Page:Historyoffranc00yong.djvu/214

igo HISTORY OF FRANCE, [chap. a crown so gained, he transferred Joseph to Spain, making Murat king of Naples. But the Spaniards had no notion of being thus treated ; the whole kingdom, together with Portugal, armed ; the hills and roads swarmed w'uh. gueril- las, the towns shut their gates, zl junia, or provisional council, met at Aranjuez, and both countries called for help from England, the only power still at war with France. Troops were sent to Lisbon under Sir Arthur VVellesley, in August, iSo8, and totally defeated JiTnot at Vimier-a; but the senior officers who superseded Wellesley did not follow up the victory, and by the Convention of Cintra allowed Junot to leave Portugal with the honours of war. Sir John Moore, who had also landed at Lisbon, now took the command, and entered Spain, intending to relieve Madrid and join the Spanish troops upon the Ebro. But before Moore could reach the Spaniards, Napoleon had destroyed their armies and entered Madrid. Moore, on hearing that the capital had fallen, bravely marched against Soult in the north of Spain, in order to force Napoleon to turn northwards, and to prevent him from pushing on to Cadiz. As soon as Napoleon heard that iVIoore was attacking Soult, he broke up from Madrid, and marched with the utmost haste against Moore. Moore had so small an army that it would have been destroyed if N apoleon had reached him. He made his retreat to Corunna ; gave time to the south of Spain to prepare for resistance, by drawing Napoleon northwards after him ; and met a glorious death in the victory which he won over the French army at Corunna, when they attempted, by an attack upon him, to hinder the embarkation of his troops, January_i6, 1809. The resolution of the Spaniards did not give way, and though Joseph was crowned at Madrid and guarded by a large force of French troops, they never submitted, but defended their towns with savage bravery. The English still guarded Portugal, and in 1809 Wellesley marched against Madrid to expel King Joseph. He defeated the French in the battle of Talavera, on the 28th July, but had to go back again into Portugal, being outnumbered by the French armies. 27. Campaign of Wagram, 1809.— The absence of Napoleon in Spain, and the resistance of the Tyrolese to being handed over to Bavaria, emboldened Austria to begin a fourth war. Napoleon was taken by surprise. But he hurried to the Danube, beat the Archdulce Charles at Eckmuhl, on the 22nd of April, 1S09, and marched on