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Napoleon''s occupation of the Iberian peninsula embroiled him in a protracted and costly war against British, Spanish and Portuguese forces ultimately led by one of history''s greatest commanders -- the Duke of Wellington.

Yet it also introduced a new dimension to warfare, for Napoleon''s ''Spanish ulcer'' became a bitter seven-year struggle against peoples inflamed by nationalism. Thus, while Wellington achieved successive victories in open battle, a parallel guerrilla war exacted a heavy toll of its own on the invaders.

In this concise introduction, Gregory Fremont-Barnes shows that this was no mere sideshow to the other campaigns of the period. The Peninsular War made a significant contribution to Napoleon''s eventual downfall.