Maria Cristina’s Regency (1833-1840) and Spanish Liberalism
The Regency of Maria Cristina (1833 – 1840)
In September 1833, Ferdinand VII died. The government was left to his widow, Maria Cristina, during the minority of her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II.
From a year earlier, she began to lay the groundwork for what was an internal transition, directed from an absolute state structure.
However, under pressure from the apostles, the Regent could only keep the crown for her daughter by joining her fate to that of the moderate liberals.
But the government of Cea Bermudez was unable to muster the support needed due to the absence of political reforms of sufficient intensity to integrate liberal groups.
The need to change the government and convene a Cortes to make effective reforms to strengthen the regime was considered, a stock assumed not only by liberals but also by the old power structure of the system.
The Royal Charter was endorsed by the Regent in April 1834.
Its main objective was the organization of courts; much of its article refers to the operation and training of these.
During the years of civil war, the Spanish division of liberalism also emerged: moderaos and progressives.
Moderate Liberals (Moderaos)
The moderate faction formed a sector within the liberal right, whose most outstanding proposals were:
- The need for liberties compatible with maintaining public order and security.
- The rejection of revolutionary courts; suspensions were equivalent to a crime.
- The defense of a strong authority that was considered essential to subdue the extremists of liberalism.
- Opposition to democracy and universal suffrage.
Progressive Liberals
The progressives composed the left wing of Spanish liberalism in the mid-nineteenth century. Key features of their ideology included:
- The need to expand the number of eligible voters to allow middle-class individuals to participate in political decisions.
- The desirability of deeper and faster reforms with the intention of expanding freedoms.
- The progressives shared with the moderates a common aversion to democracy.
- Distrust of the Catholic clergy. They intended to submit the church to finish its economic power.
1837 Constitution
During the summer of 1835, the Carlists were incapable of being defeated, and protests from the more liberal extremity multiplied, leading to continuous street riots. In 1836, a group of junior officers of the army revolted, forcing the regent to suspend the Royal Statute and restore the Constitution of 1812.
Shortly after, the courts began drafting the Constitution of 1837, configuring the new constitutional political system, also incorporating ideas proposed by moderates.
Key Aspects of the 1837 Constitution:
- The synthesis between national principles of sovereignty and popular sovereignty.
- The introduction of parliamentary bicameralism, requiring laws to be approved by both chambers of the courts.
- The maintenance of major powers in the hands of the king, including legislative initiative, voting rights, and designation of senators. The monarch was responsible for appointing ministers.
- The affirmation of religious freedom and the commitment of the state to maintain the Catholic clergy economically.
The Constitution of 1837 was completed with a new electoral law that established a direct vote and male suffrage for the election of deputies.