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The Spanish War of Independence - Coggle Diagram
The Spanish War of Independence
THE CÁDIZ CORTES
The Central Council took refuge in Cádiz
from the advancing French troops
In 1810
it was replaced by the Regency Council
which called the Cádiz Cortes
was the first unified cortes in which each deputy had an individual vote
each deputy
represented the whole nation rather than the estate into which he had been born
There were 223 deputies
who were elected by the Spanish and American provinces
Most of them
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no longer based on the estates system
ifferent groups in the Cortes
based on their political views
the supporters of Enlightenment ideas
who wanted to end the Ancien Régime in Spain
the absolutists
who wanted the king to be restored as an absolute monarch
On 19 March 1812
the Cádiz Cortes approved Spain's first constitution
the Constitution of 1812
It was a victory for the Enlightenment ideas
THE COURSE OF THE WAR
Local and provincial councils
were formed to fight against the French
these were governmental organisations
whose members were elected by the people
for the first time in Spain
people were voting to choose their representatives
were led by the Central Council
which represented the absent Fernando VII
in areas that had not been occupied by the French
it had both executive and legislative power
it managed the war effort and could sign treaties
The war itself can be divided into several phases
1808–1812
guerrilla warfare began.
Napoleon came to Spain
to oversee the French occupation
sieges in some cities
Zaragoza and Gerona
the French occupied all of Spain except for Cádiz
1812–1813
the Central Council signed a military alliance with Great Britain
Napoleon withdrew some of his troops from Spain
in order to
send them to Russia
The Anglo-Spanish and Portuguese troops
led by the Duke of Wellington
won victories at
Los Arapiles
Vitoria
San Marcial
this forced the French to withdraw from Spain
December 1813
Napoleon signed the Treaty of Valençay
Fernando VII returned to the throne
1808
Spanish forces won several victories
Battle of Bailén
temporarily stopped the French from reaching Andalucía
The consequences of the War of Independence
devastating for Spain
agriculture was abandoned
cities and industries were destroyed
In addition
almost a million people died in the war
it saw the Spanish population fight against the French
from 1808 to 1813
On 2 May 1808
the people of Madrid
rose up against the French occupation
but they failed
their defeat
encouraged other parts of Spain
the Spanish War of Independence began