Spanish History: From Charles IV to Alfonso XIII
Charles IV (1788-1808)
Charles IV halted enlightened reforms. Napoleon offered Manuel Godoy the throne of Portugal if Spain joined France against Portugal. Through the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Spain and France agreed to invade Portugal, but the French army occupied Spain, leading to the popular uprising known as the Motín de Aranjuez. Charles IV deposed Godoy and abdicated in favor of Ferdinand VII.
Joseph I Bonaparte (1808-1813)
Napoleon summoned Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to Bayonne, where they were detained. He then granted the Spanish crown to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. The Spanish people revolted. Joseph I was a reformer supported by moderate liberals (afrancesados). Napoleon presented Spain with a constitution, but it was not accepted.
War of Independence & Liberal Revolution (1808-1814)
Each province organized a Defense Board (Junta). The regular army received English support, and the people formed guerrillas, attacking the French by surprise. The Cortes of Cádiz marked the beginning of Spain’s bourgeois revolution. They approved the 1812 Constitution, nicknamed Pepa (as it was approved on Saint Joseph’s day), abolishing the Ancien Régime. Key features included:
- People’s sovereignty
- Separation of powers
- Civil rights, including the right to vote for all men aged 25 or more
- Freedom of the press
Ferdinand VII, “The Desired” (1814-1833)
Ferdinand VII’s reign was disastrous, and can be divided into three periods:
- As an absolute king.
- A coup d’état led by General Riego. Ferdinand VII lied and called the Holy Alliance for help. The French “100,000 Sons of Saint Louis” invaded Spain.
- Again as an absolute king.
He had two daughters, so he abolished the Salic Law. His brother, Charles, did not accept this, leading to the First Carlist War.
Isabella II (1833-1868)
Her mother, Maria Christina, and later General Espartero served as regents. Liberals were divided into the Moderate Party (bourgeoisie) and the Progressive Party (urban class). The first industrialization occurred, mainly in the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Madrid. The education system was in a dire state.
The Revolutionary Six-Year Period (1868-1874)
The Glorious Revolution exiled Isabella II. Amadeo of Savoy was elected king. Prime Minister Prim was assassinated, and the Carlists entered into war again (the Third Carlist War), leading Amadeo to resign. The First Spanish Republic was proclaimed, lasting 11 months and having four presidents. It ended with a coup by General Pavía, who entered Parliament with horses and the Guardia Civil.
Alfonso XII and Maria Christina: The Restoration (1874-1902)
The Bourbon monarchy’s restoration resulted from a military action (a coup by General Martínez Campos) and a political agreement. Cánovas (moderate, conservative) reached an agreement with Sagasta (progressive, liberal) to share power in turns and to approve a moderate and ambiguous Constitution. They alternated in power through rigged elections. Universal male suffrage was developed. Problems included excluded parties, the rise of nationalism in Catalonia and the Basque Country, and the end of the colonial empire.
Alfonso XIII and Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship (1902-1931)
Spain was the first country to lose its empire. Two new leaders emerged: Maura (conservative) and Canalejas (liberal). Both were assassinated and replaced by Dato (conservative) and Romanones (liberal). The Tragic Week of Barcelona was a people’s revolt against the compulsory mobilization of reservists to fight in Morocco, as only the poor were sent. Maura’s government crushed it with the army. A triple crisis (military demanding higher wages, political demands for Catalan autonomy, and social strikes) and the Annual Disaster (where 10,000 Spanish soldiers died in Morocco) led Primo de Rivera to stage a coup. The dictatorship ended with the New York stock market crash of 1929. The Second Spanish Republic was established two years later, followed by Franco’s coup.