Represiones y venganzas contra los colaboradores de los franceses durante la Guerra de Independencia. Los informes depurativos de la Provincia de Santander (1808-1814)

Abstract

As a result of having researched the minutes of the trials held in the Municipal Historical Archive of Santander (AMS), the following pages will offer a detailed depiction of the ways and actions carried out against those who were considered afrancesados or traitors to their homeland during and after the Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814). In compliance with the orders issued by the government of Ferdinand VII, these documents were prepared by the Constitutional City Council authorities in support of the new tribunal constituted in the city for the enactment of the purge. It is hence a documentation of great value, both for nderstanding the course of the events during the war as well as a basis to portray the complex Santander society by the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. In general terms, collaborationism during the Peninsular War was not an isolated or minor event, and it also occurred in the province of Santander. The province had a certain strategic value for Napoleon, and a number of military actions of certain relevance took place in its territory. This interest equally had an impact on the demands placed by the emperor on the local population, which underwent a deep economic and political crisis. Faced with the reality of the occupation, a part of the people of Santander was forced to cooperate with the French invaders, whereas a few renowned personalities did indeed decide to support and be part of the French administration as a matter of conviction. They were far from belonging to a homogeneous collectivity since each individual had their own intentions and motivations, so they never had any unity of action, as will be exposed in the purge reports.