Regency of Isabella II: Political and Economic Changes
2 Elizabeth II from 1833 to 1843: The Regencies
The period is divided into two regencies:
Regency of María Cristina (1833-1840)
Following the death of Ferdinand VII, his wife and widow, María Cristina, assumed the regency due to the minority of Isabella II. The ruler, Cea Bermudez, remained in government, intending to maintain the existing political and economic system. However, he was forced to make concessions, though not enough to modernize the country politically, economically, or administratively. The clearest example of these timid reforms was the creation of the provinces by Javier de Burgos.
The atmosphere of the Carlist Civil War provoked a reaction against the government, leading to a desire for an alliance with moderate liberals to stop Carlism. Some military figures and captains, including Quesada and Llauder, requested the convening of courts and a change in government. Under these pressures, Queen Regent María Cristina decided to appoint Martínez de la Rosa (a liberal moderate) to lead the government.
The new government of Martínez de la Rosa implemented the so-called Royal Charter (1834). This document, consisting of 50 articles, established that the Courts would have two chambers: the Estate of Peers, composed of members of the nobility appointed by the king for life, and the Estates Attorneys, elected on a restricted basis, with eligibility limited to those with an actual income exceeding 12,000 reales. The Courts could only discuss matters submitted to them by the Crown. Sovereignty, according to the Royal Charter, resided in the crown, and the general law was markedly conservative.
In 1836, the army ended this regime after a coup carried out by the sergeants of the Royal Guard at La Granja, forcing the queen to reinstate the Constitution of 1812. Liberals, under Mendizábal, assumed government and launched a process of confiscation against the property of the regular clergy. The confiscation aimed to enhance the state’s financial resources and create a number of landowners loyal to the Liberal government.
The Liberals were divided into two factions: progressive and moderate. In 1837, they established a constitution, which would become the base document of the progressives.
The Constitution of 1837
The Constitution of 1837 was characterized by establishing sovereignty in the nation, with a marked separation of powers. The king held the executive branch, the bicameral Cortes (Congress and Senate) the legislative, and the judicial courts the judicial. The vote was lessee, but more open than under the Royal Charter, and municipalities were chosen through elections. Finally, it established compulsory military service and the National Militia in each province. Ultimately, it served to strengthen the constitutional system, limit the power of government, and allow for the dismantling of the structures of the ancien régime.
The end of the first Carlist War allowed General Espartero to gain prestige through the victory of the Liberals. Moreover, the unpopularity of María Cristina, coupled with her opposition to the progressive tenets, led the queen regent to resign, leaving the country’s destiny in the hands of the military.
Espartero’s Regency (1840-1843)
General Espartero launched the Progressive Party’s projects and an economic policy based on free trade. This policy clashed with the Catalan bourgeoisie, who were economically injured. Some progressives united with the moderates in the elections of 1843. In the spring of that year, after the bombing of Barcelona, several soldiers, led by Narváez and O’Donnell, issued a statement ending the regency of Isabella and proclaiming Espartero of age, thus ending the regency period.