La historiografía reciente de la Guerra de la Independencia

Abstract

Recent historiography of the Peninsular War has reviewed a considerable portion of the clichés that have grown up around it. These are works of widely varying kinds, which in Spain, France and the United Kingdom have sought to deepen and diversify traditional approaches. The results have been manifold: abandonment of the original view, which was pervasive, definitive and dogmatic, and the opening up of the analytical horizon thanks to the location and critical editing of new sources; reconsideration of the myths and the memory of the war; transcendence of the bounds of traditional discourse regarding hitherto untouchable issues, such as the nature of the Spanish political and military response to the invader; and lastly, the focusing of more attention on all those whose part in the battle had been eclipsed by the long shadow of a Spanish people reluctant to admit nuances in their epic and heroic definition of it.

Keywords

• Guerrilla
• Historiographic renewal
• Myths
• Nation
• People
• Peninsular War