Spanish Liberal Agrarian Reforms in the 19th Century
Liberal Agrarian Reform in 19th Century Spain
Liberal agrarian reform in Spain during the nineteenth century was based on four distinct policies, which often coexisted:
Key Agrarian Policies
Abolition of Lordships
Two types of lordships existed: territorial and jurisdictional. Neither aligned with liberalism’s goal of free, individual ownership. Territorial lordships implied land ownership by the lord, while jurisdictional lordships involved rights over the territory, which liberalism sought to eliminate.
Disentailment (Desamortización)
This policy involved auctioning properties belonging to religious institutions (secular and regular clergy), municipalities (propios and comunes – private and common lands), public institutions, hospitals, and military orders. Its primary goal was to alleviate the state’s debt. Hospitals and schools were often maintained through the rents generated from their leased properties.
Abolition of Primogeniture (Mayorazgos)
Primogeniture (mayorazgo) was an Old Regime institution safeguarding noble properties by passing them entailed (indivisible and inalienable) to the firstborn son. It disappeared with liberalism, which promoted full and individual ownership.
Abolition of Ecclesiastical Tithes
The tithe, a religious tax or duty, was incompatible with liberalism. It began to decline in the early 19th century and was formally abolished in 1841.
Disentailment Process and Causes
Causes of Disentailment
- Legal: Liberalism mandated that property should be full and individual.
- Economic: The need to alleviate state debt and meet the growing demographic demand for land, which spurred agricultural expansion and investment (land was seen as a secure asset).
- Ideological: Mortmain properties (those held inalienably) needed to be subject to market laws. There was political debate: Moderates were often more cautious regarding church property, while Progressives strongly advocated for selling these assets to fund the state and promote economic activity.
Early Disentailment Measures
Precedents included:
- Godoy (late 18th/early 19th century): Sold properties from charitable institutions (obras pías) associated with the Church.
- Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleonic era): Confiscated properties from clergy and aristocrats who opposed the French invasion, aiming to gain supporters for his monarchy.
- Cortes of Cádiz (1810-1814): Targeted properties of Francophiles, Jesuits, military orders, and convents/monasteries destroyed during the Peninsular War.
- Trienio Liberal (1820-1823): Sold assets from monasteries and convents, particularly those ruined or suppressed.
These early measures had limited impact due to their short legislative validity and the turbulent political context.
Main Stages of Disentailment
- Mendizábal (1836-1837): Focused primarily on selling properties of regular religious orders (monks, friars) and religious corporations.
- Espartero (1841): Initiated the sale of secular clergy properties (those belonging to parish priests, cathedrals, etc.).
- Madoz (General Disentailment Law, 1855): This was the most extensive phase, encompassing properties of the secular clergy, municipal lands (both propios and comunes), public instruction assets, hospitals, and military orders. The sale of municipal and charitable lands potentially created gaps in social welfare provision.
Impact of Spanish Agrarian Reforms
Disentailment significantly increased the acreage of land available for private ownership (affecting a substantial portion of the country’s land), but it did not automatically lead to increased agricultural productivity, which often stagnated or even declined in the short term in some areas. It profoundly altered the land ownership structure, alongside other key liberal reforms like the abolition of primogeniture and feudal dues. The way sales were conducted often favoured wealthier buyers, contributing to the consolidation of large estates (latifundios) in some regions and reinforcing existing social inequalities.