The Reign of Charles IV: Crisis, War, and the Dawn of Liberal Revolution in Spain

Posted on Dec 7, 2024 in History

The Reign of Charles IV (1788-1808): A Continuous Period of Crisis

Social and Economic Crisis

Economic growth slowed in the 1780s and 1790s due to:

  • Falling returns from cultivating less productive land.
  • Population stagnation from 1790.
  • Loss of grain crops, causing a subsistence crisis (1803-1804 famine and epidemics, including yellow fever).

War Crisis and its Consequences

The beginning of Charles IV’s reign coincided with the outbreak of the French Revolution, challenging the political and social foundations of the Old Regime. The revolution’s impact conditioned domestic and foreign policy throughout the reign. Three periods can be distinguished:

  1. Stage of Prevention and Neutrality (1789-1792): The Count of Floridablanca, as Prime Minister, implemented a policy of surveillance and neutrality against France and repressed revolutionary propaganda.
  2. Godoy’s Rise and the War Against France (1793-1795): This period ended with the Peace of Basel (1795), in which Spain recovered lost territories. France was given the Spanish part of Santo Domingo, along with preferential treatment in colonial trade.
  3. Alliance with Revolutionary France (1796-1808): The Treaty of San Ildefonso (1796) involved a clash against England, with serious implications for trade with America due to English attacks on Spanish ships and naval defeats in 1797 and 1805 (Trafalgar) against Nelson. This marked the decline of Spain as a maritime power.

The consequences of these wars, besides population losses, were:

  1. Indebtedness of the Royal Treasury: Measures taken included increasing the tax burden, issuing government bonds, and securing foreign loans. In 1798, the government resorted to confiscation (sale by auction of part of the land belonging to the Church).
  2. Crisis of Colonial Trade: The war not only reduced commercial traffic with America, but from 1796, Spain also lost its monopoly.

The Political Crisis of the Monarchy

The political crisis of the monarchy was the determining factor in the collapse of the Ancien Régime, lasting until the next century. The inability to solve problems discredited the monarch and his Prime Minister. The idea took hold, especially among the privileged classes, that the solution was the dismissal of Godoy, the abdication of Charles IV, and the accession of his son, Ferdinand. This discontent led to the Mutiny of Aranjuez in March 1808, where a sector supporting the future Ferdinand VII and opposed to Godoy encouraged a revolt among popular groups, who attacked Godoy’s palace. Charles IV deposed Godoy and abdicated in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII.

Simultaneously, Spain, subject to Napoleon’s interference, signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1807), providing for the division of Portugal into three parts (one for Godoy) and authorizing the entry of Napoleonic armies into Spain.

The War of Independence and the Beginnings of the Liberal Revolution

The War of Independence refers to the armed resistance led by the Spanish people against the actual occupation of Spain by Napoleon.

History of the War

Napoleon took advantage of the internal conflicts of the Spanish monarchy to attract Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to the French city of Bayonne. On May 2, 1808, when the rest of the royal family was leaving the Royal Palace to go to France, the people of Madrid mutinied and were severely punished by French troops. In Bayonne, Napoleon appointed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, as King. As these events became known, insurrection spread to all territories occupied by the French army.

In this war of liberation, two sides can be distinguished: the afrancesados, supporters of Joseph I, and the liberals and absolutists who agreed in their rejection of the invading French troops and the return of Ferdinand VII.

The vacuum situation prompted the rebels to create new political instruments: local juntas were formed, composed of members of the old ruling classes and business groups. These juntas were integrated into provincial juntas, which met in September 1808 in a Central Junta, assuming a dual role: to lead the war and rule the country. In 1810, the Central Supreme Council transferred its powers to a Regency Council acting on behalf of King Ferdinand VII and established in Cádiz.

During the conflict, guerrilla tactics played a major role (small units, knowledgeable of the terrain, constantly harassed and threatened French communication lines, supported by civilians, disrupting military schemes).

Three phases can be distinguished:

  1. Until November 1808: The French were defeated at Bailén, and there were sieges in Gerona and Zaragoza.
  2. November 1808 to January 1812: Characterized by French military hegemony, as Napoleon decided to conduct campaigns in person, with the participation of England and the performance of the guerrillas.
  3. 1812 to the End of the War: This last phase was defined by the loss of positions by French troops, also involved in the Russian campaign.

In the Treaty of Valençay in 1813, Napoleon recognized Ferdinand VII as King of Spain, but French troops did not leave Catalonia until 1814.