The Regency Era and Carlist Wars in Spain (1833-1843)

Posted on Dec 10, 2024 in History

The Regency Era in Spain (1833-1843)

The initial steps of the liberal regime in Spain during the minority of Isabel II coincided with the First Carlist War (1833-1840), a civil war. The Carlist War broke out twice more during the nineteenth century.

1.1 Causes of the Conflict

  • The Succession Question: The legitimacy of Elizabeth to the throne and her mother, Maria Cristina, to exercise the regency (Elizabethans) was disputed. On the other side, the Carlists claimed that Charles had become king of Spain. After the death of Charles, their descendants continued to lead this faction.
  • The Ideological Confrontation: The Carlists were enemies of liberalism. Carlism was the extreme right of the 19th century. Their motto was “God, Country, and King.” They defended traditionalism, the Ancien Régime, and the monarchy of divine origin. They also supported maintaining traditional privileges (Foral), according to which regions should maintain their autonomous government institutions, their own justice system, and fiscal autonomy.

Supporters of Liberalism: The big cities, the bourgeoisie, the workers, the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the nobility, and most of the army remained loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. Internationally, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Kingdom signed the Quadruple Alliance to support the Elizabethan regime.

Supporters of Carlism: Peasants, the gentry, the more conservative sectors of the church (regular clergy) who opposed disentailment measures, groups of artisans from the north (who feared the disappearance of the guilds), some army officers, and rural areas in some regions.

1.2 The First Carlist War (1833-1840)

It developed in four stages:

  1. The Formation of the Basque-Navarrese Insurrection: The Carlists tried to provoke a general insurrection but failed. They began the civil war and formed an army under Zumalacárregui in the Basque Country and Navarre. The death of Zumalacárregui deprived Charles of his most trained military leader.
  2. National Expeditions: During this period, the Carlists organized forays outside the Basque Country, such as the Gómez Expedition and the Royal Expedition. They failed to take Bilbao. Thanks to Espartero’s victory in Luchana, he became a popular idol.
  3. Elizabethan Initiative and the Convention of Vergara (1837-1839): The signing of the Convention of Vergara (August 1839) was symbolically sealed with the embrace between Espartero and Maroto. This agreement ended the war in Navarre and the Basque Country.
  4. The End of the War in Maestrazgo (1839-1840): General Cabrera and his troops refused to accept the Convention of Vergara and continued fighting until Espartero took Morella.

1.3 The Second Carlist War (1846-1849) Also called the War of the Matiners, it took place in Catalonia. Later, there were other Carlist uprisings. Carlism was revitalized after the overthrow of Elizabeth II following the 1868 revolution.

1.4 The Third Carlist War (1872-1876) Was held in Catalonia, Navarre, and the Basque Country. The restoration of the Bourbons to the throne (1875) marked the decline of the Carlists.

2. Organization of the Liberal Regime During the reign of Isabel II (1833-1868), legislative measures were adopted to definitively settle the liberal state in Spain. It is divided into two stages: the minority of age (1833-1843) and the majority of age (1843-1868).

2.1 The Minority of Age of Elizabeth II: The Regency (1833-1843)

The Transition (1833-1835)

  • Starring moderate absolutists and moderate liberals (Martínez de la Rosa) who favored combining the old state and liberal principles.
  • The legal text was the Royal Statute (1834), a granted charter. Its content was a regulation for the convocation of the Cortes. The powers of the Cortes were consultative. The composition of the Cortes included national leaders (elected by the Queen) and attorneys (elected by vote).
  • Reforms were undertaken, such as the territorial division into provinces (Javier de Burgos) and the rebirth of the national militia.

In 1835, popular revolts occurred in Madrid, including the killing of monks and the fire at the textile factory in Barcelona. The transition regime failed in its attempt to reconcile absolutism and liberalism.

The Rupture (1835-1840)

Progressive governments promoted the break with the Ancien Régime. The characteristics of this stage were as follows:

  1. The most representative figure was Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, a liberal fanatic. Leaving the government caused the military pronouncement of the sergeants of La Granja and a revolution.
  2. This uprising of the progressive forces led the Queen to establish the Constitution of 1837, shorter and more moderate than the one from Cadiz, attempting to accommodate the various liberal tendencies. It admitted national sovereignty and maintained the separation of powers. The Cortes shared sovereignty with the King. The composition of the Cortes was bicameral, with the Senate and the House of Representatives.
  3. Disentailment measures were taken up. The most important was promoted by Mendizábal: the disentailment of regular church property (1836-1837) and its sale at auction. The goal was to obtain financing for the First Carlist War and to achieve social and political support.

The Regency of Espartero (1840-1843)

A folk hero after his military successes, Espartero replaced Queen Maria Cristina as regent. He imposed an authoritarian liberalism supported by the army. The governments of this period retook Mendizábal’s laws, such as the confiscation of assets of the secular clergy (since 1841). These measures aroused strong opposition from the Church and the papacy. Espartero attempted to sign a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, resulting in new enemies: France and the Catalan textile industry, which confronted the government with an uprising in Barcelona in 1842. To crush the rebels, Espartero bombed the city, which diminished his popularity. When the exiles returned, the reign of Elizabeth II began.

To complete the theme of the era of the regencies, it is important to note the ultimate triumph of liberalism and the beginning of a modern state in Spain. The establishment of the modern state was performed in the next period, during the majority of Isabel II (1844-1868).