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Spanish Popular Resistance Surprised Napoleon
- Napoleon gravely misread popular Spanish sentiment, expecting compliance but triggering mass resistance instead.
- The Dos de Mayo uprising in Madrid on May 2 marked the start of the Peninsular War and showed grassroots rejection of Bonapartist rule.
Juntas Filled Spain's Power Vacuum
- Local juntas formed across Spain claiming authority in the king's absence, decentralizing resistance and creating competing centers of power.
- Seville's junta became preeminent and even asserted jurisdiction over the Americas to secure colonial loyalty.
Miranda's British Invasion Plan Was Reassigned
- Francisco de Miranda repeatedly pitched a British-backed invasion of Spanish America, planning a 10,000-man expedition to Venezuela with Arthur Wellesley.
- The plan was canceled after the Abdications of Bayonne when Britain redirected troops to fight in Iberia.