Modern Era
Dos de Mayo Uprising (1808): Madrid Rises Against France
The uprising was crushed within hours and followed by executions, but it became the symbolic start of the Spanish war of independence against Napoleon.
Era · c. 1800 – 1945
Modern Era
Industry, science and global conflict: the century and a half that built the modern world.
Modern Era
Peninsular War (1808-1814): Wellington in Spain and Portugal
Allied victory; the French were driven out of Spain and Portugal, at enormous cost to the Iberian population.
Modern Era
Napoleon and Josephine: Their Marriage and 1809 Divorce
The marriage was dissolved by a ceremony and a Senate decree in December 1809, and Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria in 1810.
Modern Era
Battle of Aspern-Essling (1809): Napoleon's First Defeat
Austrian victory; Napoleon withdrew to Lobau island, and Marshal Lannes was mortally wounded.
Modern Era
Battle of Wagram (1809): Napoleon Defeats Austria Again
French victory; Austria sought an armistice and signed the Treaty of Schonbrunn in October 1809, losing large territories.
Modern Era
Lines of Torres Vedras (1810): Wellington's Secret Defences
Massena's army could not break through and withdrew from Portugal in 1811 after losing about 25,000 men, mostly to hunger and disease.
Modern Era
May Revolution (1810): Argentina's First Step to Independence
Viceroy Cisneros was removed and replaced by the Primera Junta on 25 May 1810, the first self-governing authority of what became Argentina.
Modern Era
Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821): From Dolores to Freedom
Spanish rule in New Spain ended with the Plan of Iguala and the Treaty of Córdoba, and the Mexican Empire was proclaimed independent in September 1821.
Modern Era
Battle of Tippecanoe (1811): Harrison and Tecumseh's Confederacy
Harrison's force repulsed a dawn attack and then burned Prophetstown, damaging Tenskwatawa's prestige but pushing Tecumseh's confederacy towards alliance with Britain.
Modern Era
New Madrid Earthquakes (1811-1812): Shaking the Mississippi
Three very large earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks reshaped the land, created Reelfoot Lake and led to the first US federal disaster relief act in 1815.
Modern Era
Battle of the Berezina (1812): Napoleon's Desperate Crossing
Napoleon and the core of his army escaped across the river, but tens of thousands of soldiers and stragglers were killed, captured or left behind.
Modern Era
Assassination of Spencer Perceval (1812): A Prime Minister Shot
Perceval died within minutes; Bellingham was tried, convicted and hanged within a week, and Lord Liverpool became prime minister.