Elvas - War I

The War of the Oranges was a brief conflict in 1801 in which Spanish forces, instigated by the government of France, and ultimately supported by the French military, invaded the country early in that year. It was a precursor to the Peninsular Wars, resulting in the Treaty of Badajoz, the loss of Portuguese territory, in particular Olivenza, and ultimately setting the stage for the complete invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by French forces. In 1800, First Consul Bonaparte and his ally, the Spanish prime-minister and Generalissimo Manuel de Godoy, ultimately demanded Portugal, the last British ally on the continent, to break her alliance with Britain but Portugal refused to cede. In April 1801, French troops arrived in the country bolstered by Spanish troops under the command of Manuel de Godoy who had, under his command, the Spanish Army of Extremadura, with five divisions.