Dos de Mayo

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Monument to the fallen of May 2nd in Madrid, erected in 1840

The uprising of May 2nd , Spanish levantamiento del dos de mayo , describes the violent events of May 2nd, 1808 in Madrid, which arose from the resistance of the Spanish people against the uncertain political conditions after the "Mutiny of Aranjuez ". The uprising of the population against the French occupiers was violently suppressed by Napoleon's troops . Subsequently, a wave of indignation and the call for armed resistance gripped the whole country, which ultimately led to the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814).

procedure

prehistory

General Joachim Murat

After the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau on October 27, 1807 and the accession of the Spanish troops to the French alliance that marched towards Portugal, and the mutiny of Aranjuez on March 17, 1808, Madrid was occupied on March 23 by troops of the French General Joachim Murat occupied. The day after, the triumphant entry of King Ferdinand VII and his father Charles IV , who had just been forced to abdicate in favor of his son. They were both in a hurry, with a meeting with Napoleon in Bayonne . At this meeting, the Bourbons had to cede the Spanish royal crown to the House of Bonaparte . Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte , then became the new Spanish king.

Meanwhile, a new government devoted to Ferdinand was formed in Madrid. Nevertheless, the de facto rule over Madrid remained with Murat, while the government could not claim much more than its title for itself. On April 27, Murat asked the government for permission, allegedly in the name of Charles IV, to bring the two children of the former king who had remained in the city, María Luisa and the Infante Francisco , to Bayonne . The junta initially refused to give its consent, but gave in to Murat's insistence after a meeting on the night of May 1st and 2nd because of a message from Ferdinand VII brought by an emissary from Bayonne.

«¡Que nos lo llevan!»

Memorial plaque in front of the royal palace

In the early morning hours of May 2nd, people began to gather in front of the Madrid Castle . The crowd saw French soldiers enter the palace to get the Infante out. Thereupon shouts resounded “ ¡Que nos lo llevan! “(Roughly you are taking him away from us! ), And the people tried to penetrate the palace. The infant appeared on a balcony, which increased the excitement in the crowd. Murat used the commotion to summon some soldiers of the imperial guard with guns, which he used against the crowd. With this act, however, he increased the anger among the people, which now not only prevented the Infante's departure, but also intended to avenge the dead and drive the French out of the city. Because of this mood, the popular uprising soon gripped the entire city.

Street fighting

Mamelouks de la Garde impériale in the street fights (painting by Francisco de Goyas )

Incited in this way, the people rose up in an uprising, which arose spontaneously, even if the resistance had existed subliminally since the French troops marched into the country. The organization of the street fighting was improvised. In the city quarters, civil units formed with leaders from among the people. They tried to stock up on weapons, but had little more than knives; the insurgents knew that the arrival of further French troops in the city had to be prevented at all costs.

But all efforts were in vain, and Murat was able to employ a tactic that was as simple as it was effective. When the Madrid occupied the gates near the city to prevent the French troops encamped in the area from entering, most of Murat's troops had already entered Madrid in concentric movements. The people fought back the whole of May 2nd with all available means, such as stones, sewing needles and flower pots thrown from the balconies. The hitting and stabbing and the arrests ran through a long, bloody day. The Mamelouks de la Garde impériale and Lancers acted cruelly against the population and several hundred Madrid residents, men and women, died, as well as several French soldiers.

Even if the resistance to the French advance was much stronger than Murat had expected, especially at the Puerta de Toledo , the Puerta del Sol and the Palace of Monteleón, thanks to his encirclement strategy he was able to bring Madrid under military rule and place the government under his command. Gradually the last clusters of resistance fell.

Daoíz and Velarde

Monument to Daoíz and Velarde on Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Madrid, created by Antonio Sola. The archway served as access to the Monteleón barracks

While the fighting spread, the Spanish military units remained in their quarters, following the command of their Colonel General Francisco Javier Negrete . Only the troops stationed in the artillery barracks at the Monteleón Palace in the north of the city disregarded the orders and united with the insurgents. At their head were Captain Luis Daoíz y Torres , who carried out the command, and Pedro Velarde y Santillán . With their teams and rebel civilians, they barricaded themselves in the palace grounds and repulsed a first French attack, but died fighting the reinforcements sent by Murat.

Reaction and oppression

The shooting of the insurgents on May 3, 1808, by Francisco de Goya's painting in the Prado Museum

On May 2, 1808, the Spanish state was not fighting the French; it was rather the popular revolt in Madrid against an occupation which (out of indifference, fear or self-interest) was tolerated by a large part of the Spanish administration. Indeed, under the Treaty of Fontainebleau, the French troops had "legally" entered Spain. However, they did not adhere to the restrictions placed on them in the treaty, as they exceeded the permitted contingent of troops and also took places that were not on the way to Portugal, their alleged goal. Francisco de Goya's painting La Carga de los Mamelucos traces the character of this fight: Well-equipped professional fighters against a practically unarmed crowd; active participation of women in the struggle of the insurgents, some of whom lost their lives in the process; involved almost exclusively the people of Madrid and the units of France.

In response to the uprising, cruel repression followed. Murat had three goals: control over the administration and the Spanish armed forces; rigorous retaliation against the rebels to teach all Spaniards a lesson; Confirmation of his own rule over the land. On the evening of May 2nd, he issued a decree setting up a military commission chaired by General Emmanuel de Grouchy to pronounce death sentences against anyone captured while armed during the uprising.

The Council of Castile issued a notice that any public gathering was prohibited and all weapons, whether thrust or firearms , were to be surrendered. Spanish military personnel also served on Grouchy's commission. The haves seemed to prefer Murat's success to a victory for the insurgents, who were almost exclusively recruited from the common people.

In the Salón del Prado and the grounds of the Palacio de la Moncloa , hundreds were executed by firing squads. In total, around 1,000 Spaniards may have lost their lives as a result of the uprising and subsequent executions.

consequences

Murat assumed that he had stifled the spirit of resistance in the Spanish people by terrifying them and that he himself was certain of the crown of Spain. However, the spilled blood cried even more so the displeasure of the people, and stood the signal to fight against the invading forces throughout the country is. Even in the afternoon of May 2 was Juan Pérez Villamil , Secretary of the Admiralty and Treasurer of the Supreme Military Council, in Mostoles , the Mayors Andrés Torrejón and Simón Hernández sign a manifesto calling on all Spaniards to take up arms against the invaders and to rush to save the capital. This manifesto sparked a general uprising. The first efforts, which were abandoned, were initiated by the bailiff of Talavera de la Reina , Pedro Pérez de la Mula and the mayor of Trujillo , Antonio Martín Rivas, who drew up lists of volunteers with food and weapons and mobilized troops. who should come to the aid of the capital.

Aftermath in the present

Monument to the Heroes of May 2nd , Aniceto Marinas (1908)

The events of May 2nd are commemorated year after year in commemorative events. The city ​​festival of Madrid is also celebrated on this day every year. On the hundredth anniversary of Dos de Mayo in 1908, King Alfonso XIII consecrated the church . the bronze ensemble Héroes del Dos de Mayo (Heroes of May 2nd) by the sculptor Aniceto Marinas . The 200th anniversary of 2008 was also marked with a performance by the La Fura dels Baus theater company in the Plaza de Cibeles , which represented the day of the uprising and the executions of May 3, as well as a parade in the Puerta del Sol and an award ceremony at the government headquarters of the Autonomous Community of Madrid .

At the former residence of Pedro Velardes in Muriedas (Cantabria), an annual mass is celebrated for this event, in which the neighbors, members of the municipal administration and the government of Cantabria take part.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Dos de Mayo Uprising  - Collection of images, videos and audio files