Napoleonic Spanish Army 1808

Spanish Army for the War of Independence of 1808 (Napoleonic Peninsular War)

The armies of Spain during the Spanish War of Independence (2 May 1808 to 17 April 1814) changed their name, formation and command several times. After 2 May 1808, provincial juntas were formed - the Supreme Central Junta was not created until September 1808 - to coordinate resistance to Napoleon. However, these tended to distrust the most experienced Spanish generals, many of whom only joined the fight against the French to avoid possible reprisals from their subordinates or the people themselves, and so many were replaced by less experienced commanders in command of even less experienced troops. This situation was worsened by the dissolution of existing units or the creation of more than 200 new infantry regiments. On the one hand, the loyalty of the new commanders was thus ensured, although at the expense of military effectiveness.