The Peninsular War Evaluated by Authors of the English Periodical “The Quarterly Review”. 1809—1814

The age of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars was a time of great upheaval, causing profound social and political changes in Europe. Part of this conflict was the Peninsular War 1808—1814, in which the British armed forces took part. The Spanish struggle for their freedom was accompanied by widespread popular resistance, the guerrilla warfare, as well as significant political transformations. All this attracted the attention of the British public and generated discussions among the political elites of the country. Debates about the course of the conflict, its prospects and the need for assistance from the United Kingdom to the rebellious Spaniards were reflected in the pages of the periodical press. Among the influential periodicals whose authors spoke out on these issues was The Quarterly Review, a literary and political review founded in London in 1809. Among its reviewers were prominent literary figures and politicians such as R. Southey, W. Scott, J. Ellis, J. Barrow, J. W. Crocker and others. One of the main roles in the creation and development of the journal was played by the publicist and Tory politician J. Canning, who served as the Foreign Secretary in 1807—1809. Reviewing literary novelties in their articles, critics turned to the issues of the current conflict in the Pyrenees. They argued about the nature of the war, the peculiarities of military operations and the role of local authorities in resisting the French invaders. They were also interested in the role of popular resistance in the liberation of the country. In describing current events, they often referred to analogies from the Spanish past, which made it possible to fit them into a broad historical context. Reflections on the course of the military confrontation became not only a statement of ones position on the nature of the conflict, but also a response to political opponents, which also influenced the opinions that existed in British society about the war on the Peninsula.