Although locally organised militia had been deployed in Portugal and Spain before, particularly in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia, where thousands of well-organised "miquelets" (in conjunction with local militias known as "somatenes") had already proved their worth in the Catalan revolt of 1640 and in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), it was during the Peninsular War, referred to by Spaniards as the War of Independence, that such armed forces became active on a nationwide basis.