Please sign in to post.

Napoleonic War History in Portugal

Hello. I will be spending two days in Porto and four days in Lisbon later this month as part of a longer trip including Portugal and Spain. I enjoy studying European history as a hobby, and I was curious if anyone knows of any interesting Napoleonic War era historical sights in either Porto or Lisbon. I know the obvious answer might be to travel to Torres Vedras, but given the brevity of my stay in Portugal I don't anticipate making any day trips out of these cities (besides Sintra perhaps). I am looking for anything close to Porto or Lisbon that could be fitted into the wife's itinerary. I would expect there to at least be some interesting sights in Porto, but my googling hasn't produced very much information. Thanks in advance for any tips!

Posted by
5835 posts

I've enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series of historic novels covering the before and during the Napoleonic wars through the Battle of Waterloo. The series includes Sharpe's time in Portugal and Spain. Although a historic novel series, the novels reflect specific Napoleonic battles. You can follow Richard Sharpe' travels through Spain and Portugal as the "Crapauds" chase him across the landscape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpe_(novel_series)#Campaigns_in_Europe

In Sharpe's Rifles, Sharpe is said to have fought against the French
in Portugal at Roliça and Vimeiro, both in August 1808....

By early 1809 Sharpe is in Spain with the 95th Rifles, undertaking the
terrible hardships of the rearguard of the retreat to Corunna
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corunna. Cut off from the main
body of the army, he is forced to take command of a handful of
surviving but mutinous riflemen (including Patrick Harper), while
protecting a small party of English missionaries and assisting Spanish
Partisans in the temporary liberation of the city of Santiago de
Compostela (Sharpe's Rifles).

After making their way to Portugal, and taking part in the Battle of
the Douro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Porto,
Sharpe and his surviving 30 riflemen are attached to the Light Company
of the South Essex (a fictional regiment) as part of Wellesley's
Peninsula Army. Sharpe takes part in a number of notable actions,
either with the South Essex, or on detached duty for Major Michael
Hogan, Wellesley's head of intelligence. These include the capture of
a French Imperial Eagle at the Battle of Talavera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talavera in 1809, and storming
of the breaches at Badajoz. He also takes an active role in the first
siege of Almeida
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Almeida_(1810), the Battle of
Bussaco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bussaco and of
Barossa, Ciudad Rodrigo, Fuentes de Onoro, Salamanca, Vitoria and
Toulouse.

The author on the historic accuracy of his work:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sharpeschallenge/cornwell.html

Q: Each of your novels ends with a historical essay about the actual
incidents and sources behind your story. What do you believe is the
historical novelist's responsibility to history?

A: I think those afterwords are absolutely necessary, because I am
not an historian; I am a storyteller. Whenever the demands of the
story clash with the dictate of real history, the story is going to
win, because my job is to entertain; it's not to educate. But I do
understand that for many people, as it was for me when I was young,
historical novels are a gateway to history; and they will persuade
people, I hope, to go on to read the real history. I think that once
you finish a book, it's incumbent upon the historical novelist to tell
people where he changed history and maybe why; and also where they can
go to discover more about the period. So, yes, I do think that my job
is to serve history and to serve historians — but to do it by doing a
song and dance.

Posted by
7595 posts

We came back from a 15 day trip to Portugal that included a 7 day Douro River cruise about two weeks ago. Occasionally, on a tour, our guide would mention something about the Napoleonic Wars in Spain and Portugal. I remember our guide in Porto pointing out the building that was the Duke of Wellington's headquarters in Porto. Portugal has a long friendship with Britain, and there are many British commercial interests in Portugal.
We loved the Douro Valley. Our river cruise was with Vantage, which leased the Douro Spirit. The boat was wonderful, food was great, service was special and people friendly.
The Portuguese people were fantastic.
If you go to Porto. We found a great B&B in the heart of the city. It is the InPatio Guesthouse. It only has 5 rooms, all modern. The owners are so nice and go way out of their way to please.

Have you read any of the books by Simon Scarrow on that war. Check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Young-Bloods-Wellington-Napoleon-Revolution-ebook/dp/B00GW4VYO4/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465680661&sr=1-18&keywords=simon+scarrow

Posted by
11 posts

Thank you both very much for your replies! I have read the Bernard Cornwell series on the wars (and enjoyed them) but have not read the books by Scarrow--I will definitely check those out. It does look like there are some interesting Napoleonic War sights in Porto that we will make sure to add to our list. Thanks again.

Posted by
233 posts

What you can find in Porto concerning the french invasions:

  • Porto Military Museum - Rua do Heroísmo 329 (weapons, equipment, uniforms)
  • The house where Soult stayed after the conquer of Porto, "Palácio das Carrancas" is now "Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis" (art museum) at Rua D. Manuel II

"Elegant and imposing, the Palácio dos Carrancas was chosen to lodge illustrious personages, not always with its owners' consent. It was the official residence of General Soult, in 1809, at the height of the Napoleonic invasions. It served as the Duke of Wellington's headquarters after the flight of the Imperial troops. General Beresford and Prince William of Nassau, among many other personages related to the allied army, stayed in the palace." from http://www.museusoaresdosreis.pt/en-GB/building/HighlightList.aspx

  • Near Museu Soares dos Reis, at the corner of Rua D. Manuel II and Rua do Rosário, is the torso of Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.

As you probably know the major tragedy of the Napoleonic invasions was the collaps of the bridge of boats (Ponte das Barcas) under the weight of those trying to escape the invading French army. More than 4.000 people died in the Douro River. Evocating this tragedy you can find:

  • A painting at Igreja das Taipas
  • A sculpture at Ribeira wall (near nr 20 door)
  • A stupid thing (two things, in fact, twins) representing the old docks where the bridge of boats were tied, one on Ribeira and the other on Vila Nova de Gaia.

  • At Rotunda da Boavista garden (Praça Mouzinho de Albuquerque), is the Monument to the Heroes of the Peninsular Wars.

Posted by
11 posts

Helena,

Thank you very much for your reply. Your information is very helpful and I am sure very useful to others on this board as well. Cheers.