Despite Napoleon's clear advantage in the Peninsular War, the Spanish Army was never completely destroyed. Wrought by poor leadership and insufficient training, Spain's armies persisted in the fight against imperial France. This book gives an overview of Spain's confused position during the Napoleonic Era, caught between the competing interests of Britain and France. The book focuses primarily on the uniforms of the Spanish Army in the period before 1808 and during the war years as the Army of King Joseph, as well as the infantry uniforms of 1814-15. Numerous illustrations and eight colour plates vividly depict the uniforms of this often-underestimated force.

Otto von Pivka (the nom de plume of Digby Smith) wrote his first book for Osprey in 1972 (The Black Brunswickers, in the Men-at-Arms series). He is a prolific author, who has contributed many titles to the Men-at-Arms series on the armies and forces of the Napoleonic Wars. A former major in the British Army, he is now retired, but continues to write books on this key period.