Austria, 1809: Napoleon was stunned after the first defeat of his career at Aspern-Essling and the death of his best friend and closest confidant, Marshal Lannes. But all across the continent, the war raged on...

On May 21st, 1809, the Austrians attacked the Grande Armée at the towns of Aspern and Essling. The ensuing two days were the hardest test of Napoleon's career to date.

In April, 1809, the Austrians finally launched their long-awaited invasion of the Napoleonic Empire. The French were taken by surprise, but Napoleon had a plan to turn the tables.

French and British forces continue fighting in Spain. In Paris, Napoleon's frustrations with Talleyrand finally boil over as he prepares to face off against a renewed and reformed Habsburg army.

After taking Madrid, Napoleon chased a British army into northwestern Spain. Meanwhile, behind the lines, Spanish guerrillas waged a brutal war against the occupiers.

The Spanish Patriots prepared to hold off Bonaparte in a rocky mountain pass, but they didn't count on the heroism of the Polish cavalry of Napoleon's Imperial Guard.

In early November 1808, French troops crossed the Ebro River in their second invasion of Spain, led by the Emperor himself.

The summer of 1808 saw desperate fighting across Iberia as Spanish and Portuguese patriots rose up against Napoleon. France's most powerful enemy, Great Britain, sought to take advantage.

The Spanish uprising was a disaster for France. Napoleon tried to shore up his diplomatic situation but found himself undermined by a surprising new enemy. Cameo appearances by José de San Martín and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

In the spring of 1808, Napoleon said he considered Spain conquered. That summer, Spanish forces dealt France its first major battlefield defeat in nearly a decade. How did Spain manage this stunning reversal?