Almeida em 1810: primeira etapa de uma invasão improvisada

Abstract

This paper is about the third French Invasion of Portugal in 1810. It discusses the lack of preparation of M'assena’s army, which did not seem to act according to a pre-established plan, but rather based itself on improvisation. The question of whether or not the fortified towns were to be occupied, namely Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain and particularly Almeida, in Portugal is analysed. Massena’s Army wasted precious time over this hesitation. All this meant that the allied Portuguese and British Armies were able to concentrate on defending the main objective of the French: the occupation of Lisbon. The fort of Almeida is considered by contemporary chroniclers as being of minor strategic importance, for the enemy had no need to take it in order to enter Portugal through the Beira. Another of the questions discussed in the paper is the choice that Massena made when he decided to march on Lisbon via the right bank of the Mondego River, which again was considered by many the least appropriate way. The author suggests that Massena lacked essential information about the country he was setting out to invade, which seems strange considering that many studies of Portugal had already been prepared in previous years by military engineers and had been taken to Paris. What motivated this state of ignorance and lack of planning on the part of Massena’s army is debated, for had this not been the case, the outcome of the last adventure of Napoleon in Portugal would have been very different.