50 euro – Bicentenary War of Independence

The year 2008 will mark the Bicentenary of the War of Independence that brought Spain into combat with the forces of the First French Empire and triggered the uprising of May 2, 1808. The Spanish Royal Mint has chosen to join in the celebration of this event of importance for Spain, which marked the beginning of a new historical cycle and produced a change in the previous political systems. The obverse reproduces the oil painting entitled "May 3, 1808 in Madrid: the executions by firing squad on the mountain called Príncipe Pío ", painted by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. The reverse depicts an adaptation from Goya's oil painting "May 2, 1808 in Madrid: the battle with the Mamelukes", housed in the Prado Museum.