Little did Napoleon Bonaparte imagine in the days prior to the battle that an army of militiamen, with hardly any combat experience and scant resources would defeat his prestigious troops for the first time on open ground. It is little wonder then that Bailén not only marked a milestone in Spain’s contemporary history, but also signalled the beginning of the end of French occupation and dealt a hard blow to Napoleon’s imperialist plans.

The Museum of the Battle of Bailén commemorates the heroic deed in a permanent exhibition that has been recently expanded and remodelled. The intention is to offer visitors a complete analysis of the events that took place in July 1808, explaining what led up to them and the ensuing consequences from a more humane point of view, without glorifying war and other military exploits.

The exhibition is structured around a core theme – the development and consequences of the battle – and secondary themes such as the Peninsular War, the Napoleonic Wars and the evolution of Bailén before and after the battle. One of the benefits of the new museum is the freedom with which visitors can explore the exhibition, because there is no pre-established order for viewing it. Other attractions include a large model featuring 1,200 lead soldiers, objects from several collections (uniform buttons, weapons, coins, unpublished writings, and so forth) and still figures (e.g. Generals Dupont, Castaños and Vedel) that come to life when a visitor passes by and tell stories about historical events.

In addition to the Visitor Centre, another good option for learning about the events in Bailén is to visit the town on certain important dates. In July, the town commemorates the Spanish victory with an event conducted by civil and military authorities; and every two years, in October, the historic battle is re-enacted by several groups and associations. It is not by chance that early autumn is the chosen date. The intention is to downplay an aspect of the battle that was decisive for the Spaniards’ victory: the high temperatures and scorching sun of Andalusia in summer was devastating to the French.

The Battle

The Battle of Bailén was part of the Peninsular War in which the Spanish people took up arms to fight against French occupation. The Treaty of Fontainebleau authorised Napoleon to cross Spain with his troops, but what was meant to be a mere transit turned into a full-scale invasion. Confident that his plans would succeed, Napoleon ordered the occupation of southern Spain and at the same time attempted to rescue a French squadron that was blocked in the bay of Cadiz. It is in that context that the first popular uprisings began, until the Spanish people decided to fight the invading troops.

In the opinion of many historians, the participation and involvement of the people was another key factor in the Spanish victory in Bailén. The role of the people of the town in Jaén was decisive in supplying water for the troops to drink and to cool off the artillery on a day on which the temperature was higher than 40 ºC in the shade, according to the chronicles. In fact, in addition to the combative ardour of the Spanish militiamen, some authors attribute the French defeat to the maddening thirst and heat. The collaboration of the people of Bailén has been symbolised since then by the figure of María Bellido and reflected on the town’s coat of arms by a drawing of a water jug.

The French army’s surrender was signed by General Castaños and the French General Dupont in a humble inn on the banks of the stream known as Arroyo Rumblar. The defeat unleashed Napoleon’s fury. In response, he marched into Spain leading an army of 250,000 men and occupied the Peninsula, with the exception of Cadiz, which offered heroic resistance.