WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO DECEMBER 1809
Find out what all happened January to December 1809

King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden abdicates after a coup d'état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland's four Estates pledge allegiance to Alexander I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden. (29. March 1809)

Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars. (6. January 1809)

Chuquisaca Revolution: a group of patriots in Chuquisaca (modern day Sucre) revolt against the Spanish Empire, starting the South American Wars of Independence. (25. May 1809)

Sweden promulgates a new Constitution, which restores political power to the Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of enlightened absolutism. At the same time, Charles XIII is elected to succeed Gustav IV Adolf as King of Sweden. (6. June 1809)

Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña. (16. January 1809)

The Royal Opera House in London opens. (18. September 1809)

The second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeats the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars. (6. July 1809)

Quito, now the capital of Ecuador, declares independence from Spain. This rebellion will be crushed on August 2, 1810. (10. August 1809)

The Battle of Wagram is fought. (5. July 1809)

The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl: the Austrian army is defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon I of France and driven over the Danube in Regensburg. (22. April 1809)

Peninsular War: Battle of Talavera – Sir Arthur Wellesley's British, Portuguese and Spanish army defeats a French force led by Joseph Bonaparte. (28. July 1809)

In a naval action during the Napoleonic Wars, French frigates defeat British East Indiamen in the Bay of Bengal. (18. November 1809)

Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22 pound tumor. (25. December 1809)

Battle of the Basque Roads Naval battle fought between France and the United Kingdom (11. April 1809)

Peninsular War: A combined Franco-Polish force defeats the Spanish in the Battle of Ciudad-Real. (27. March 1809)

Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder's Stand. (11. October 1809)

Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. (5. May 1809)

Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden is deposed in a coup d'état. (13. March 1809)

The Territory of Illinois is created by the 10th United States Congress. (3. February 1809)

Peninsular War: France defeats Spain in the Battle of Medelin. (28. March 1809)