Junot’s Occupation of Portugal – Harsh Measures…

Junot’s Occupation of Portugal – Harsh Measures and Rising Resentment (1807–1808)

After securing control of Lisbon, General Jean-Andoche Junot attempted to stabilize the occupation by keeping his troops under control. However, Napoleon’s new orders undermined his efforts and intensified Portuguese hostility toward French rule.

Napoleon’s Orders – Seizing Property and Imposing Heavy Taxes

• Napoleon ordered Junot to confiscate the property of the 15,000 Portuguese nobles, officials, and merchantswho had fled to Brazil.
• The French imposed a crushing 100-million-franc fine on Portugal, supposedly as a war indemnity.
• However, the refugees had already taken nearly half of Portugal’s available specie (gold and silver currency) with them.
• The French occupation forces struggled to raise enough money to sustain themselves, leading to further exploitation and economic hardship for the Portuguese.

Deepening Resentment and Popular Resistance

• The burden of taxation fell heavily on ordinary Portuguese citizens, fueling deep resentment against the French.
• By January 1808, resistance began to harden into open defiance:
  • Portuguese civilians started resisting tax collections.
  • In response, executions of those who opposed French exactions became common.

A Dangerous Situation – But No Leadership for an Insurrection

• By early 1808, the situation in Portugal had become dangerously volatile.
• Public anger was widespread, but there was no centralized leadership for a national uprising because:
  • Most of Portugal’s political and military leaders had fled to Brazil with the royal family.
  • The French had dissolved the Portuguese army, further weakening organized resistance.

Conclusion – The Seeds of Revolt Are Sown

While Junot maintained control for now, the economic hardship, heavy taxation, and brutal repression were turning the population against French rule. Though an insurrection had not yet begun, the conditions were in place for a national uprising, which would soon erupt as the Peninsular War unfolded in 1808.