Spanish Crisis: Cadiz Courts & 1812 Constitution (1808-1814)
Crisis of the Ancient Regime (1808-1814): Courts of Cadiz and 1812 Constitution
Influence of the French Revolution and Consequences of the Alliance with Napoleon
The new King Charles IV and his minister Floridablanca tried to avoid the influence of the French Revolution. To that end, they established strong controls on customs and censorship to isolate Spain from France.
After a short period in office for Aranda, Charles IV appointed Godoy as Prime Minister. When Louis XVI was executed in France, the alliance with Spain was broken. Consequently, Spain became a member of an international coalition with Austria and Prussia (absolutists) and Britain, and took part in the Convention War.
In general, this war evolved in favor of France, who managed to enter the Basque Country and Catalonia and take control of part of the territory, because the Spanish army was ill-equipped. This increased the differences between inhabitants of the cities and the countryside.
As a consequence of the defeat, Spain signed the Basilea Peace, in which it was agreed that part of the Santo Domingo Island should be given to France. In addition, Spain and France became allies against Britain in the San Ildefonso Treaty in 1796.
Napoleon came into power in France and took advantage of the Spanish government’s feebleness. Spanish dependence on France increased, and both confronted Britain and its ally Portugal in the War of the Oranges. Moreover, Spanish military power ended in the military defeat of Trafalgar.
Although the alliance with France hadn’t been beneficial for Spain, Godoy continued with the alliance, signing the Fontainebleau Treaty. This allowed the entrance of French military troops to attack Portugal. But soon, Spaniards realized the French were acting as occupation troops. Seeing this, Prince Ferdinand organised the Aranjuez Mutiny (1808), which provoked Prime Minister Godoy’s dismissal and the abdication of Charles IV.
Taking advantage of the confrontation between father and son (Charles IV and Ferdinand VII), Napoleon called them to Bayonne, where he convinced them to abdicate in his favor. After that, he gave the Spanish crown to his brother Joseph. Even if there were some pro-French individuals in favor of Joseph, in general Spaniards did not want to accept a foreign king. That’s the reason why the Bayonne Statute, proposed by Joseph, did not come into force. In order to confront Joseph, people from Madrid mutinied against the French, and then these mutinies expanded, provoking the Independence War.
Independence War (1808-1814)
In this war, Spaniards defeated the French in battles such as Bailen.
In 1809, Napoleon took part in the war with the aim of directing Spain personally, but he could not because the war continued.
In 1812, the British general Wellington, with the support of Spain and Portugal (now allies against France), successfully defeated the French in San Marcial. Napoleon, now feeble, returned the Spanish crown to Ferdinand VII in the Treaty of Valençay. The Independence War was over.