Unwelcome Guests in Portugal
Posted on Thursday 9th June 2016It is a rare historian who is not inspired by fiction and Bernard Cornwell’s novels really encouraged me to write about the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe’s Havoc had a plot that really intrigued me with his eponymous hero fighting Napoleon’s armies as Portugal was threatened by a French invasion in 1809. It is an incredible tale and, surprised that so little non-fiction had been written about it, I began to explore the subject further. Studying nineteenth and early twentieth century works confirmed that the 1809 campaign was well worth reading about.
The Second French Invasion of Portugal commanded by Marshal Soult proved very different to General Junot’s remarkably swift incursion in 1807. This time Portuguese sympathies were divided between the two superpowers intervening in their country and Soult encountered serious difficulties from the outset, not least from guerrillas who harried him at every turn. Nevertheless, he tried to win Portuguese support, allegedly with ulterior motives, as many think he intended to claim the crown. Whether he really aspired to become King of Portugal is something that historians have never agreed upon and I had great fun examining this question.



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