Dos de Mayo Uprising
Napoleon's army occupied Madrid on the 23rd of March 1808. King Charles IV had been forced to abdicate by his own people during the Tumult of Aranjuez. He and his son Ferdinand VII were both held in Bayonne, France at Napoleon's insistence. The French general Joachim Murat attempted to move Charles IV's daughter and her children along with his youngest son to that same city. This specific action sparked a rebellion among the citizens who saw it as an insult to their royal family.
A crowd gathered before the Royal Palace in Madrid on the 2nd of May 1808. They entered the palace grounds trying to stop the removal of Francisco de Paula. Marshal Murat sent grenadiers from the Imperial Guard to the location. Artillery detachments followed them into the square. The soldiers opened fire on the assembled crowd without warning. Fighting spread quickly to other parts of the city including Puerta del Sol and Puerta de Toledo. Poorly armed residents confronted French troops in heavy street battles.
Pedro Velarde y Santiyán was a 28-year-old artillery captain caught unprepared by the laboring poor. He secretly plotted a campaign elsewhere but joined the fighting when he heard gunfire. Luis Daoíz y Torres served alongside him during the defense of the Monteleón artillery barracks. Both officers died during the French assault on the barracks. Their unit was one of the few Spanish troops to disobey orders and join the uprising against vastly superior numbers.
Marshal Murat created a military commission on the evening of the 2nd of May 1808. General Grouchy presided over this body which issued death sentences for anyone captured bearing weapons. Murat stated that all arrested individuals with arms would be shot. Hundreds of prisoners were executed the following day. Craftsmen found with shearing scissors or kitchen knives faced summary execution. Only a handful of French-speaking madrileños avoided death by pleading intelligibly to their executioners.
Francisco de Goya painted The Charge of the Mamelukes to portray street fighting in Puerta del Sol. His work The Third of May 1808 captured the scene of hundreds being executed. The painting shows Mamelukes wearing turbans and using curved scimitars against residents of Madrid. These images documented the violence of the uprising for future generations. The artwork remains a primary historical record of the events.
Juan Pérez Villamil encouraged mayors Andrés Torrejón and Simón Hernández to sign a declaration of war in Móstoles. This document was called Bando de los alcaldes de Móstoles or Edict of Independence. The rebellion gave considerable impetus to resistance across Spain and Portugal. The Action of Valdepeñas started Iberia's revolt while Combat of Padrões de Teixeira began Portuguese resistance. British intervention followed with the Battle of Roliça led by Wellington.
The Second of May is now a public holiday in the Community of Madrid. A square named Plaza del Dos de Mayo marks where the artillery barracks once stood. The surrounding district is known as Malasaña after teenager Manuela Malasaña who was executed by French troops. Several memorials honor the heroes including Monumento a los Caídos por España. A Spanish Navy screw frigate served from 1863 to 1884 bearing the name City of Madrid to honor the people of Madrid.
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Common questions
What caused the Dos de Mayo Uprising in 1808?
The uprising began when French general Joachim Murat attempted to move King Charles IV's daughter and her children along with his youngest son to Bayonne, France. Citizens viewed this action as an insult to their royal family and gathered before the Royal Palace on the 2nd of May 1808 to stop the removal of Francisco de Paula.
Who were the key figures involved in the Dos de Mayo Uprising fighting at Monteleón barracks?
Pedro Velarde y Santiyán was a 28-year-old artillery captain who joined the fighting after hearing gunfire while Luis Daoíz y Torres served alongside him during the defense of the Monteleón artillery barracks. Both officers died during the French assault on the barracks and their unit became one of the few Spanish troops to disobey orders against vastly superior numbers.
How did Marshal Murat respond to captured rebels during the Dos de Mayo Uprising?
Marshal Murat created a military commission on the evening of the 2nd of May 1808 which issued death sentences for anyone captured bearing weapons. General Grouchy presided over this body and hundreds of prisoners including craftsmen found with shearing scissors or kitchen knives faced summary execution the following day.
What paintings by Francisco de Goya document the violence of the Dos de Mayo Uprising?
Francisco de Goya painted The Charge of the Mamelukes to portray street fighting in Puerta del Sol and his work The Third of May 1808 captured the scene of hundreds being executed. These images documented the violence of the uprising for future generations and remain a primary historical record of the events.
Where did the declaration of war take place during the Dos de Mayo Uprising resistance across Spain?
Juan Pérez Villamil encouraged mayors Andrés Torrejón and Simón Hernández to sign a declaration of war called Bando de los alcaldes de Móstoles or Edict of Independence in Móstoles. This rebellion gave considerable impetus to resistance across Spain and Portugal while British intervention followed with the Battle of Roliça led by Wellington.