Spain (1820–1823)
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| Spain (1820–1823) | |
|---|---|
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| Conventional long name | Kingdom of Spain (1820–1823) |
| Common name | Spain |
| Era | Early 19th century |
| Status | Monarchy |
| Government | Cortes-backed constitutional monarchy (1820–1823) |
| Event start | Liberal uprising of 1820 |
| Date start | 1 January 1820 |
| Event end | French intervention and restoration of absolutism |
| Date end | 7 April 1823 |
| Capital | Madrid |
| Common languages | Spanish language, Castilian dialects |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Currency | Spanish real |
| Leader1 | Ferdinand VII of Spain |
| Year leader1 | 1820–1823 |
| Legislature | Cortes Generales |
Spain (1820–1823)
The period 1820–1823 in Madrid was dominated by the Trienio Liberal, a constitutional experiment triggered by the 1820 uprising in La Coruña that briefly constrained Ferdinand VII of Spain and revived the 1812 Constitution of Cádiz. Liberal politics in Seville, Cadiz, and Barcelona intersected with military figures, provincial juntas, and clandestine societies such as the Sociedad Patriótica and Masonic lodges, provoking a conservative reaction culminating in the French intervention known as the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis under Louis XVIII of France and commanders like Duke of Angoulême.
Background and Causes
By 1820, Spain's international position after the Peninsular War and the diplomatic settlements at the Congress of Vienna left the Bourbon monarchy under Ferdinand VII of Spain isolated amid colonial revolts in Viceroyalty of New Spain, Viceroyalty of New Granada, and military defeats in Argentina and Peru. Economic dislocation in Seville and Cadiz combined with the influence of liberal thinkers such as Marqués de Miraflores, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, and the émigré networks around Joseph Bonaparte and the restoration-era salons encouraged secret societies including the Másones and the military lodge led by figures from the Royal Army of Spain and naval officers from Ferrol. The repression by Ferdinand and the restoration of absolutist institutions after the Treaty of Valençay and the fall of the 1812 liberal order provoked conspiracies culminating in the intervention of officers like Colonel Rafael del Riego and urban uprisings in provinces including Galicia and Catalonia.
The Trienio Liberal (1820–1823)
The 1820 revolution beginning with Rafael del Riego in Las Cabezas de San Juan forced Ferdinand VII of Spain to reinstate the Constitution of Cadiz and convene the Cortes Generales, creating a precarious coalition of moderate constitutionalists around figures such as Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel, and radical liberals like Agustín Argüelles and Mariano Luis de Urquijo. The Trienio Liberal saw a proliferation of provincial juntas in Valencia, Burgos, and Valladolid alongside civic clubs in Seville and the dissemination of periodicals edited by Leandro Fernández de Moratín and journalists tied to the Gaceta de Madrid and El Español. Military officers linked to Army of the North and naval forces in Ferrol supported constitutional rule even as conservative courts, the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office and supporters of Infante Carlos, Count of Molina mounted resistance.
Political and Social Reforms
Liberal authorities in the Cortes Generales pursued reforms influenced by the 1812 Constitution and thinkers such as Francisco de Miranda and Friedrich von Gentz; measures included press liberalization via printers in Madrid and Bilbao, municipal reforms initiated in Toledo and Zaragoza, and legal revisions affecting institutions like the Audiencia and the Consejo de Estado. Economic measures touched the fiscal system linked to the Spanish Treasury and trade policies affecting ports such as Cadiz and Bilbao, while educational initiatives referenced universities in Salamanca and Barcelona and drew on the pedagogical legacy of Pascual Madoz and José Cadalso. Reforms met resistance from the Spanish Inquisition legacy and archconservative clergy associated with Cardinal Francisco Javier de Cienfuegos and monasteries in Toledo.
Domestic Opposition and Insurrections
Conservative reaction centered on royalist supporters including the Infante Carlos, Count of Molina and absolutist plotters in Seville and Aragon, while Carlist sympathies circulated despite the formalism of the succession crisis. Military uprisings in Cádiz and anti-liberal risings in Valencia were fomented by officers with ties to foreign émigrés from Napoleonic networks and by clerical networks allied to bishops such as Juan Antonio Hernández Pérez-Crespo. Frequent skirmishes involved battalions drawn from garrisons in Valladolid and irregulars organized in Andalusia and Murcia, and urban protests in Madrid sometimes provoked martial law decrees by ministers like Francisco Javier de Istúriz.
International Intervention and the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis
The Holy Alliance, embodied by Congress of Verona, the Holy Alliance (1815) powers, and monarchs like Alexander I of Russia and Metternich’s Austrian Empire, authorized intervention to restore order after diplomatic pressure from Holy See emissaries and Spanish absolutist envoys. France under Louis XVIII of France dispatched the expeditionary force commanded by the Duke of Angoulême—the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis—which crossed the Bidasoa River and advanced through Navarre and Aragon toward Madrid, meeting sporadic resistance from liberal militias, battalions of the Army of the Centre, and civic defense organized in Barcelona and Bilbao. The intervention involved coordination with British diplomatic maneuvering at Whitehall though Britain abstained militarily, while the Papal States and Vatican recognized the restoration effort.
Aftermath and Restoration of Absolutism
Following the occupation of Madrid and the capitulation of liberal leaders, Ferdinand VII of Spain repudiated the 1812 Constitution and reimposed absolutist rule, aided by royal decrees and the reconstitution of royal councils including the Consejo de Castilla and royalist tribunals. Prominent liberals such as Agustín Argüelles, Rafael del Riego and Mariano Luis de Urquijo faced imprisonment, exile to destinations including London, Paris, and Mexico City, or execution by royal courts. Restored institutions favored returnees like Infante Carlos supporters and clerical patrons in Seville and Toledo while colonial rebellions in Venezuela, New Spain, and Colombia proceeded largely independent of metropolitan politics.
Legacy and Historical Interpretations
Historians debate the Trienio Liberal’s impact, contrasting the constitutionalist experiment analyzed by scholars like Joaquín Costa, Mariano Torrente, and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez with conservative interpretations rooted in Carlist narratives and legitimist accounts promoted by clerical historians associated with Cardenal writings. The episode influenced later Spanish liberalism, informing the 1833 regency policies of María Cristina of the Two Sicilies and the outbreak of the First Carlist War, while European historians place the intervention within the broader reactionary enterprise of the Holy Alliance and the post‑Napoleonic restoration. The Trienio left a political vocabulary for reformers such as Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and Leopoldo O'Donnell, a juridical corpus in the Cortes Generales archives, and cultural traces in works by Francisco de Goya and writers like Leopoldo Alas.
Category:Political history of Spain Category:19th century in Spain