Spain in the Early 19th Century: A Political Analysis

The Afrancesados accepted the new monarchy and supported its reforms. This small group of Spaniards was composed of members of the nobility, the high clergy, and primarily, civil servants.

The Patriots refused to accept a foreign monarch imposed by military might. This group included most of the people, who defended the sovereignty of Ferdinand VII and traditional values (God, country, king); and the liberals, primarily liberal bourgeois and professionals who wanted to end the Old Regime and draw up a constitution.

Constitution of Cadiz and the Constitution of 1812

The liberal revolution against absolutism happened in parallel with the war. With the void in power created by the absence of the monarch, the patriots created provincial defense juntas to conduct the war.

Power was assumed by the Supreme Central Junta, which coordinated the war and undertook the political and social reforms that the country needed. In order to do so, the Supreme Junta summoned the Cortes of Cádiz (1810), elected by male popular vote.

Among the Cortes delegates were absolutists, who defended royal sovereignty and keeping the Old Regime; and liberals, who were in favor of national sovereignty and the end of the Old Regime. The latter won the majority, and were able to get the Cortes to carry out legal reforms and approve a constitution.

The laws they approved established freedom of the press (1810), abolished manors (1811), trade guilds (1813), and the Inquisition (1813). With them, the foundations of the Old Regime were attacked.

The Constitution of 1812, the first in the history of Spain, recognized individual rights like equality before the law and established national sovereignty and the separation of powers. Thus, absolutism was replaced by a liberal political system.

Stages in the Reign

The Absolutist Sexennium (1814-1820)

Ferdinand VII abolished the Constitution of 1812, thus annulling the work of the Cortes of Cádiz, and persecuted the liberals. Some were exiled, and others tried to attain power through uprisings or military coups.

Liberal Triennium (1820-1823)

In 1820, the uprising led by commander Rafael de Riego at Cabezas de San Juan (Seville) prevailed. Frightened, Ferdinand VII swore allegiance to the Constitution of Cádiz and accepted the liberals’ reestablishment of the work of the Cortes of Cádiz, such as the suppression of the manors, the elimination of the Inquisition, etc. Meanwhile, Ferdinand VII obtained the aid of the absolutist powers of the Holy Alliance. In 1823 a French army, the ‘One Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis’, invaded Spain and allowed the king to restore absolutism.

The Ominous Decade (1823-1833)

This period began with the reprisals. The situation changed in 1830 with the succession problem, because his daughter Isabella was born. Ferdinand VII repealed the law that prevented women from inheriting the throne. Don Carlos, brother of Ferdinand VII and until then his successor, did not accept it and received the support of the absolutists, which forced Maria Christina, wife of Ferdinand VII, to rely on the liberals.