The Peninsular War, 1807-1814

by Michael Glover

A concise history of the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal. Historical accuracy is combined with bringing alive the people and events involved in this 17 year conflict.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, European History, Military Fiction, British Literature

432 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 1974

About the author

Michael Glover served in the British army during the Second World War, after which he joined the British Council and became a professional author. He wrote many articles and books on Napoleonic and Victorian warfare.

Reviews

[Laurie Sand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, it's true, the long national nightmare is finally over. I started this book way back in March of 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic, thinking to myself: Hey, you love Regency Era novels, wouldn't it be fun to know some context about the war that was going on during that time? And you have all this unexpected free time during lockdown, you should be able to knock it out in no time!

It's hilarious in retrospect.

Clearly, Michael Glover and I have very, very different ideas as to what "concise" means. Weirdly enough, lengthy descriptions of terrain and detailed quantifying of exactly how many troops of what type were fighting under each general involved in each battle are NOT my idea of a gripping military history. If there had been even a shred of context, politics, or psychology I think I would have been able to prop my eyes open for more than half a page at a time and might have finished the book in perhaps only a single year.

[Bill V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a great read. I have always found the Peninsular War a very interesting part of the Napoleonic Wars. I found the maps difficult to understand. Ideally, I would have given this a 3.5 star ranking if it were possible. The text is not dense and reads quickly but it is not engaging. Overall, a competent read for someone who wants a basic book on what happened in this theater.

[Lib DM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting at first then as others mentioned, unravels and becomes a random mess in the second half.

[Armin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first serious history book. Those were better times. I'm glad I still have my love of 19th century history at least.

[Steve Groves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise account of the war in Portugal and Spain between 1807 - 1814, involving the forces of Britain, Spain and France, which clearly sets out the reasons for the conflict and provides a narrative of the crucial operations and various phases of the campaigns, while bringing together the threads of the political, strategic, operational and tactical components in an easy to read style.

The book is very good in the chapters up to the period of the liberation of Spain between January to September 1813, when the narrative often becomes a little difficult to follow; which I also found in the final chapters on the invasion of Southern France. This is probably unavoidable given the amount of information needing to be condensed into a one volume rendition, as the author states, “ The aim of this book is to tell the story of the war in a comparatively concise form, less than one twelfth of Oman’s length, while relating it to the men who fought in Spain and Portugal, and to give some impression of what it was to march and fight, to eat and be wounded, to command and be commanded at the beginning of the nineteenth century.”

I had not seen the English fears of being outclassed by a French coalition of naval forces outlined as clearly before, which drove their strategy in attacking neutral Denmark and of fretting over the Portuguese fleet in 1807. It also brings out the genius of Wellington, who saw clearly the opportunity that Junot’s invasion of Portugal offered, when others were despairing of continued French successes.

There are clearly more detailed works available for those with a deeper interest in the conflict, but for the reader with a general interest in Military History and a vague awareness of what the war was all about, then this is a very good introduction. I felt that the maps of the battles could have been clearer, although the overall maps of Portugal and Spain are useful for following the movements of the armies as they manoeuvred.

Overall the author has done his work well and knows his subject, so the book is recommended in most regards.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good general history of the Peninsular War

[John Meffen · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative