zpostcode
Dos de Mayo Uprising
Apr 4, 2025 6:24 AM

  Dos de Mayo Uprising, also called the Battle of Madridan engagement of the Peninsular War that occurred on May 2, 1808. The French commanders in Spain were highly experienced and successful soldiers, but they completely misjudged the inflammatory nature of Spanish political, religious, and social life. What they considered as a simple punishment for dissent and opposition to French control in Madrid was transformed into a rallying cry of insurrection throughout Spain.

  Napoleon’s pact with Russia at Tilsit (July 7, 1807) left the French emperor free to turn his attention toward Britain and toward Sweden and Portugal, the two powers that remained allied with or friendly to Britain. His goal was to complete the Continental System, designed to wage economic war against Britain. To impose this system, Napoleon crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in October–November 1807, occupying parts of Spain in the process. He also began meddling in Spanish royal politics, which led to the removal of the Spanish monarch, who was replaced by Napoleon’s elder brother, Joseph. Not surprisingly, these actions caused deep consternation among the Spanish people, which came to a head when Marshal Joachim Murat established a permanent garrison in Madrid and prepared to remove the children of the royal family to France, effectively holding them hostage. Although Madrid had been occupied by the French since March 23, 1808, the French were unprepared for the strength of feeling among its citizens, which erupted into violence on 2 May.

  Napoleonic Wars Events keyboard_arrow_left

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Lodi May 10, 1796

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising2

  Battle of the Pyramids July 21, 1798

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising3

  Battle of the Nile August 1, 1798

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  War of the Oranges April 1801 - June 1801

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising4

  Battle of Copenhagen April 2, 1801

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Treaty of Amiens March 27, 1802

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Ulm September 25, 1805 - October 20, 1805

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising5

  Battle of Trafalgar October 21, 1805

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising6

  Battle of Austerlitz December 2, 1805

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising7

  Battle of Santo Domingo February 6, 1806

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Jena October 14, 1806

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising8

  Battle of Eylau February 7, 1807 - February 8, 1807

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising9

  Battle of Friedland June 14, 1807

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Copenhagen August 15, 1807 - September 7, 1807

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising10

  Dos de Mayo Uprising May 2, 1808

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising11

  Peninsular War May 5, 1808 - March 1814

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising12

  Battle of Wagram July 5, 1809 - July 6, 1809

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Grand Port August 22, 1810 - August 29, 1810

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising13

  Siege of Badajoz March 16, 1812 - April 6, 1812

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising14

  Battle of Smolensk August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Dresden August 26, 1813 - August 27, 1813

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising1

  Battle of Leipzig October 16, 1813 - October 19, 1813

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising15

  Battle of Toulouse April 10, 1814

  

Dos de Mayo Uprising16

  Battle of Waterloo June 18, 1815 keyboard_arrow_right A crowd assembled around the royal palace in an attempt to physically stop the removal of the children. On hearing this, Murat dispatched a grenadier battalion of the Imperial Guard and a battery of artillery to clear a way for the royal departure; when the French guns opened up on the Spanish, the protest was transformed into outright rebellion. French cavalry then charged through the streets, quelling the protest with their sabers. In Francisco Goya’s famed painting of the event, the cavalry troops are Mamluks, enslaved soldiers formerly in the service of the Ottoman Empire and now part of Napoleon’s elite Imperial Guard, whose Muslim religion proved a further provocation in Catholic Spain.

  The following day, the French instigated measures to repress the revolt; those caught carrying firearms (and many who were not) were shot. Murat and his fellow commanders thought that such exemplary punishments would stop the protests, but instead they instigated a nationwide uprising against French rule, with Spanish patriots aligning themselves with the British-Portuguese military alliance forged by the Duke of Wellington. Two months later, the Napoleonic forces suffered their first major defeat in Spain at the Battle of Bailen, the beginning of the end of the French adventure in Iberia.

  May 2 is celebrated as a holiday in Madrid, marked by exuberant festivities in which residents of the city celebrate themselves and the bravery of their forebears.

  Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now Losses: French, unknown (perhaps some 150 killed or wounded); Spanish, up to 500 killed (including more than 100 executed on 3 May).

Comments
Welcome to zpostcode comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Recommend >
19 Historic Buildings to Visit in Rome
      The term historic may be understated for a city that can trace its origins, as a continuous settlement, to the first millennium BCE. Nearly everything about Rome might be considered historic. This list merely skims the surface of the buildings worth seeing in Italy’s national capital.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in...
4 Fountains in Italy (and 1 in England)
     Fountains are a common feature of many cities, but Italy has a handful of unusually notable ones. There’s also one in England that, arguably, reflects the cultural differences between the two countries.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these fountains first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by Richard Cavendish (2016)....
19 Significant Buildings Worth Seeing in Denmark
      Denmark spreads over a peninsula and an archipelago of more than 400 islands. Its architectural landscape is just as varied as the land it occupies.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.   Høpfner A/S...
21 Tombs Around the World
     A tomb, according to Britannica’s entry, is “a home or house for the dead.” Here are 21 tombs (or sites of many individual tombs) from around the world that show the varied ways that different cultures at different times have housed and honored their dead.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these tombs first appeared in 1001 Amazing...
Information Recommendation
20 Must
     Walter Hochauer In the early 1990s, an intact mummy was discovered in the Ötztal Alps, on the Italian-Austrian border, that proved to be more than 5,000 years old. What is known today as Austria has been populated for a very long time; the buildings here are just a blip on the region’s history, but they’re all worth seeing when...
19 Places That Exemplify Cool Swiss Style
      Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.   Valerio Olgiati’s redesign of a 19th-century building in Flims constitutes a radical transformation of its character. Placed directly by the curving roadside, the Yellow House enjoys...
5 Architectural Must
     Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock Before you walk over Stockholm’s 50-plus bridges or visit their ABBA museum, you need to put these architectural marvels on your must-see list. From a Neoclassical theater to a Modernist collective housing project to—if you dare—a crematorium that is a mix of both styles, these are the buildings you need to visit on your next trip to...
5 Buildings to See in Istanbul
      From an ancient mosque to a brand-new entertainment center, these are the buildings you have to see in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. Plus, learn the awe-inspiring history behind these buildings and their architects.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016)....
25 Must
      China’s recorded history stretches back more than 4,000 years. These 25 buildings merely scratch the surface of the country’s rich architectural heritage.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.   Labrang Tashi Kyil MonasteryLocated on...
19 Essential Italian Churches
  Italy’s rich architectural heritage includes thousands of churches built across two millennia. Here are 19 of the most notable ones.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these churches first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by Richard Cavendish (2016). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.   Basilica of San Vitale      basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna,...
14 Buildings That Lay Bare Scotland’s Soul
      “I am a Scotsman,” Sir Walter Scott once wrote; “therefore I had to fight my way into the world.” This list explains how these 14 buildings fought their way onto Scottish soil.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names...
20 Buildings Not to Miss in Australia
      From the Rose Seidler House and Mooloomba House to the Sydney Opera House, these 20 buildings are examples of some of Australia’s most architecturally and historically important structures.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in...