: 51).
these events were going to have serious repercussions in Portugal, as lisbon persisted
in being faithful to the United Kingdom’s alliance, Portuguese ports continued open to all
British shipping, remaining an important base for the Royal Navy. At the same time we must
not forget that by 1807 almost all European ports were closed to the navigation of Great
Britain.
Napoleon decided to invade Portugal, in order to avoid a possible British landing on
Portuguese shores, enabling an attack to Spain, since metropolitan Portugal had an important
strategic position, at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Besides this, the Atlantic islands