The 2nd of May marks Comunidad de Madrid –roughly translated to Day of Madrid– which is an annual regional holiday peculiar to the city of Madrid, Spain. It commemorates the War of Independence, which took place on the same day in the year 1808. During that period, Madrid had been under the sovereignty of France; and King Charles IV of Spain was bludgeoned by Napoleon to abdicate his throne in favor of Ferdinand VII, his son.

The French troops, under the command of General Murat, ventured to abduct the daughter and youngest son of Charles IV, and take them to Bayonne. The governors of Madrid were coerced to agree to their demands, albeit reluctantly. Nonetheless, upon the arrival of the French at the Royal Palace, myriads of people gathered in an insurgence with the resolve of thwarting the French from fulfilling their onset. In response, the French opened fire on the crowd; causing an insurrection all-over Madrid, with the populace resisting the immensely better-equipped French troops.