1808 Crisis: War, Revolution, and Spanish Independence
The Crisis of 1808: Revolutionary War and Liberal Beginnings
The eighteenth-century reforms, not carried out due to opposition from the privileged classes, caused popular discontent. The enlightened minority, which was reformist, was divided into conservative monarchists and a few undecided individuals. Economic crises also fueled social conflicts.
In 1788, Charles IV ascended to the throne, and in 1789, the French Revolution broke out. To isolate Spain from France, King Charles IV appointed Floridablanca as prime minister in 1789. However, he failed and was replaced by Aranda in 1792 to save the French King Louis XVI. Aranda also failed that year and was replaced by Godoy.
In 1793, Louis XVI was executed, leading to the outbreak of the War of the Convention, in which Spain allied with England against France. When the French occupied Catalonia and Guipuzcoa, Spain and France signed the Peace of Basel (1795), excluding England. In 1796, they signed the Pact of San Ildefonso and faced England with France, which defeated them in 1797 at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in France. In 1801, Godoy led the invasion of Portugal (War of the Oranges). In 1805, the British defeated Spain at Trafalgar, which had severe consequences for Spain. The privileged classes joined Prince Ferdinand, and some intellectuals began to spread revolutionary ideas against the monarchy.
There were riots and conflicts over subsistence and tax payments. Finally, Napoleon considered Spain weak and decided to conquer it.
The Treaty of Fontainebleau authorized the parking of French troops in Spain to carry out the conquest and division of Portugal. Against this invasion, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil.
Godoy distrusted Napoleon because French troops were retreating and planned the flight of the royal family to Andalusia, even to America.
Soldiers, peasants, and palace servants, incited by Fernandes, rioted, causing the fall of Godoy and the abdication of Charles IV in favor of his son Ferdinand VII. This is known as the Mutiny of Aranjuez (1808).
With the abdication of Bayonne, Ferdinand VII was forced to abdicate in favor of his father, who, in turn, gave all rights of the Crown of Spain to Napoleon.
The trip to France of Infante Francisco de Paula and the demand that Murat hand over Godoy to take to France, caused the uprising in Madrid on May 2, 1808, which was easily suppressed but brutally repressed, causing cities not occupied by French armies to revolt against Napoleon.
The War of Independence can be divided into three stages:
First Stage (June-November 1808)
In June 1808, 170,000 French troops entered Spain to suppress popular uprisings and place Joseph I on the throne. Spanish cities such as Girona and Zaragoza resisted. In July, the Battle of Bailen took place, where General Brown defeated the army of General Dupont. It was the first battle the Napoleonic army lost. Joseph I fled from Madrid to Vitoria, and French troops retreated to the Ebro.
Second Stage (November 1808-July 1812)
In November 1808, Napoleon decided to personally crush the Spanish resistance. He arrived with 250,000 men, and on December 2, Joseph I returned to Madrid. By early 1809, only some peripheral areas and the mountains were free of French occupation.
The Spanish adopted a new way to combat the guerrilla stragglers, attacking civilians, and bandits ambushed the French. They knew the terrain well and were supported by the civilian population.
The guerrillas could be liberal, led by Espoz y Mina, or quite like the priest Merino.
Third Stage (July 1812-December 1813)
Since February 1812, Joseph I and Napoleon began to distance themselves because they believed that peace was necessary. Napoleon needed troops for the Russian front, and Britain decided to intervene to defeat Napoleon in Europe. In July 1812, General Wellington, with British, Portuguese, Spanish, and guerrilla troops, defeated the French at the Battle of Arapiles (Salamanca) and pushed south. In May 1813, Allied troops entered Madrid, and the final offensive began north. The French were defeated at Vitoria and San Marcial. The defeat of Napoleon at Leipzig (Germany) led Ferdinand to sign the Treaty of Valençay in December 1813, whereby he regained the crown of Spain.
During the French occupation, the Spanish were divided into Francophiles and those who believed that the administration should be in Spanish hands. All were considered traitors and were exiled after the war.
Although most of the Spanish opposed the French and fought in defense of Fernando VII, they were also divided into absolutist and liberal patriots.
Provincial Boards were also set up for defense in the 13 cities not occupied by the French. In 1808, Aranjuez boards were consolidated into one: the Supreme Central Board governor, which was conservative and headed by Floridablanca, was needed to negotiate with England.
In 1810, the Central Board was dissolved, and a regency council was appointed, moving to Cadiz to summon a Cortes. This was done by summoning the deputies of the cities but not the privileged classes due to administrative problems. However, due to the war, representatives of the cities could not travel to Cadiz, so alternates who were in the city were chosen. These courts also included the urban middle classes and the intellectual part of the common people.
In Cádiz, liberalism was imposed because it was a city defended by the British navy. There, in Cadiz, the 1812 Constitution was signed, which provided for national sovereignty, separation of powers, rights, and freedoms. Not all Spaniards, on whose behalf these reforms were carried out, learned what was happening.