Spanish "Maja" - Madrid 1808

Madrid, 2nd of May of 1808. The day dawned peacefully, but there was an uneasy mood in the city. Pretty soon, groups of citizens started gathering at the Royal Palace, wary of the intentions of the French troops. Someone cried out loud "They are taking him away!", and that was the start of it...

The Treaty of Fontainebleau, signed in 1807, allowed the entry of the French Napoleonic Army into Spain, on its way to invade Portugal, which was a staunch ally of Great Britain. King Carlos IV had been forced to abdicate on his son, the infamous Fernando VII, and both had been recalled to France to force them to cede the Spanish crown to Napoleons brother, Joseph Bonaparte. In the meantime, Joachim Murat got orders to bring the remaining children of the king to France.

Fearing that the kids would be held as hostages, and fearing in particular for the small prince Francisco de Paula, the people of Madrid revolted violently against the French Army in a spectacular episode that ignited the war in Spain and is commonly referred as "El Dos de Mayo".

The French soldiers got confronted and assaulted by a mostly unarmed multitude of civilians, including many women, representing an ample array of classes and conditions, all united against the invaders.

Those were also the days of the "majas", women that opposed the principles imposed by the dominant class and that have been described as "bold, friendly, honest, foul-mouthed and rogue". Many of them were present at the revolt and some of them even died that day, fighting for their beliefs.