December 1807) and kept all ships engaged in American commerce in
U.S. ports.
With Russia, Austria, Prussia and Denmark cut off from trade with
England, Napoleon sought to tighten the noose by denying Portugal to
British commerce. He began in July 1807 by demanding closure of the
ports, then followed up next month by insisting that Portugal declare war
on England. The Portuguese were thus in an impossible position, for a
war with Britain would mean the loss of its colonies and its global trade
while a war with France would mean military occupation. While
negotiations with Spain went on for a treaty to carve up a defeated
Portugal, in September Napoleon sent Junot and a full army corps to
mass at Bayonne on the Spanish border.
Tortuous negotiations proceeded with both Spain and Portugal. In
September Junot's army was admitted to Spain, when the chief Minister
in Madrid, Manuel Godoy, agreed to allow transit in return for receiving
all Portugal south of the Tagus as his personal fief. France was to retain
Lisbon and northern Portugal, which was to be given to the house of
Etruria in one of Napoleon's bizarre swaps whereby Tuscany was made
over to his sister Elisa. In Portugal the Regent John, deputizing for his
insane mother, agreed to close the ports, declare war on Britain and seize
her subjects, but jibbed at handing over confiscated property to France.
Napoleon lost patience and on 12 October ordered Junot to invade
Portugal.
The Portuguese, having dithered for months, were now galvanized into
action and finally closed their ports. On 5 November their batteries
actually fired on a Royal Navy fr igate. Behind the scenes, however, it was
a different story: on 22 October the Portuguese ambassador signed an
Anglophile accord and pledged that the Portuguese royal family and fleet
would flee to their colony in Brazil. The British did not trust Portugal
and sent Admiral Smith and nine battleships to the Tagus to enforce the
agreement. Smith invested Lisbon and prevented supplies arriving.
Matters were on a knife edge when the perennially impatient Napoleon
decided he had had enough of Portuguese vacillation and declared the
House of Braganza extinguished. This finally forced the hand of the
Prince Regent Oohn VI of Portugal, Joao I of Brazil): the royal family and
most of the fleet departed for Brazil. Junot's corps was meanwhile making
very slow progress along the Peninsula's dreadful roads. He was in
Salamanca on 12 November but it took him until 30 November to reach
Lisbon. He arrived to find the entire Portuguese fleet gone and just one
unseaworthy ship of the line at anchor. The British completed their
triumph in the battle of wits by occupying Madeira on Christmas Eve.
marcin
(Marcin)
#1