Napoleon: The Spanish ulcer

Up until 1807, Napoleon’s life and career had been an almost uninterrupted tale of success, but things were beginning to unravel. The Emperor’s determination to impose the ‘Continental System’ on the whole of Europe was the driving force behind the decision to invade Spain and Portugal, known to posterity as the Peninsular War. A further headache presented itself in the form of a revitalised and remodelled Austrian army, a force that was to inflict Napoleon’s first decisive defeat on the battlefield. Family matters both home and aboard were also starting to cause Napoleon some problems, as his fortunes slowly began to wane.

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