The Carlist Wars and the Basque Charters: 19th Century Spain
These opposing ideological positions would give rise to the Carlist Wars. These developed mostly in the Basque Country because of the large number of Carlists who did not want to lose their charters. They, therefore, made it through the 19th century with the Carlist Wars.
The First Carlist War (1833-1840)
The First Carlist War (1833-1840) started under the pretext of succession. It mostly took place in the Basque Country in the form of a guerrilla war that caught the liberal troops by surprise. It can be divided into three phases:
- In the first phase, Carlists repeatedly defeated the liberal camp under the command of Thomas Zumalacárregui. Don Carlos ordered the siege of Bilbao, where the general died.
- The second phase was the most critical time for the liberal side. The Carlists launched expeditions, coming to Cadiz and besieging Madrid, but Espartero defeated them while trying to return to Bilbao.
- The last phase is based on Carlist strength and peace talks between General Maroto and Espartero, culminating in 1834 in the so-called Embrace of Bergara. A covenant in which both recognize a result of tables.
The Second Carlist War (1846-1849)
The Second Carlist War (1846-1849) was minor; it was a guerrilla war in Catalonia whose end resulted in the strengthening of the liberal system.
The Third Carlist War (1872-1876)
The last of the Carlist Wars, the third, started in 1872, after Elizabeth II was exiled, and Amadeo of Savoy came as king. In Parliament, this group took up arms again, fighting Amadeo’s armies, those of the First Republic, and finally those of Alfonso XII. The Carlist party was introduced in the 1872 elections but failed. In the war, however, they achieved many successes, fought in the territory north of the Ebro, and ended up creating their own independent state with its capital in Estella. But after a second failed siege of Bilbao and the Bourbon restoration in 1874, the situation got much worse. Many of the supporters who had joined him after the Revolution of 1868 returned to Alfonso XII. Several Carlist heads abandoned the fight, and in February 1876, they again conquered all, putting an end to the civil war and abolishing the statutory process. After the defeat of the Carlists, King Alfonso XII released on July 21 of that year the law which abolished once and for all the Basque Jurisdictions.
The Basque Regional System
The Basque regional system was different in each province, and its main features were shared sovereignty, the statutory pass, free trade, universal nobility in Vizcaya and Guipuzcoa, a separate tax regime, and exemption from military service. The statutory abolition process is marked by various constitutional and political steps, including the Carlist Wars. Its beginning dates back to the Constitution of Bayonne (1808), which promised a future review of the autonomous system but was not implemented. The Constitution of Cadiz, known as “La Pepa”, however, did not confirm or repeal the charters. During the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), the Provincial Councils replaced the charters, while these were re-instituted at the beginning of the Ominous Decade, with the return to the Old Regime. The charters began to be really threatened in the liberal revolution, with the death of Ferdinand VII, at the outbreak of the First Carlist War in defense of them. On October 25, 1839, a law was enacted confirming the privileges, provided they did not contravene the constitution. While in power, Espartero settled the Navarrese charters by agreeing with them in the Law of Pacts, 1841. In the Basque provinces, instead, he chose to abolish them by decree on October 29, 1841. When Espartero lost power at the beginning of the Moderate period, privileges were restored. The Provincial Councils would remain but with reduced powers. Then, after a Royal Order of March 6, 1849, the three provinces were set up as autonomous administrative frameworks. Finally, during the last stage, the Basque Country and Navarre followed a contradictory evolution. The Regional Pass disappeared, but administrative and financial autonomy expanded. When the system of Cánovas and King Alfonso XII came, it was completely abolished with the law of July 21, 1876. At first, the Basque Boards and Councils refused but later accepted it and made up a provisional Provincial Council. After February 28, 1878, the decree establishing a new political and administrative system, that of the Economic Agreements, was promulgated. This gave the County the authority to collect taxes they believed appropriate and then negotiate with the central state that would give the quota, which meant that the money paid was less than that donated by the other provinces. This, combined with the start of industrialization, enabled Basque provincial intervention and skills in fields beyond the reach of the rest. The fact of taxation by staples produced a further impoverishment of the lower classes. Complaints to recover the old Foral regime were limited to Carlist groups, as the oligarchy supported the dynastic parties, conservative and liberal, the only disagreement being the need for strong protectionism achieved in the Economic Agreement that was in force from 1891 until 1937 in Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa, which eliminated it for supporting the Republican cause during the civil war. Álava and Navarre kept it for supporting the cause of Franco. Finally, it was restored in 1980 with the establishment of a democratic regime in Spain. The abolition of the old regime ended with the Basque regional agreement, but all in return for the loss of political power.