Napoleon's Great Blunder: Spain 1808 by Epic History TV | Americans Learn 

“The British army was inexperienced…” He’s referring specifically to the men sent into Spain, not necessarily the entirety of British land forces.

Mamluk is a term most commonly referring to non-Arab, ethnically diverse slaves who were assigned military and administrative duties, serving the ruling Ottoman and Arab dynasties in the Muslim world. After Napoleon made his famous expedition to Egypt in 1798 he brought home an elite contingent of Mamluk soldiers to serve in the Imperial Guard (the most elite bodyguard unit of the French Army at this time). They predominantly came from Southern Russia, Turkey, Caucasia, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. In fact, Napoleon's most famous bodyguard and valet was a Mamluk named Roustam Raza who served Napoleon loyally for 15 years.

Joseph was made King of Naples intially, but he was "promoted" to become King of Spain instead. One of his marshals, Joachim Murat, was made King of Naples instead (since he was married to Napoleon's sister Caroline).

Yes, you are interpreting Napoleon’s quote on Spain correctly. If you read Sun Tzu’s book “The Art of War”, one of the things he talks about is the importance of maintaining the “moral law”. This means that it’s important for military commanders that their soldiers, their civilian population and even the enemy civilian population (to a certain extent) believes that you’re fighting a morally justified war. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you’re actually fighting a morally justified war. But it’s important that your troops and your civilians believe that they’re justified in fighting. This is why war propaganda has always been so important throughout history. You need scare the public into paying for the war through taxation as well as accepting rationing and restrictions on their liberty. You also need your soldiers to believe in it because you want them to actually fight hard for you. Who’s is going to fight harder for example? A Spanish soldier whose country and home has been invaded, whose family’s is at risk and whose very religion is being suppressed? Or a French soldier who doesn’t even understand what they’re invading this country in the first place and is reluctant to even be there? And it’s also important to “win the hearts and minds” of the civilian force you’re occupying, if possible, for obvious reasons. It reduces guerilla warfare and rebellions. It makes them more willing to supply you with military intelligence and supplies, etc. Napoleon is basically saying that if he was less heavy handed in his approach that perhaps there wouldn’t have been the same level of civilian resistance that led to mass guerrilla warfare.

Napoleons quote on Spain makes more sense when you finish the videos. In history this was the beginning of the end for napoleon. He should have never gone to Spain and all the atrocities that occurred there up to the point of this video and many more YOU’ll see as you learn more. His quote makes sense. Napoleon in Spain is akin to the USA in Vietnam. Napoleons Vietnam or more accurately the Vietnam war was Americas Spain.

Spain peaked in the 1500's, it was in decline since the 1600's

For me, much of the charm of the figure of Napoleon, apart from his military genius, is his contradictions, which made him a very real human being, unlike other historical figures who are highly mythologized. Napoleon was famous for his bursts of rage and was capable of saying the ugliest things, such as his opinion on women or slavery, although he changed his mind on the latter issue over the years. But, at the same time, Napoleon demonstrated great acts of affection and kindness to those he felt close to, acts which even today make me cry of pure emotion when I read about them. In his memoirs dictated towards the end of his life, he acknowledges many mistakes in his way of acting and even mentions that he should have shot some of his commanders for his bad behavior in Spain. Greetings from Spain!

Napoleon had four brothers. Joseph (the oldest) was first made King of Naples but was later given Spain - Naples was given to Marshal Murat instead, who was married to Napoleon's sister. The second brother, Lucien, had fallen out of favour with Napoleon, so he received no titles. The third brother Louis was made King of Holland, the fourth brother Jérôme was made King of Westphalia. It has to be noted though that Napoleon's brothers were little more than governors, expected to represent french interests.

So to talk on the inexperience level of the British and Spanish. With the Spanish it’s quite easy. The last major conflict it was in was the 7 years war and most of its men from then had either retired or moved on. Plus the majority of its fighting troops were literal conscripts recruited from regions and had very little experience fighting or even learning drill or shooting. Their officer corps was also very poor with those older Officer more living of their laurels from the previous wars or were just as inexperienced as those they conscripted. As for the British. You have to remember the army that fought in the AWI has very much moved on/retired. A big and tough grenadier who may have been 21 serving in the middle stages of the AWI would be in his mid fourties’ by the start of the peninsular campaign, and by that point, he’s likely been away from combat for ages, put on some age and maybe some fat from indulgences outside the army, had kids and so on. He’s not the same man he would be and the army wouldn’t want him either. There were still a handful of battalion who has seen combat prior to the peninsular campaign - such as the highlanders who served with Wellington during the Indian Campaign; or those who had served in the Egypt Campaign against Napoleon with the British Navy Blockade. However, even then many of those men had either shifted out, said units were in home depots on recovery (essentially retraining new recruits or refilling the ranks) or had been sent away to serve on colonial duties (be it as colonial recovery or just because it was their time on the rota). As such units who had had previous experience were quite the luxury during the initial fighting force sent over. And the majority of the men inside the battalions were fresh faced men who had not seen battle prior to this engagement. Tho some had managed to gain some minor experience during the Copenhagen Campaign tho… not anything to really brag about when your enemy was pretty much a conscripted militia that broke under the first few volleys. As such those we went into Portugal saw their first combat with the French there. But even while inexperienced to battle. They were excellently drilled and trained and many of the senior division and brigade officer had previously saw combat and command and were genuinely quite good officers and soldiers. A good example being Black Bob Crawford. The man was known for his grim demeanour and harsh discipline - one incident during the retreat to corruna, Crawford caught three of his men drunk and as such had them tied and flogged infront of the entire division. Even tho the French were pressing on their heels. Another example was when he saw his men moving aside to avoid getting wet in puddles, he marched them through a river. However, he was also fair. During the retreat they came across a river ford they had to cross. When he noted an officer riding on the shoulder of one of his men he rode into the ford and screamed “put him down, put him down now” and marched the officer back to the otherside and told him that he could either walk it himself or be left on this bank. Another examples comes from a rear guard action. When he saw several French cavalry officers whipping about taunting at them, he walked over the group of riflemen near them and said he’d pay a pound to however shot one. The riflemen took up the Officer and one managed to put a round in one of the cavalrymen. As such Bob tossed him a coin and moved on. And what did the men think of him? The light division loved him. They hated the discipline and flogging but endured it knowing that under his command they could never be beaten. And in many ways, they weren’t. Even after his passing, the discipline and drill he had enriched into them turned them from a simple division into one of Britain most elite.

The british had the strongest navy in the world. There army in contrast was more of a joke in contrast to armies of continental europe. There is a lot of us propaganda to make them seam stronger than they where in the American war of independence. They where however very well trained, because there where so few of them. I think if if remember correctly the british had around 40.000-50.000 soldiers in this time. Napoleon atacked russia with 600.000 man and austria was also able to field armies in the hundrethousand range.

The spanish army was the BEST of the world ( almost 5 centuries of been the BEST lanf troops in the world )until the kings started to be more corrup and less eficent in that moment the troops became yo decay and when napoleon atacked they were unprepared.

Spain at some time from, say 800 -1400, mostly was conquered by Islams. The 'Mamelukes' again are descendands of an islamic turkish tribe, and stetteled in Northern Africa back then. After the re-christianisation of Spain ('Reconquista') the remaining 'Mamelukes' (and those from Northern Africa) were regarded as some auxiliary elite force in Spain until early 1800s. And as you see in that video, the Spains were kinda undrilled and had inferior tactics and equipment compared to the Brits. And with this campaign, the Brits not only expanded their continental trade lockdown and 'distracted' Napoleon by opening a second front in his backyard, it also was the end of the Spanish (and Portugese) Empire and eventually ended with most South American colonies declared independency from them. This also is his quote last seen in your video, Napoleon was unprepared of the immoral but obvious invasion of Spain to backstab him and his ambitions instead confronting him and his armies 'face to face' in central Europe.