On May 2, 1808 in Madrid, a bloody popular uprising broke out against the presence of the French army in the city. A terrible war began. This day of Dos de Mayo announced the failure of the replacement on the throne of Spain by the Bourbon dynasty by Bonaparte. However, all those involved in the situation were convinced that Bonaparte would take over and none of those who might oppose it tried to. Neither King Charles IV and Queen Marie-Louise, Manuel Godoy, Ferdinand, the Spanish elite, advisers, ambassadors and deputies of Napoleon, Talleyrand, Murat, or Savary tried to do anything to stop the events. What were the intentions of these people in these circumstances? To what extent did they lead events? How are they part of this story? And is the ultimate failure of the takeover necessarily a condemnation of the behavior of Napoleon? In response to these questions, the author of this book draws a striking psychological portrait of each of the actors in this tragedy, as he restores the ins and outs of this drama.