Isabel II’s Reign: Regency and Liberal Reforms (1833-1843)
Isabel II’s Reign (1833-1843): The Regency
The Regency of Maria Cristina
Item 14. Isabel II (1833-1843). Regency. The will of Fernando VII provided for the creation of a Governing Council to advise the Regent, Maria Cristina. This council was chaired by Francisco Cea Bermúdez and composed mostly of moderate absolutists. The new cabinet proclaimed itself a defender of absolutism, while proposing some timid administrative reforms. The only reform undertaken by this government was the new provincial division of Spain. Thus, in 1833, Spain was divided into 49 provinces. But to the extent of the Carlist uprising, the Elizabethan throne began to crumble for lack of solid support. Then, some military and royal advisers convinced the ruler of the need to appoint a new government able to obtain the support of the Liberals. Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, a moderate liberal, was chosen to preside. He carried out the first reforms. His proposal was the promulgation of a Royal Charter in 1834. This was not a constitution, but only a set of rules for the convening of a Parliament, which remained the same as in the Old Regime.
The Rise of Liberalism
Soon, it became clear that these reforms were insufficient for much of the liberal movement. The division between moderate liberals and progressives, which had already begun with the Liberal Triennium, formed the two major trends that would dominate Spanish politics in the following decades. In the summer of 1835, and again in 1836, progressives staged a wave of urban riots across the country. The riots began with attacks and the burning of convents in cities, along with demands for the meeting of Cortes and a free press. Given the situation, in September 1835, Maria Cristina called upon a liberal, Mendizabal, to form a government. He quickly began a reform of the Royal Statute. But when he decreed the confiscation of Church property, those in the privileged class urged Maria Cristina to dismiss him in 1836. Riots broke out in many cities in the summer for the restoration of the Constitution of 1812. There was also a rise of sergeants in the garrison of La Granja. In August 1836, Maria Cristina agreed to restore the Constitution of Cadiz.
Progressive Reforms and Disentailment
In the short period between August 1836 and late 1837, the progressives took over the task of dismantling the institutions of the *ancien régime*. One of their first acts was the so-called liberal land reform, which enshrined the principles of private property and the free availability of land. The liberal land reform took place in 1837 and consisted of three major measures: the dissolution of the manorial system, the removal of entailed estates, and *desamortización* (disentailment). Disentailment was a means to raise resources for the state through the sale of land owned by the Church and local councils. Disentailed goods were offered for sale by public auction. Mendizabal intended to obtain the resources needed to fund the liberal army and lessen the severe state budget deficit. At the same time, new buyers would be a solid social support committed to the triumph of liberalism. In the longer term, measures should encourage the development of agriculture by turning the land over to more entrepreneurial property owners willing to make improvements in the forms of cultivation. Along with the abolition of the feudal regime and the transformation of ownership, a series of measures to free market operation were implemented. These included the abolition of the privileges of the Mesta, the abolition of union privileges, the recognition of freedom of trade and industry, the elimination of internal customs, and the abolition of tithes. These completed the legal framework for the implementation of economic liberalism in Spain.
The Constitution of 1837
The progressive government convened special courts to draft a constitutional text to adapt the Constitution of 1812 to the changing times. The document, approved in June 1837, was short and left aside a number of issues that would later be regulated by laws (such as elections, the printing press, or the municipalities) in order to establish a stable text that could be accepted by both progressives and moderates. The 1837 Constitution proclaimed some of the basic principles of liberalism: national sovereignty, a broad statement of citizenship rights, the division of powers, and the non-confessional nature of the state. It also incorporated some moderate elements, such as two chambers, the Congress and the Senate (the latter non-elective and appointed directly by the king), and granted sweeping powers to the Crown. The Constitution included a commitment to fund the Catholic Church. Other laws came to complete the constitutional legal framework: the Press Law (1836) did away with prior censorship, and the Electoral Law (1837) set a franchise system based on a census and was extremely restricted.
The Moderate Era
Once the Constitution was approved, new elections were called in October 1837, which were won by the moderates. During this stage of government, which extended until 1840, the moderates tried, without departing from the constitutional framework, to undermine the most progressive legislation of 1837. In 1840, they prepared a more restrictive electoral law, limited freedom of the press, and passed a Municipalities Act that gave the Crown the power to appoint the mayors of the provincial capitals. They also initiated a law that tended to return confiscated property to the secular clergy and prepared a draft for the reintroduction of the tithe.