the 1808 peninsular war was triggered by an event of huge political weight: the king of spain, ferdinand vii, was captured and imprisoned by the french armies of napoleon. the supreme central and governing junta of the kingdom claimed sovereignty, and waged the war against the french. the viceroyalty was then divided in political factions with different political opinions about the legitimacy of the junta. conservatives thought that, in political terms, the junta should be acknowledged as the king would be, and the remainder of the political organization of the spanish empire should stay unchanged. a group influenced by the french ideas thought instead that the junta lacked the king's authority, and each province should be free to appoint their own government junta.