The Spanish War of Independence & Liberal Triennium
The Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814)
At the beginning of the 19th century, Carlos IV’s minister, Godoy, agreed to help Napoleon Bonaparte fight against France’s main enemy: the United Kingdom. Godoy allowed French troops to move through Spain to invade Portugal (an ally of the British). In 1808, the Spanish people were angry because the French troops had established themselves permanently. The Motín de Aranjuez broke out, demanding the dismissal of Godoy and Carlos IV. The king abdicated in favor of his son, Fernando VII. Napoleon called Carlos IV and Fernando VII to Bayonne and forced them to abdicate in favor of his brother, José Bonaparte.
Unhappy with José I being king and with the presence of French troops, the people of Madrid attacked the French troops on the 2nd of May 1808. This revolt caused the beginning of the War of Independence (1808-1814). British troops and guerrilla* groups (citizens under the direction of soldiers characterized by their surprise attacks) fought the French until the end of 1813. The War of Independence officially ended at the beginning of 1814, when José I had to leave and Fernando VII returned.
The Cortes of Cádiz and the Constitution of 1812
In 1810, during the War of Independence, representatives from all over Spain met in Cádiz, where a meeting of the Cortes had been called. The first decision of the Cortes de Cádiz was to allow every representative’s vote to have the same weight (it didn’t matter if they were from a privileged group or not). The Cortes de Cádiz approved the Constitution of 1812, which reflected the basic principles of political liberalism:
- National sovereignty
- Division of powers
- Universal male suffrage
- A bill of rights
It was the first Spanish constitution and would be a precedent for future constitutions in Spain. The Cortes also approved laws to abolish the Ancien Régime:
- Abolition of guilds
- Feudal lords no longer had rights over serfs in their fiefdoms
- The Inquisition was suppressed
- No Spaniards had privileges; all were equal before the law. All of them had the same rights and had to pay taxes.
The Reign of Fernando VII (1814-1833)
Fernando VII returned to Spain in 1814 and dissolved the Cortes de Cádiz, annulled the Constitution, and reestablished the absolute monarchy and the Ancien Régime. The social, economic, and political backwardness of Spain worsened. In Spain, the aristocracy (nobles and high clergy) allied with the absolute monarch Fernando VII and ensured that the bourgeoisie didn’t have much power. Because of this, many changes that occurred in other parts of Europe didn’t happen in Spain: equality before the law (no privileged groups), modernized agriculture, industrialization, national sovereignty, etc.
The Liberal Triennium (1820-1823)
During his reign, Fernando VII persecuted the liberals (people who defended political and economic liberalism and laws like those approved in the Cortes de Cádiz). However, in 1820, Colonel Riego led a successful pronunciamiento, forcing the king to accept the Constitution of Cádiz and all the liberal laws. There were two types of liberals who were constantly debating:
- Moderate liberals: Supported minor reforms that absolutists* would approve.
- Radical liberals (later called “progressives”): Wanted profound changes. Some even wanted a republic instead of a monarchy.
This Liberal Triennium ended when the One Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis, French volunteers (defenders of absolutism), entered Spain and restored Fernando VII as absolute king.
The Succession Crisis and the Carlist Wars
Fernando VII recovered his absolute powers and restored the Ancien Régime. He faced some problems, including:
- A colonial war: The Spanish American bourgeoisie (criollos) were angry that Spain had a trade monopoly and imposed heavy taxes, and they led independence movements.
- A succession conflict: Fernando VII had a daughter, Isabel, and the Salic Law stated that the heir to the throne must be male in Spain. In 1830, Fernando VII issued the Pragmática Sanción, which named his daughter Isabel heir to the Crown instead of his brother, Carlos María Isidro.
This caused a civil war between:
- Carlists: Very traditional and wanted an absolute monarchy.
- Liberals or “Isabelinos”: Supported Isabel as a way to negotiate and have a parliamentary monarchy instead of an absolute monarchy.