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Have you ever gazed in wonder at

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the Great Pyramid? Have you

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Ancient Egypt. Welcome

1:16

to the Age of Napoleon. Episode

1:20

111, Bad Omens. Thanks

1:24

for joining me. As

1:27

always, I'd like to start by thanking

1:29

our Patreon supporters. Only

1:32

a small minority of listeners actually

1:34

contribute to the show financially, but

1:36

without your support, none of this

1:38

would be possible. I'd

1:40

like to invite the rest of you to join us

1:43

on Patreon. We just released

1:45

the 20th of our patrons-only bonus

1:47

episodes, which included topics like command

1:49

and control in Napoleonic battles, Napoleonic

1:52

veterans in the USA, and a

1:54

first-hand account of a somewhat farcical

1:56

duel between two soldiers of the

1:59

Grand Canyon. on Darmé. Two

2:01

dollars a month gets you access

2:03

to all that bonus content, plus

2:05

add free versions of the regular

2:07

episodes. I hope you'll consider it. Anyway,

2:12

we left off last time in late 1807. It

2:15

had been a particularly senseless and brutal

2:17

few months of the war, with

2:20

the British massacring two percent

2:22

of the population of neutral

2:24

Copenhagen and the French launching

2:27

their own unprovoked attack on

2:29

defenseless neutral Portugal. If

2:31

you set aside the moral and legal

2:34

issues and try to look at this

2:36

phase of the war dispassionately from a

2:38

purely strategic perspective, I think it's fair

2:40

to say the British won this round.

2:44

Their intervention in Denmark had brought

2:46

the Danes into the war on

2:48

Napoleon's side, but the atrocity at

2:50

Copenhagen had succeeded in bringing the

2:52

Danish fleet under British control. Its

2:54

ships were now either safe in

2:56

England or at the bottom of

2:58

the sea. In

3:01

Portugal, the French had succeeded in

3:03

their primary objective of seizing control

3:05

of the country and closing its

3:07

ports to British trade. However,

3:10

the Portuguese and their new British

3:12

allies had managed to mitigate this

3:14

disaster by evacuating most of the

3:16

court, the government, the fleet, and

3:18

the treasury to Brazil. Bonaparte

3:21

was not happy. He

3:23

levied a huge indemnity on Portugal

3:25

and ordered General Juneau to seize

3:27

the property of all those who

3:29

had fled to Brazil. The

3:32

remains of the Portuguese army were

3:34

now reorganized into a new force

3:36

to be known as the Portuguese

3:38

Legion. They would fight

3:40

under their own officers, but on Napoleon's

3:42

side. The French

3:44

had not been welcomed as liberators in Portugal,

3:47

to put it mildly. They

3:49

had faced hostility and even isolated

3:51

acts of violent resistance from average

3:53

people. These attitudes were

3:55

hardened in the aftermath of the invasion

3:57

by huge tax increases to pay for

4:00

Napoleon's indemnity, property seizures, and

4:03

by harsh reprisals against anyone

4:05

who resisted. As

4:08

Juneau's men settled into their occupation,

4:10

there were ominous signs that the

4:12

country was not totally pacified. Sporadic

4:15

killings of French soldiers continued

4:17

in rural areas, and

4:20

there were violent anti-French riots

4:22

in Lisbon. Despite

4:24

all the problems and failures of

4:26

the invasion of Portugal, Napoleon was

4:28

resolved to move ahead with his

4:30

plans for Iberia. As

4:33

I mentioned in episode 109, he saw

4:35

this region as a loose end that

4:37

needed to be tied up if his

4:39

new order was to succeed. Portugal

4:42

was now more or less under French

4:44

control. Next, it would be

4:46

Spain's turn. In

4:48

September of 1807, a comet passed close

4:51

enough to Earth to be visible by

4:53

the naked eye in parts of southern

4:55

Spain. As they

4:57

had for generations, the local peasants

4:59

interpreted this as a harbinger of

5:01

doom. Violence and civil

5:04

discord were right around the corner,

5:06

at least so it was said

5:08

in rural Andalucia. More

5:10

educated and enlightened people probably

5:12

laughed at such crude superstition.

5:15

But those peasants might have been on

5:17

to something, because not long after the

5:19

comet's appearance, things started to fall apart.

5:23

Turning our attention back to

5:25

Spain means talking about the

5:27

country's flamboyant, incompetent prime minister,

5:29

Manuel Godoy, ludicrously titled

5:32

the Prince of Peace, but often

5:34

referred to as the Sausage Maker

5:36

by his numerous enemies. As

5:39

you might recall, Godoy was a royal

5:41

favorite, somehow both the lover

5:44

of Queen Maria Luisa and the

5:46

trusted right-hand man of her husband,

5:48

King Charles IV. Godoy

5:51

had used his strange connection with

5:53

the royal couple to sideline all

5:55

potential rivals for power. By

5:58

this point in our story, he had practically unchallenged

6:00

control over every facet of

6:02

the Spanish state. King

6:05

Charles had never been very interested in

6:07

his duties as monarch, and seemed happy

6:10

to be relieved of the burdens of

6:12

power. Basically

6:14

no one else in Spain was pleased

6:16

with this state of affairs, but in

6:18

an absolute monarchy other people's opinions didn't

6:21

count for much. As

6:24

you listened to episode 109 and heard

6:26

me describe the Doiz rise, I'm sure

6:28

at least some of you were wondering

6:30

how could people have allowed this to

6:32

happen? At every

6:34

step of the way, Godoy had

6:36

shown himself to be selfish, petty,

6:38

and incapable. His ascent

6:41

was a national disaster. Anyone

6:44

who acted against Godoy would provoke

6:46

the rage of the king and

6:48

queen, and probably suffer severe consequences.

6:51

But in these dire circumstances, you would think

6:53

there would have been people willing to take

6:55

that risk, either out of

6:57

a sense of duty to their country or

7:00

concerned for their own personal futures. Short

7:03

answer is, plenty of people tried to

7:05

stop Godoy, none of them got very

7:07

far. The

7:09

sausage maker was certainly no genius, but

7:11

he seems to have understood the implications

7:14

of his relationship with the king and

7:16

queen better than anyone else. When

7:19

someone made a move against him, he

7:21

simply went to Charles and Maria Louisa

7:23

and got them dismissed. You

7:25

don't need to be terribly smart or skilled

7:27

at the game of courtly intrigue when you

7:29

hold the ultimate trump card. Unfortunately

7:32

for Godoy, he had one enemy

7:35

at court who could not be

7:37

fired, Crown Prince Ferdinand, the oldest

7:39

son and heir of King Charles.

7:42

Like basically everyone in Spain,

7:44

Prince Ferdinand hated the sausage

7:46

maker. As you might imagine,

7:49

there was a personal edge to these

7:51

feelings. Not only was

7:53

Godoy ruining the court and the government,

7:55

he was damaging the princess family as

7:57

well. He had been a malign in for a long

7:59

time. Louis over Ferdinand, mother and father

8:01

almost as long as the Prince could

8:04

remember. By. This point in

8:06

our story, Ferdinand was only twenty three

8:08

years old, but he soon became the

8:10

focus of all of the at I

8:12

could do a ceilings within the Spanish

8:14

aristocracy and government's. Perhaps. He

8:16

was a bit young to be thrust into

8:18

this role, but there was no one else.

8:22

At. Some point during this period

8:24

we've been discussing, Ferdinand and his

8:26

supporters began plotting against the sausage

8:29

maker. Moderate. Legal plans

8:31

to limit good always power

8:33

had failed in the past, and

8:35

so this conspiracy would resort

8:37

to drastic illegal measures. A

8:40

coup de talk to remove the

8:42

king and queen from power, thus

8:44

releasing Spain from good always oily

8:46

grasp. In. The

8:48

Fall of a Chino seven the Spanish

8:51

royal family left Madrid for the famous

8:53

Palace of And a score eol just

8:55

northwest of the city. This.

8:57

Is sort of the spiritual home of

8:59

the Spanish Monarchy. Many members of the

9:01

royal family are buried here. Making

9:04

it the perfect venue for some

9:06

serious family drama. On

9:09

October twenty Seventh, eighteen or seven.

9:11

King Charles we're toast his chambers

9:13

to find an anonymous note waiting

9:15

for him. The. Author warns the

9:17

king that his own son was

9:19

plotting against him. Charles

9:21

ordered Prince Ferdinand possessions searched

9:24

at his man. soon discovered

9:26

correspondence and documents that confirmed

9:29

all the accusations. Like.

9:32

His father Ferdinand was a man

9:34

of we character. As soon

9:36

as he realized he was caught,

9:38

the young prince threw himself at

9:40

his parents' mercy, ratting out every

9:43

one of his coconspirators at begging

9:45

for forgiveness. As

9:47

many of you have probably already guessed,

9:49

it is generally believed that this anonymous

9:52

letter was written by Manuel could do

9:54

I or someone working on his structures.

9:57

Ferdinand had drawn the French impasse.

10:00

That are into the plot and could do.

10:02

I had learned of it through his contacts

10:04

in Paris. At. Least that is

10:06

the most widely accepted theory. It.

10:08

Has also been suggested that the whole

10:10

conspiracy might have been a set up

10:13

from the very beginning, orchestrated by Good

10:15

Door as a way to flush out

10:17

his remaining enemies at court and trick

10:19

is a prince into incriminating himself. Moody.

10:22

Something that elaborate would be a

10:24

bit beyond the toys' abilities. But

10:26

then again, despite his many shortcomings,

10:28

he was a devious character. In

10:31

any case, intentionally or not, the scandal

10:34

worked out perfectly for the door. He

10:36

had managed to turn the king and

10:38

queen against their own son, who was

10:40

one of his only remaining elements. And

10:43

he had kept his own involvement

10:45

secret, thus avoiding any potential damage

10:47

to his own all important relationship

10:50

with Charles and Maria Luisa. The.

10:53

Charges against young Prince Ferdinand were

10:55

particularly serious because they involved a

10:58

foreign power. As already mentioned,

11:00

one of the people Ferdinand had roped

11:02

into this plot was a Francois Turbo

11:04

our next the French ambassador in between.

11:07

That. Name might sound familiar to

11:09

you because he was the brother

11:11

of Apis Josephine's first husband. What?

11:14

Can I say in some ways Napoleonic Europe

11:16

was a very small world. Anyway,

11:19

Ambassador Bell are no had

11:21

responded favorably to for demands

11:23

overtures. The. Young Prince was

11:25

a widower and suggested to the

11:27

ambassador that he might be willing

11:29

to marry a Frenchwoman of Napoleon's

11:31

choose. Thus, Signaling his

11:34

willingness to maintain at maybe

11:36

even expand the Franco Spanish

11:38

alliance. This looked

11:41

quite bad, but given Spain's close

11:43

at unequal relationship with France, anyone

11:45

making a big move on the

11:48

Spanish political scene would have probably

11:50

had to secure Napoleon's blessing, or

11:52

at the very least, his acquiescence.

11:56

Despite. the very serious charges against

11:58

him the king and queen decided to

12:00

forgive young Prince Ferdinand, claiming that he

12:02

had been led astray by others. None

12:06

of his co-conspirators ended up facing

12:08

severe consequences either. Most

12:10

people approved of what they had

12:13

been trying to do, and with

12:15

his own popularity at an all-time

12:18

low, Charles decided it wasn't worth

12:20

inflaming public opinion with controversial prosecutions.

12:24

Just to keep the timeline

12:26

straight, these events occurred concurrently

12:28

with Juneau's invasion of Portugal.

12:31

Juneau crossed the Franco-Spanish border

12:33

on October 17th, ten days

12:35

before King Charles received an

12:38

anonymous letter. This

12:40

affair has gone down in history

12:43

as the El Escorial conspiracy. It

12:45

ended with G'doix strengthened and his

12:47

enemies confounded, yet again. However,

12:50

it showed that opposition to the

12:52

sausage maker ran deep. By

12:54

this point, G'doix had been in power for

12:57

over six years, and had been a major

12:59

force at court for even longer. However,

13:01

even after all that time, apparently

13:04

the Spanish elite were getting no

13:06

closer to accepting him or his

13:08

administration. G'doix was stronger

13:10

than ever, but remained as intensely

13:12

hated as ever. As

13:15

for Prince Ferdinand, even after he

13:18

was humiliated, rebuked in public by

13:20

his own parents, his reputation among

13:22

the wider public had never been

13:24

better. People were eager to

13:26

embrace anyone who stood up to G'doix.

13:30

The failure of the El Escorial

13:32

conspiracy did not represent the end

13:34

of Spain's political woes. Meanwhile,

13:38

at the very same time these

13:40

events were playing out, there was

13:42

actually a second crisis building as

13:44

well, only tangentially related to the

13:46

Prince's failed conspiracy. You may

13:48

remember from episode 109 That

13:50

France and Spain had recently signed a

13:52

secret agreement, in which the Spanish had

13:55

agreed to allow French troops onto their

13:57

soil for a joint invasion of Portugal.

14:00

Almost. As soon as you know

14:02

entered Portuguese territory it was clear

14:04

that this campaign would not be

14:06

much of a campaign. the Portuguese

14:08

army did not resist. The government

14:11

put all it's efforts into evacuated,

14:13

not fight and. The. Only serious

14:15

resistance had com in the form

14:17

of a disgruntled peasants murder and

14:19

front stragglers. And. Yet even

14:21

after victory in Portugal was

14:24

obviously assured, Fresh waves

14:26

of French troops continued cross

14:28

and appearance. On. November Twenty

14:30

second Gen. Pierre Antoine de Paul

14:32

lead another a core of twenty five

14:34

thousand men across the border. Double

14:37

and the French military presence in Iberia.

14:39

Incidentally, do Paul is the basis for

14:41

the character Armand you Bear from the

14:43

film The Dualists, in which he has

14:45

played by Keith Carradine, which you've heard

14:48

me reference on the show before. Anyway,

14:50

As soon as Du Pont, his men

14:52

left France, marshall been a dream or

14:54

say began assembling a core of thirty

14:56

thousand men who entered Spain about a

14:59

month later. You knows presence

15:01

in Iberia made sense. He was a

15:03

friend of the Emperor who had fallen

15:05

out of favor at needed a chance

15:08

for redemption. General Departs appearance didn't really

15:10

raise any eyebrows either. He was a

15:12

competent leader, but nowhere near the top

15:14

rung of French commanders. But.

15:17

Most say was a martial one of

15:19

only a tiny handful of men at

15:21

the very top of the French military

15:23

hierarchy. What? Was he doing? Entering

15:26

Spain after the campaign and Portugal

15:28

was already over, A.

15:30

Few weeks later, Napoleon made an

15:32

even more surprising appointments you are

15:35

Kimura was named overall commander of

15:37

all French forces in Iberia. Another

15:40

marshall of France and Grand

15:42

Duke of Birds, and one

15:44

of Napoleon's oldest friends and

15:46

allies. He was even married

15:48

to the Emperor's sister, Carolyn. Mirage.

15:51

Was one of the most celebrated officers

15:54

and the entire French military. And.

15:56

One of the most recognizable faces of

15:58

the Imperial regime. And

16:00

this was a man who was addicted

16:02

to action. Despite. His lofty

16:04

position you could often find me a raw

16:07

right in the thick of battle. What

16:09

was he doing? Taking command over a

16:11

region where there was no fighting? Under

16:15

the terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, the

16:17

French had the right to be there. But.

16:19

Understandably, the Spanish began

16:22

asking questions. Napoleon.

16:24

Had plenty of excuses at the ready. These.

16:27

Work support troops for as you

16:29

know, school or or reinforcements or

16:32

merely securing the French supply lines

16:34

to Lisbon or guarding against the

16:36

British invasion. But. As these

16:39

forces fanned out across northern

16:41

and Central Spain leaving garrisons

16:43

in towns and fortresses their

16:45

past the official story looks

16:47

less and less believable. Many.

16:50

Spaniards began to suspect their allies

16:52

were up to something. It.

16:54

Didn't seem like the French were

16:56

merely passing through. And there

16:58

were certainly a lot more of them

17:01

that necessary for their stated mission. By.

17:03

Mid February there were nearly a

17:06

hundred thousand French troops in Iberia.

17:08

at the vast majority war in

17:10

Spain, not Portugal. As.

17:13

More and more Spaniards came

17:15

into contact with French forces.

17:17

Public concern grew. Many

17:20

worry to the country was being

17:22

occupied by stealth. The

17:24

Spanish government was well known to

17:26

be weak and under French influence.

17:28

It was easy for people to

17:30

believe they had somehow been co

17:32

opted into allowing Napoleon to invade

17:34

the country without a fight. And.

17:37

For once, the conspiracy theorists were more

17:40

or less rec. Bonaparte.

17:42

Was planning to tighten his grip over

17:44

Iberia and he had exploded could always

17:46

weakness to get the acquiescence of

17:48

the Spanish government. As.

17:51

We've seen past episodes in every

17:53

country. The appearance of foreign troops

17:55

almost always provoked fear among the

17:58

common people. even if foreign

18:00

troops were not at war with

18:02

the country in question, it was

18:04

a well-established fact that strange soldiers

18:06

meant trouble. Wherever

18:09

Napoleonic armies went, there was almost

18:11

always tension between soldiers and the

18:13

civilians they encountered. In

18:16

Spain in late 1807 and early

18:18

1808, this was compounded by the

18:20

uncertainty about the true purpose of

18:23

these troops, and the pre-existing hatred

18:25

of Godoy and his administration. There's

18:28

also the fact that many Spaniards

18:30

were already disinclined to trust the

18:32

French. If you'll think

18:35

back to episode 108, you'll recall

18:37

that public perceptions of France were

18:39

negative in many corners of Europe.

18:42

Napoleon had worked hard to tone

18:44

down the more radical and eccentric

18:47

aspects of the revolution, pivot to

18:49

the political center, and return the

18:52

country to normality. He

18:54

had done a lot to change the perception

18:56

of his regime at home, but outside

18:59

the empire, many still

19:01

viewed France as a dangerous

19:03

rogue state governed by radical

19:05

fanatics who wanted to destroy

19:08

Christianity. That

19:10

was particularly true in Catholic countries.

19:13

As you know from our early episodes, the

19:15

Vatican had been one of the most committed

19:17

opponents of the revolution. All

19:19

over Europe, many Catholic priests had

19:22

taken up the cause by preaching

19:24

against the new doctrines espoused in

19:26

Paris. This

19:29

was especially true in Spain. As

19:31

we discussed in episode 109, Spain

19:33

was perhaps the most Catholic country

19:35

in Europe, and the Spanish clergy

19:37

were very conservative. By

19:39

this point in our story, France

19:41

had become something of a cultural

19:44

signifier within Spanish society. Anyone

19:46

who was seen as not

19:48

pious enough, too interested in

19:51

newfangled Enlightenment ideas, too effete,

19:53

too liberal, or even too

19:55

fashionable, might be labeled an

19:57

a françasado, or to translate

19:59

rather crudely into English,

20:01

French-ified. In

20:03

fact, many Spaniards believed this was the

20:06

problem with Godoy. His fellow

20:08

aristocrats may have viewed him as

20:10

a country rube, but to average

20:12

people he seemed like a preening

20:14

fancy boy. Within the court,

20:16

Godoy was well known as an enemy of

20:19

the liberal faction, but less

20:21

sophisticated observers mostly saw him

20:23

as a liberal, and saw

20:25

the failures of his administration

20:27

as proof of the folly

20:29

of so-called enlightened ideas. And

20:33

of course, under Godoy's administration, Spain

20:35

had moved closer to France on

20:37

the world stage, and in some

20:39

ways had come to be dominated

20:41

by Napoleon's empire. Many

20:43

saw this as proof that

20:45

Godoy was under Bonaparte's spell,

20:47

or even actively working against

20:49

Spain's interests to help France.

20:53

Of course, we know better. Godoy and

20:55

Bonaparte hated each other. Nobody

20:58

in Madrid was happy with their

21:00

alliance with France, but under the

21:02

circumstances, they'd had little choice. Back

21:05

in 1806, the sausage maker

21:07

had actually tried to stab France in

21:09

the back, and Napoleon

21:11

was, at this very moment, in

21:14

the process of double-crossing Godoy. But

21:17

these facts were not known to the

21:19

wider public. Looking at

21:21

the events of the past few years

21:24

from the outside, with their pre-existing biases

21:26

against France, some within Spain

21:28

had come to view Godoy as

21:30

the ultimate Francophile, and his relationship

21:33

with France and Napoleon and all

21:35

they represented as the source of

21:37

all the government's problems. With

21:41

all that context, hopefully you have

21:43

a better idea of the paranoia

21:45

that spread throughout Spain as French

21:48

troops began to occupy towns and

21:50

fortifications, and people began

21:52

to learn the shocking details of

21:54

Prince Ferdinand's tempted coup. For

21:57

years, it had felt like a crisis was

21:59

slowing. slowly building. Now, it seemed

22:01

things might be coming to a

22:04

head, although no one could tell

22:06

what was really going on or what would

22:08

happen next. Is it

22:10

really fair to call these ominous feelings

22:12

paranoia? After all, as they say,

22:15

it's not paranoia if they're really out to

22:17

get you. The popular perception

22:19

of these events got most of

22:21

the details wrong, but in broad

22:24

strokes, how wrong were they, really?

22:27

Spain's relationship with France really

22:29

was destructive and unequal. The

22:31

Spanish government really had been

22:33

co-opted by their more powerful

22:36

ally. People were right

22:38

to be concerned that all these French

22:40

troops had an ulterior motive. They did.

22:43

They had not come to destroy

22:45

the Catholic Church or persecute true

22:48

believing Christians, but Napoleon really was

22:50

conspiring against Spain's interests. And

22:53

above all, they were correct in

22:55

their belief that this long-simmering crisis

22:57

was about to boil over. Spain

23:00

was at a crossroads. The

23:02

winter of 1807 through 8 would determine the

23:05

course of the country's future. Would

23:07

Spain fall deeper into French domination,

23:10

or would someone try to arrest

23:12

these events and change course? My

23:16

brother-in-law died suddenly, and now my sister and

23:18

her kids have to sell their home. That's

23:21

why I told my husband we could not

23:23

put off getting life insurance any longer. An

23:26

agent offered us a 10-year, $500,000 policy for nearly $50

23:28

a month. Then we called Select Then

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24:00

on example policies at

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selectquote.com/commercials. It seems

24:05

this was one of those cases where

24:07

high status and education were actually a

24:09

barrier to seeing the truth. While

24:12

the peasants became increasingly frightened,

24:14

trading rumors about Napoleon's secret

24:16

plans for their country, many

24:19

in the upper classes dismissed these

24:21

concerns. Some educated

24:23

Spaniards actually believed France would

24:25

be their savior, that Napoleon would

24:27

depose Charles, install Prince Ferdinand

24:29

on the throne, and finally get

24:32

rid of the sausage maker.

24:35

Around this time, a young Catalan

24:37

university student wrote quote, "...ordinary

24:40

people continue to think that they are

24:42

to become subjects of a French prince.

24:45

It is the clerics who are

24:47

whipping up these ideas, clearly because

24:49

their own interests hallucinate and preoccupy

24:51

them. Imagine the state

24:54

our nuns are in, believing they are

24:56

to be sent packing immediately, the

24:58

friars are in the same state, and

25:01

the priests fear a formidable

25:03

reform. I see everything with serenity

25:05

and believe that nothing will happen as

25:07

is commonly feared." end quote.

25:11

Two years later, that young student

25:13

would be killed by French soldiers.

25:16

With the country falling into fear

25:19

and uncertainty, mysterious foreign troops sweeping

25:21

across the land, and chaos within

25:23

the government, this would have

25:26

been a good time for King Charles

25:28

to finally assert himself. However,

25:30

this was not his nature. Charles

25:33

always took the path of least resistance. He

25:36

had never stood up to the French in the past,

25:38

and he was not about to start now. But

25:40

on the other hand, he was also unwilling to

25:44

Napoleon. Instead,

25:46

the royal family decided to move

25:48

south. As of yet,

25:50

there were no French troops in southern Spain.

25:54

If he stayed in Madrid, Charles would

25:56

have to make a choice to either

25:58

welcome the French, or, or organized

26:00

resistance. Moving south would

26:02

allow him to continue sitting on the fence,

26:05

and so he ordered his servants to

26:07

start packing. Across

26:10

northern and central Spain, military officers

26:12

had to decide what to do

26:14

about this sudden influx of French

26:16

troops. Most of them

26:18

had orders from Madrid to extend every

26:20

courtesy to their allies, and

26:22

in some cases they were even ordered

26:25

to hand over control of the fortifications

26:27

their troops occupied. But

26:30

many Spanish officers had understandable

26:32

reservations about handing over strategic

26:34

positions to a foreign army

26:37

with unknown intentions. In

26:39

some places, they swallowed their doubts and

26:42

welcomed the French with open arms. After

26:45

all, in spite of the ominous events

26:47

of the past few weeks, the two

26:49

countries were still allies, and Napoleon did

26:51

technically have the permission of the Spanish

26:53

government. Others were more

26:55

wary. Some even refused

26:57

to hand over the keys to their

27:00

fortifications. Despite the reassuring

27:02

words from Madrid, many Spanish officers

27:04

put their units on high alert,

27:07

just in case. Something

27:10

was going on. No one could

27:12

get predict where or how, but it was

27:14

becoming clear to many within the Spanish military

27:16

that their country might need them at some

27:18

point in the near future. Almost

27:21

everywhere the French appeared, there

27:23

were confrontations between Napoleon's troops

27:25

and Spanish civilians. Some

27:28

of these ended with deadly violence. After

27:31

Barcelona was occupied, the city was

27:34

so restive that the French commander

27:36

ordered his troops to confiscate the

27:38

ropes from every bell tower. This

27:41

was a precaution against rebellion. During

27:43

an urban revolt of this era, the

27:46

rebels would typically ring the church bells

27:48

to call people out of their homes

27:50

and workplaces to join the fight. Anxiety

27:53

was growing in all quarters. Something

27:56

had to give. And

27:59

still, the king was refused to make

28:01

a decision. Godoy continued

28:03

to respond to Napoleon's diplomatic

28:05

communiques, and even continued approving

28:08

new French garrisons in Spanish

28:10

towns and fortresses, although

28:12

by now these orders were often ignored.

28:16

On February 1st, Napoleon released

28:18

a proclamation announcing that the

28:20

Portuguese royal family had been

28:22

deposed. Portugal would be

28:24

ruled by a temporary French military

28:27

administration led by General Juneau. All

28:30

of Portugal, including the parts Napoleon

28:32

had promised to Godoy and the

28:34

Spanish royal family. His

28:36

double cross was finally revealed for what

28:38

it was. Around

28:41

this same time, word began

28:43

to spread that Marshal Murat

28:45

himself was leading 50,000 French

28:47

troops towards Madrid. Ironically,

28:50

these two pieces of terrible

28:52

news actually improved the outlook

28:54

for Spanish government bonds. Investors

28:57

believed the unfolding national crisis had

29:00

now become so bad that there

29:02

was no way Godoy's career could

29:04

survive. Rumors began to

29:07

spread that the king was about to

29:09

dismiss his prime minister. The

29:11

idea that the sausage maker might

29:13

soon be gone increased confidence in

29:16

Spanish government bonds. But

29:19

these optimistic investors were still underestimating

29:21

the royal couple's level of commitment

29:24

to Godoy. Despite the

29:26

deepening crisis, King Charles intended to

29:28

stick by his wife's man. Finally,

29:33

someone took it upon himself to

29:35

take drastic action. A

29:37

un-aristocrat and military officer named

29:39

Eugenio Parafox Porta Carrero, the

29:41

Count of Taba, began organizing

29:43

a new conspiracy against the

29:45

king and Godoy. He

29:47

gathered sympathetic noblemen, then began traveling

29:50

around the countryside south of Madrid,

29:52

using a fake name disguised as

29:54

a peasant, working to stir up

29:57

anti-Godoy sentiments among the common people.

30:00

As you might imagine, he didn't have to work

30:02

very hard. Once people

30:04

were suitably outraged, Teba encouraged them

30:06

to congregate around the town of

30:09

Aranjuez, where he knew the royal

30:11

family was headed. The

30:13

Count even found sympathetic ears among

30:15

the King's own household staff, who

30:18

by this point were worried the

30:20

royal family was going to flee

30:22

into exile, as the Portuguese royal

30:24

family had so recently done, leaving

30:26

the staff without jobs or paychecks.

30:30

As Teba had predicted, the royal

30:32

family and their entourage had taken

30:34

up temporary residence in Aranjuez, a

30:36

town about 50 kilometers, or 31

30:38

miles, south of Madrid, where there was

30:41

a royal palace. Ironically,

30:43

by now, the King and

30:45

Godoy had finally become convinced

30:47

of Napoleon's bad intentions and

30:50

were debating mobilizing the Spanish

30:52

army to finally oppose the

30:54

advancing French. But this

30:56

change of heart came too late to

30:58

save Godoy's administration. The Count

31:01

of Teba's evangelizing was having the desire

31:03

to fuck. Outraged anti-Godoy

31:05

peasants were arriving in Aranjuez.

31:09

A sullen, angry mood seems to have

31:11

settled over the town itself, even among

31:13

the royal family's own personal staff and

31:15

the minor government officials who had accompanied

31:18

them on their flight. Charles

31:20

and Godoy were worried. They ordered

31:22

two regiments of the royal guard

31:24

to march south to Aranjuez from

31:27

Madrid, hoping to contain any unrest

31:29

with force. Unfortunately

31:31

for the King and the sausage maker, the

31:33

Count of Teba got to these units first.

31:37

He asked for a confidential audience with the

31:39

officers of the guard. Teba

31:41

was a fellow officer, and a nobleman

31:43

in good standing. His words carried weight,

31:45

and the officers agreed to meet with

31:47

him. Teba was

31:49

able to convince them all to take an oath, swearing

31:52

they would not obey Godoy if

31:54

he ordered them to act against

31:57

the people, but would instead arrest

31:59

Godoy himself. himself. Meanwhile,

32:01

King Charles released a royal proclamation

32:03

clearly aimed at calming the public

32:06

mood. He told the people of

32:08

Spain that he loved them as a father loves

32:10

his children, and that he would never

32:12

abandon them. He also assured the

32:14

people that the French were Spain's allies,

32:17

and had come to the country with good

32:19

intentions. All of

32:21

these were lies. By now, not

32:24

even Charles himself believed the French were

32:26

acting in good faith. He

32:28

and Godoy were indeed discussing the

32:30

possibility of the royal family fleeing

32:32

abroad. And, of course,

32:34

if Charles was the father of the

32:36

Spanish people, he had never been a

32:38

very good or attentive parent. The

32:41

proclamation did not have the

32:44

desired effect. The situation at

32:46

Aranhuis grew increasingly tense. The

32:50

long-awaited climax of Spain's political

32:52

crisis would arrive on St.

32:54

Patrick's Day, March 17, 1808.

32:57

At around one in the

32:59

morning, someone fired a pistol near

33:01

the royal palace. To

33:03

this day, no one knows who it was,

33:05

why they fired, or even what side they

33:07

were on. Hearing this

33:09

noise, the anti-Godoy peasants and

33:11

townspeople in the area suspected

33:13

something was up. Perhaps

33:16

King Charles had ordered a

33:18

crackdown, or perhaps the anti-Godoy

33:20

nobles were finally making their

33:22

move. In any case, the

33:24

people wanted to affect the outcome. They began

33:27

lighting torches and assembling in

33:29

large crowds. Count

33:31

Teiba decided to seize the moment. He mounted

33:34

his horse and led the mobs towards the

33:36

house where Godoy was staying. As

33:39

promised, the officers of the guard

33:41

restrained their men, refusing to fire

33:43

on the crowd, or even to

33:45

obstruct them in any way. The

33:47

coup was on. As

33:50

they marched through the streets, the people

33:52

chanted, Long live the king, Death to

33:54

the tyrant. This

33:57

was much more like an old medieval peasant revolt

33:59

than the other. than a scene out of

34:01

the French Revolution. Even as

34:03

they broke the king's law and flouted

34:05

his authority, the rioters were clear that

34:07

they supported the king himself, and

34:10

were only opposed to the prime minister. Godoy

34:14

was awakened by the noise long before

34:16

the crowd found the courage to burst

34:18

into his house. He knew

34:20

how the common people despised him. He

34:22

could hear them chanting for his death.

34:25

It wasn't hard to guess that things would

34:27

not go well for him if he was

34:30

discovered. The Prince of

34:32

Peace grabbed his pistols, ran to the

34:34

attic, and rolled himself up in a

34:36

spare piece of carpet. The

34:39

mob broke down the door and found

34:41

Godoy's wife in her bed clothes. She

34:44

told them her husband was not there,

34:46

and she didn't know where he had

34:48

gone. The house was searched, but

34:50

apparently not very thoroughly, because no

34:52

one thought to investigate the suspiciously

34:55

large piece of carpet in the

34:57

attic. Godoy was not

34:59

discovered. Ominously for

35:01

Charles and Godoy, many guardsmen

35:03

joined the crowd. This

35:06

was a dangerous situation, but things

35:08

did not get out of control.

35:10

The mob chivalrously delivered Señora Godoy

35:12

to the royal palace, and posted

35:15

guards in Godoy's house, in case

35:17

the sausage maker returned. Despite

35:20

their failure to find the tyrant, the

35:22

mob was actually on the verge of

35:25

success. By now,

35:27

everyone at the royal palace was

35:29

awake, and they were terrified. I

35:32

would guess every monarch of

35:34

this period had nightmares of

35:36

angry mobs of torch-bearing commoners

35:38

congregating outside the royal palace,

35:41

especially after what had happened to cousin

35:43

Louis in France. Now the

35:46

nightmare seems to be coming true. His

35:49

own personal guards had deserted him. We

35:52

know the crowd didn't actually wish the

35:54

king or his family any harm, but

35:56

everyone in the palace was surely very

35:58

aware of the fact that if

36:00

the crowd changed their minds and

36:02

decided to massacre everyone inside, there

36:04

would not be much stopping them.

36:08

And so, Charles finally did what everyone

36:10

in Spain had been begging him to

36:13

do for six years. At

36:15

around five in the morning, March 17th, 1808,

36:17

the king signed a decree dismissing Manuel

36:21

Godoy from all government positions.

36:24

The sausage maker was finally out.

36:28

That morning, Prince Ferdinand appeared on the

36:30

balcony of the royal palace to announce

36:32

this momentous news to the crowd. Ferdinand

36:35

was now very popular after his

36:37

own failed conspiracy against Godoy, but

36:40

it seems this address got a

36:42

muted reaction. Godoy's dismissal

36:44

was certainly welcome news, but the

36:46

mob would not be satisfied until

36:49

they saw his blood. March

36:52

17th must have been a strange day

36:54

in Arenhuez. It was an

36:57

anticlimax. They had finally forced

36:59

the king to get rid of Godoy, but

37:01

by now, no one had actually seen

37:04

Godoy for about twelve hours. Members

37:06

of the mob and royal guardsmen wandered

37:09

the area, searching the homes of prominent

37:11

people who might have hidden the sausage

37:13

maker, but no one was able to

37:15

find a trace. In

37:17

fact, he was still hiding in

37:19

his attic, clutching his pistols, wrapped up

37:22

in that bit of carpet, unable

37:24

to leave because there were still hostile

37:26

guardsmen and members of the crowd wandering

37:28

around the house. In

37:58

history, wherever you get your po- The

38:04

next day, the whole royal family made a

38:06

public appearance on the balcony of the palace,

38:09

hoping to calm things down and

38:11

start to rebuild their relationship with

38:13

the public. The mood

38:15

in the town did seem slightly less

38:17

fevered, but the search

38:20

for Godoy continued, despite the kings

38:22

publicly expressed wishes that the Prince

38:24

of Peace be left in peace.

38:28

Amazingly, Godoy wasn't finally apprehended

38:30

until the next day, March

38:32

19th. Things were quiet

38:35

enough in his house that he decided

38:37

to risk leaving his carpet for a

38:39

drink of water, and was discovered by

38:41

a guardsman. He had spent

38:43

nearly two days hiding in the attic. You

38:46

almost feel bad for him, but after all

38:48

he had put the country through, perhaps he

38:50

deserved a little discomfort. News

38:53

of the discovery of the sausage

38:55

maker spread through our unquests like

38:57

wildfire. Soon, he was

39:00

at the center of an angry

39:02

crowd, being punched, kicked, beaten with

39:04

clubs, and generally abused by dozens

39:06

of people. The

39:09

mobs rallying cry had been, long

39:11

live the king, death to the

39:13

tyrant, and it seems they

39:15

aimed to follow through with that threat.

39:19

Fortunately for Godoy, he was formally

39:21

arrested by several guardsmen in the

39:23

crowd. They may have hated him,

39:25

but they wanted to see him stand trial.

39:29

Then, Prince Ferdinand appeared on the

39:31

scene. He begged for Godoy's life,

39:34

and, thanks to his newfound popularity,

39:36

the crowd listened. It

39:38

must have been a strange moment for

39:40

Ferdinand. He had just saved a man

39:43

he had hated with every fiber of

39:45

his being for almost his entire life.

39:49

Now that his former right-hand man

39:51

was finally in custody, King Charles

39:53

summoned an entire company of the

39:55

carboneros, the Spanish equivalent of the

39:58

French gendarmes, to protect the Godoy

40:00

from any further mob violence. The

40:03

former Prime Minister was to be

40:05

taken to house arrest in the

40:07

famous Alhambra Palace, where presumably he

40:09

would be awaiting trial, although at

40:11

this point that had not been

40:14

officially decided, and it could have

40:16

been intended simply as protective custody.

40:19

The mob was not pleased with

40:21

this result. When the carriage

40:23

arrived to take Godoy to the

40:26

Alhambra, they physically ripped it apart.

40:29

Once again, Prince Ferdinand left the

40:31

palace to attempt to reason with

40:33

the crowd, and once again, he

40:35

succeeded in restoring order. King

40:38

Charles was despondent. His

40:40

people, and even his personal royal

40:43

guard, were ignoring his orders, and

40:45

acting on their own initiative. The

40:48

mob claimed they supported Charles,

40:50

but his authority was clearly

40:52

being undermined. Meanwhile,

40:54

people were obeying his son,

40:56

the crown prince, who had

40:58

so recently tried to overthrow

41:01

Charles. And more

41:03

than that, the man Charles had

41:05

relied upon since he took the

41:07

throne was suddenly gone. The

41:10

king barely knew how to function without Godoy

41:12

by his side. As

41:14

we discussed earlier, the king was

41:17

now finally convinced that Napoleon had

41:19

bad intentions for Spain. The

41:22

weight of this mountain crisis

41:24

must have felt unbearable on

41:26

his small, soft shoulders, especially

41:29

now that his beloved Prince of Peace

41:31

was gone, and no longer able to

41:33

help him with the burden. And

41:35

so, on March 19th, 1808, King Charles IV of Spain abdicated

41:41

in favor of his son. Young

41:43

Prince Ferdinand would become King Ferdinand

41:46

VII. Apparently, Charles

41:49

seemed happy as he signed away

41:51

his crown. He had

41:53

never gotten much joy out of being monarch,

41:55

and the past few months must have been

41:58

particularly taxing. I'm sure he was... relieved.

42:01

Later that day, Charles explained to

42:03

his priest, quote, Let

42:06

us speak clearly. Bonaparte is

42:08

coming, and not with good

42:10

intentions. Ferdinand will be

42:12

better able to benefit the nation than

42:14

I under the circumstances. This

42:17

is the reason for my renunciation, end

42:19

quote. According to

42:21

some sources, when Queen Maria Louisa

42:23

heard the news, she tried to

42:25

organize a counter coup against her

42:27

own son to put Charles back

42:29

in charge. But, probably

42:32

unsurprisingly, she couldn't find anyone willing

42:34

to join this conspiracy. All

42:37

over the world, from the southern tip

42:39

of Chile to the forests of Northern

42:42

California, and from Manila Bay to the

42:44

Gulf of Guinea, millions of people had

42:46

a new monarch, although it would

42:48

be months before many of them heard the news. As

42:52

word spread across Spain, the

42:54

whole country erupted in spontaneous

42:56

celebrations. The way

42:58

people were acting, you would think Spain

43:00

had just won a long, bitter war,

43:03

which has made me true in a

43:05

certain sense. Many Spaniards had perceived Godoy's

43:07

term in office as a sustained assault

43:09

on the country from within its own

43:11

government. In Madrid,

43:14

happy, but vengeful mobs attacked

43:16

the homes of Godoy's family,

43:18

stealing everything they could, and

43:20

destroying anything they couldn't. They

43:23

even killed the horses. Others

43:25

marched through the streets, waving Spanish

43:27

flags, and carrying portraits of their

43:30

new king, although in at least

43:32

one case, the crowd mistook a

43:34

portrait of Charles as a young

43:36

man for a portrait of Ferdinand.

43:39

During Godoy's time in office, many

43:41

town halls throughout Spain had been

43:43

given portraits or statues of the

43:45

sausage maker to display in some

43:48

prominent location. These were

43:50

all smashed or burned, typically

43:52

in the town square, always

43:54

with great enthusiasm. In

43:56

the city of Valladolid, the crowd even

43:58

destroyed the carriage. which had brought

44:01

the portrait to the city hall, then

44:03

threw its remains into the river. One

44:06

observer explained, quote, not the least

44:08

relic should be allowed to remain

44:10

of such an infamous man, end

44:13

quote. Many believed

44:15

the crisis was over, or at least

44:17

would soon end. The

44:19

hated sausage maker was finally gone,

44:22

as was his weak puppet king.

44:25

Ferdinand had never been more popular in the

44:27

wake of his failed coup. People

44:29

were eager to see him take power, and many thought

44:31

he would put the country on a different track. Most

44:35

people in Spain believed Napoleon supported

44:37

their new king. After

44:39

all, it had just recently been

44:41

revealed that France's ambassador to Spain,

44:43

François de Boulogne, had been a

44:46

part of Ferdinand's failed coup plot.

44:48

It was publicly known that Ferdinand

44:51

had expressed a desire to marry

44:53

a French aristocrat of Napoleon's choosing.

44:56

Whatever was going on with Napoleon

44:58

and all these mysterious French troops

45:00

marching through Spain, surely it

45:02

would be resolved now that Ferdinand wore

45:05

the crown. Which

45:07

is why no one was terribly alarmed

45:09

when Marshal Murat entered Madrid on March

45:11

23rd at the head of 50,000 men,

45:15

mostly cavalry plus some infantry

45:17

of the imperial guard. It

45:19

had only been four days since

45:21

Charles' abdication, people were still feeling

45:23

that glow of hope. Their

45:26

new king entered the capital the

45:29

very next day, and received a

45:31

rapturous reception. Tens

45:33

of thousands turned out to greet him,

45:35

and shouts of, long live the king,

45:37

echoed through the streets. Ferdinand

45:40

chose to enter the city without

45:42

any kind of military escort or

45:44

bodyguard, so he could freely mingle

45:46

with his people. Crowds lifted

45:48

him and his horse up on their

45:50

shoulders, and carried the new king through

45:53

the streets. Only

45:55

about a week ago, many of these

45:57

people had been worried some kind of

45:59

national catapace. catastrophe might be right around

46:01

the corner. Now there seemed to

46:03

be a way out. No

46:05

surprise, they greeted the man they

46:08

perceived as their savior with great

46:10

emotion. It was a

46:12

glorious day for Spain, or

46:14

at least so the members of the crowd

46:16

believed. But wasn't this

46:18

all a little premature? Ferdinand

46:21

was totally untested. He

46:23

was only twenty-three years old. His

46:25

public popularity was a new phenomenon.

46:28

The reason so many people liked him

46:30

was that they knew he had tried

46:32

to take a stand against Godoy. But

46:34

what did we really learn about Ferdinand

46:37

from that incident? True,

46:39

he had been scheming against Godoy,

46:41

but not for purely patriotic reasons.

46:44

The plan would have seen him installed

46:46

on the throne. It was

46:48

as much a plot for Ferdinand as

46:50

it was a plot against Godoy. And

46:53

he had lots of personal reasons to

46:55

hate the sausage maker, maybe more than

46:58

anyone else in the country, which is

47:00

really saying something. He

47:02

hadn't been very successful as a

47:04

conspirator. The plot was uncovered almost

47:07

immediately with no real effort, and

47:09

had actually redounded to Godoy's benefit.

47:12

Once he was caught, Ferdinand had looked

47:15

pretty pathetic, begging his

47:17

parents for mercy and shamelessly

47:19

selling out his fellow conspirators.

47:22

Those who knew Ferdinand well were

47:24

probably a bit amused by his

47:27

new public profile. Whatever

47:29

the masses may have believed, the

47:31

new king was generally not well-liked

47:34

or well-regarded by his peers. He

47:37

seems to have inherited his father's dull

47:39

wits. And, with Charles, he

47:41

seemed not to have had much of a

47:44

sense of duty to his subjects. He

47:47

was an old-school absolute monarch. He

47:49

definitely did not see himself as

47:51

a public servant. However,

47:54

even most people who had disliked his

47:56

father had been at least willing to

47:58

admit that Charles meant well. It

48:01

might be a stretch to call the

48:03

former king kind-hearted, but he had a

48:05

congenial personality. He had

48:07

been a bit aloof as king, but

48:09

he at least wished people well, even

48:12

if he hadn't actually done much to improve

48:14

their lives. The same

48:16

could not be said of his son. Ferdinand

48:19

had a dark side. He

48:21

was petty, vengeful, and suspicious

48:23

of others, a misanthrope. Much

48:26

like his great enemy, Godoy,

48:29

Ferdinand was also selfish and

48:31

unscrupulous. By the

48:33

time of his death, King

48:35

Ferdinand VII would be almost

48:37

universally despised. I

48:39

wonder how many of the people crying out,

48:41

Long Live the King, in the streets of

48:43

Madrid, on that spring day in 1808, would

48:46

have guessed they were cheering for a

48:48

man who would go down in history

48:50

as one of their country's worst rulers.

48:54

So perhaps people were being a bit hasty

48:56

in pinning so many hopes on the new

48:58

king, but they had no way of

49:00

knowing that. His true character would

49:02

only be revealed with time. Setting

49:05

aside the issue of Ferdinand's character,

49:08

the abdication of his father, King

49:10

Charles, had been a bit abrupt,

49:12

hadn't it? He

49:14

told his priest he had given up the

49:17

crown for reasons of state, because

49:19

he thought his son would be better

49:21

equipped to manage the mounting crisis with

49:23

France. But there seemed to

49:25

have been some transitory emotional reasons as

49:28

well. His fear of the

49:30

mob, his discomfort at the

49:32

idea of governing the country without Godoy

49:34

by his side, and his

49:36

frustration with his own popularity waning

49:39

as his sons arose. The

49:42

incident at Aranjuez had certainly been

49:44

frightening for the royal family, but

49:46

even as they rioted, the mob

49:48

had taken care to express its

49:50

continued support for the king. No

49:53

one had asked for his abdication.

49:56

The anger towards the royal government had

49:58

almost all been directed at Godoy. not

50:00

the king himself. The

50:02

tumult at Aranjuez, as this whole

50:04

affair is known to history, had

50:07

been alarming and damaging for Charles,

50:09

but he probably could have survived it

50:11

with his crown still on his head,

50:13

had he chosen to. For

50:16

all these reasons, the former king began

50:18

to feel regret. A

50:20

person of greater intelligence or

50:23

stronger character probably would have

50:25

recognized that there is no

50:27

looking back from this type

50:29

of momentous, world-historic decision. The

50:32

die was cast. For better or for

50:34

worse, Charles' time on the throne was

50:37

over. But the ex-king

50:39

allowed himself to wallow in regret.

50:42

Someone smarter and more devious

50:44

took advantage. The French

50:47

ambassador, François de Beauvarnais, convinced Charles

50:49

to write and sign a letter

50:51

in which he claimed his right

50:53

to retake the crown from his

50:56

son. Amazingly, Charles

50:58

was then somehow convinced to

51:00

leave this letter in Beauvarnais'

51:02

possession. He had

51:05

just handed Napoleon a bargaining

51:07

chip of incredible value, seemingly

51:09

for no reasons greater than

51:11

regret and jealousy towards his

51:13

own son. Meanwhile,

51:16

Marshal Murat's soldiers were not endearing

51:18

themselves to the people of Madrid.

51:21

The French were unwelcome almost everywhere

51:23

in Spain, and the capital was

51:25

no exception. One

51:28

observer wrote, quote, They began

51:30

to put on imperial and signorial

51:32

heirs, as if they were already

51:34

the sovereign power in the capital.

51:37

The people, who are all eyes and

51:39

ears, at see and hear everything, started

51:42

to look without confidence on their

51:45

military movements, which had all the

51:47

appearances of being hostile, and doubted

51:49

the friendship and alliance of their

51:52

guests. End quote. There

51:55

were violent confrontations between French

51:57

soldiers and average majorlenos. just

52:00

as there had been in other Spanish cities. Ominously,

52:04

neither Marshal Murat nor Ambassador

52:06

Baugharnay officially recognized Ferdinand as

52:08

King of Spain. It

52:11

was widely believed that Ferdinand had

52:14

risen to power with Napoleon's support,

52:16

but if that was the case, what

52:19

could explain this delay in official

52:21

recognition? Surely, if Napoleon

52:23

wanted Ferdinand on the throne, he

52:25

would have ordered his representatives to

52:27

recognize his authority as soon as

52:29

possible to shore up his position.

52:32

Why had the Emperor not done so? Ferdinand

52:36

began to worry he had overestimated

52:38

Napoleon's support for his seizure of

52:40

power. Strong as

52:42

he seemed at the moment, with

52:44

practically the whole country behind him,

52:46

his position could easily become untenable

52:48

if France refused to recognize him

52:51

as Spain's legitimate ruler. His

52:53

entire reign could hinge on French

52:56

support. Indeed, without the

52:58

Emperor's good graces, it might be

53:00

an open question whether or not

53:02

Ferdinand could rule at all. He

53:05

resolved to go to Napoleon himself,

53:07

and plead his case face to

53:09

face. Meanwhile,

53:12

his father, the former King

53:14

Charles's regrets, had continued to

53:16

fester. He was

53:18

now openly claiming his letter of

53:20

abdication had been coerced, and thus

53:23

was not legally binding, by

53:25

implication accusing his son of

53:27

a criminal coup d'état. It

53:30

had not even been a month

53:32

since Charles's abdication, and already it

53:34

was clear that those celebrations had

53:36

been premature. Neither

53:39

Ferdinand nor Charles knew it yet,

53:41

but the tumult at Aranjuez and

53:43

the subsequent bickering between father and

53:46

son had sealed their family's fate.

53:49

Both men were now lobbying Napoleon to

53:51

support their respective claim to the throne,

53:54

but neither one of them knew

53:56

that these events had left Napoleon disgusted,

53:59

and had been had totally shattered

54:01

any remaining faith he had in

54:03

the Bourbon dynasty's ability to rule

54:05

Spain. The

54:08

emperor pretended he was weighing these

54:10

competing claims, but he

54:12

had already decided that neither man deserved

54:14

to wear a crown, and

54:16

Napoleon being Napoleon, he took it

54:19

upon himself to ensure that neither

54:21

would rule Spain. But

54:24

that's a story for next episode. Before

54:27

we go, I'd like to give a shout out to

54:29

a book that was a big help in writing this

54:31

episode, Napoleon's Cursed War

54:33

by Ronald Fraser. Until

54:35

next time, thanks for listening. Before

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