Napoleon Invades Spain 1808-09 (Vimeiro, Espinosa, Tudela, La Coruña)

Napoleon In Spain

Vimeiro, Espinosa de los Montaños, Tudela, La Coruña

November 1808 — January 1809.

A series of defeats provoked Napoleon to lead 200,000 men into the Peninsula. The British attacked near Burgos but were soon forced into a long retreat punctuated by the battles of Sahagún, Benavente and Cacabelos, ending in an evacuation from Coruña in January, 1809. Moore was mortally wounded while directing the defence of the town in the Battle of Coruña. After only two months in Spain, Napoleon handed command over to Marshal Soult and returned to France, to prepare for renewed hostilities against Austria..