Bayonne Abdications

The 1808 renunciations by Spanish Bourbon monarchs Charles IV and Ferdinand VII at Bayonne, under Napoleon’s pressure, that enabled Joseph Bonaparte to become king of Spain.

Charles IV of Spain: King of Spain from 1788 until 1808 and father of Ferdinand VII. His renunciation at Bayonne surrendered his claim to the Spanish throne.
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1807): An agreement between France and Spain permitting French troops to cross Spain to invade Portugal. Its troop movements gave Napoleon leverage inside Spain before the abdications.
Dos de Mayo Uprising: A popular uprising in Madrid against French occupation on 2 May 1808. It erupted as the imposed dynastic change became an immediate struggle against French rule.
Abdication: The formal relinquishment of a throne or other position of sovereign authority. The Bayonne transfers are disputed because they occurred under coercion rather than freely given consent.
Ferdinand VII: King of Spain whose reign began in March 1808 and was interrupted by Napoleon’s intervention. His renunciation followed his father’s and cleared the way for Napoleon’s choice of monarch.
Invasion of Portugal (1807–1808): The French-led invasion that occupied Portugal and precipitated the transfer of the Portuguese royal court to Brazil. The invasion brought French forces into Spain under the pretext of marching toward Portugal.
Spanish War of Independence: The Spanish resistance to French occupation from 1808 to 1814, also known as the Peninsular War in Spain. The abdications helped ignite the national war against Joseph Bonaparte’s government.
Josephine Spain: The Spanish regime under Joseph Bonaparte from 1808 to 1813, supported by French power and Spanish collaborators. Its claim to rule rested on the Bayonne transfers, which many Spaniards rejected.
Napoleon: French military and political leader who ruled as emperor from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815. He engineered the transfers and used them to install his brother in Spain.
Manuel Godoy: Spanish statesman who served as chief minister under Charles IV and was a central target of court opposition. His policies and influence fueled the factional conflict surrounding the Bourbon succession.

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Battle of BailénRelated: The dynastic crisis undermined French authority and intensified resistance across Spain.