Key Figures and Events in 19th Century Spain
Desamortización (Disentailment)
A legal concept that implied that a set of goods ceased to be amortized. It was one of the reform processes that formed part of the 19th-century agrarian reform and allowed the privatization of assets, both rustic and urban, belonging to the Church and municipalities, through sale by auction.
Mutiny of Aranjuez
It was a popular uprising triggered by the deployment of Napoleon’s troops in Spain and the growing unpopularity of Manuel Godoy. On the night of March 17, 1808, a riotous crowd in front of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez demanded the dismissal of the minister and the abdication of Charles IV. These were the effects of an authentic coup d’état.
Manifiesto de los Persas (Manifesto of the Persians)
A text elaborated by absolutist politicians, presented to Fernando VII, requesting the elimination of the Constitution of 1812 and the return to absolutism.
Rafael del Riego
Spanish military officer. He fought in the War of Independence and participated in the pronouncements for the Constitution of 1812. He was stationed with troops destined to fight the rebels in the American colonies, in Cabezas de San Juan. He was a leader of the liberals and of the exaltados (radical liberals) in the Cortes of 1822. After the return of Fernando VII to absolutism, he was taken prisoner and executed in Madrid.
Muñoz Torrero
Priest and politician from Badajoz. He held important positions in education and politics. He was rector of the University of Salamanca. During the War of Independence, he collaborated in the organization of the defense insurrection. In 1810, he was named representative in the Cortes.
Bravo Murillo
Spanish politician, born in Fregenal de la Sierra. He began his political life in the ranks of the Moderate Party. He was a high-profile politician during the Moderate Decade, proposing a constitutional reform.
Donoso Cortés
Politician and thinker born in Valle de la Serena. A prominent writer, he was a supporter of Isabel II and secretary to her mother, whom he accompanied into exile. He lived in Berlin, where the revolutionary events strengthened his Catholicism. He published essays on Catholicism and socialism.
Manifiesto de Manzanares (Manzanares Manifesto)
A manifesto that collected progressive demands: changes in electoral law, broadening of the right to suffrage, freedom of the press, abolition of consumption taxes, and restoration of the National Militia. It was drafted by Antonio Cánovas del Castillo and signed by Leopoldo O’Donnell.
National Militia
An institution of armed citizens that existed to defend the constitutional system. It had a strong military component. It became increasingly radical, linked to the interests of the progressives. It participated in the events at La Granja in 1836. Finally, O’Donnell disbanded it after the creation of the Liberal Union and the departure of Espartero.
José María Calatrava
Extremaduran politician, born in Mérida. At the beginning of his training, he was at the Seminary of San Antón in Badajoz, later moving to Seville to study law. During the War of Independence, he was a member of the Supreme Board of Extremadura, and in 1812, he was a deputy in the Cortes. He intervened in the drafting of the first Spanish Penal Code. With the restoration of absolutism, he went into exile. He returned to Spain after the death of Fernando VII. He was President of the Council of Ministers, President of the Cortes, and President of the Supreme Court.