20 - Spain and Portugal

Summary

After 18 Brumaire, Napoleon Bonaparte judged the Iberian Peninsula’s two kingdoms differently. Given Portugal’s close, long-standing ties with Britain, he counted the Portuguese among France’s enemies, while he treated Spain, at least formally, as an ally (the alliance between Spain and France that was drawn up in 1796 remained unchanged until 1808). As a result, his plans for the two countries were different: Portugal was to be subjugated, by force if need be, in order to cut it off from British influence; as for Spain, it was only necessary to exercise enough control over its leaders to ensure that the country would be a docile accessory to French policy. In practice, however, Napoleon linked the destinies of the two kingdoms and, as had been the case during the Directory, he planned actions against the enemy nation with the expectation of the support of his ally. In other words, he involved Spain every time he intervened in Portugal.