The Spanish War of Independence left more than a million dead

What percentage of Spain would you have ceded to Napoleon's France to avoid more deaths?

Esp 5·02·2025 · 18:37 0

On May 2, 1808, the people of Madrid rose up against the French invaders in an uprising that led to a war.

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Today, Spain remembers with pride and admiration that popular uprising, which fueled the bitter struggle that saw our country regain its independence. In fact, in Spain, that war is commonly known as the "War of Independence."

That war lasted six years, from 1808 to 1814. According to historian Micheal Clodfelter ("Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015"), that war probably left more than a million dead, a figure that would be huge today, but was even more so at the time. Let's keep in mind that in 1800 Spain had about 11 million inhabitants.

So, I ask: What percentage of Spain would you have ceded to Napoleon's France to avoid all those deaths? Perhaps 20% or 50%? To avoid a million deaths, what concessions would you have accepted from the invaders? Would you have approved of France taking over your province or the region where you live?

I know these questions will provoke indignation. Spain has always been a country with an indomitable spirit, well captured in these words written by Miguel de Cervantes in Chapter LVIII of "Don Quixote":

Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that heaven has bestowed upon mankind; no treasure on earth can match it, nor the sea conceal it; For freedom as well as for honor, one can and should risk one's life.

Certainly, suggesting that Spaniards give up part of their country to appease an invader would have been outrageous. However, today some Spaniards consider that the Ukrainian people, who are fighting as fiercely as the Spanish did in their War of Independence, should give in to the invaders and give up a part of their country so that there will be no more deaths, even going so far as to blame those deaths on the invaded themselves for resisting the invaders. Once again, I repeat: Why are you asking Ukrainians for something that they would consider insulting to their country?

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Image: painting "Napoleon Crossing the Alps" by Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825).

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