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| Spanish Revolution of 1868 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Revolution of 1868 |
| Native name | La Gloriosa |
| Date | September–October 1868 |
| Place | Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Zaragoza |
| Result | Deposition of Isabella II of Spain; formation of Provisional Government (Spain, 1868); Sexenio Democrático |
Spanish Revolution of 1868 The Revolution of 1868, known in Spain as La Gloriosa, was a liberal-nationalist uprising that deposed Isabella II of Spain and initiated the Sexenio Democrático period. Military insurrections by elements of the Spanish Army combined with political agitation from Progressives, Democrats, and Moderates to force regime change and open debates over constitutional monarchy, republicanism, and colonial policy. The upheaval reshaped Spanish institutions, influenced Iberian diplomacy with France and United Kingdom, and affected colonial administration in Cuba and Philippines.
Long-term causes included dynastic tensions around Isabella II of Spain rooted in the Carlist Wars and the legacy of the Peninsular War. Short-term catalysts involved corruption controversies tied to the O'Donnell era and scandals associated with figures like the Duque de la Roca and ministers from the Moderate Party (Spain). Economic distress in Catalonia textile centers and agrarian unrest in Andalusia intersected with demands from municipal elites in Barcelona and Bilbao. International currents such as the revolutions of 1848, the rise of Giuseppe Garibaldi, and liberal constitutions in Portugal and France inspired Spanish Progressives, Union Liberal, and prominent intellectuals like Claudio Moyano and Práxedes Mateo Sagasta to press for regime change.
The insurrection began with a pronunciamiento led by General Juan Prim and General Francisco Serrano y Domínguez after sea landings in Cádiz and troop movements from Santander and Ferrol. The decisive naval engagement and urban uprisings in Seville and Cádiz culminated in the Battle of Alcolea (September 28, 1868), where forces under Serrano defeated loyalist troops commanded by Manuel Pavía y Lacy and royalist commanders aligned with Isabella II of Spain's court. Following the battle, revolutionary juntas formed in Madrid and provincial capitals; popular demonstrations in Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza pressured the Cortes. The queenship ended with Isabella II of Spain's exile to France, while revolutionary leaders convened to create a Provisional Government (Spain, 1868) and summon the Constituent Cortes.
Key military actors included Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre, Manuel Pavía y Lacy, and naval commanders like Juan Bautista Topete. Political figures comprised Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (then emerging), Emilio Castelar, Francisco Pi y Margall, and leaders of the Progressives and Democrats. Monarchist supporters included courtiers and generals loyal to Isabella II of Spain and conservative elites tied to the Moderate Party (Spain). International observers involved diplomats from United Kingdom, France, and Portugal, while exiled opponents such as General Leopoldo O'Donnell networks factored into planning. Revolutionary juntas incorporated provincial notables from Seville, Coruña, and Murcia.
The Provisional Government (Spain, 1868) headed by Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre and Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos established a liberal program that summoned the Constituent Cortes (Spain), promulgated legal reforms, and debated suffrage, press liberties, and municipal law influenced by texts like the Constitución de 1869. Ministers from the Progressive Party (Spain), Democratic Party (Spain), and liberal monarchists such as Práxedes Mateo Sagasta drafted measures on civil liberties, religious relations with the Holy See, and colonial administration affecting Cuba and Puerto Rico. International negotiation led to recruitment of foreign candidates, culminating in the search for a new monarch that involved envoys to France and United Kingdom and discussions about a European prince acceptable to Prim and the Cortes.
Following Prim's assassination in 1870 and the deliberations of the Constituent Cortes, the assembly offered the crown to Amadeo I of Spain of the House of Savoy, resulting in the King Amadeo I of Spain's short reign and the declaration of the First Spanish Republic after his abdication. The revolutionary settlement weakened the Isabelline political order, strengthened parliamentary institutions like the Cortes Generales, and catalyzed conservative reactions embodied in figures such as Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. The Sexenio Democrático period saw recurrent crises involving Cantonal rebellion, the Third Carlist War, and colonial tensions in Cuba that presaged later conflicts such as the Spanish–American War. The upheaval also reshaped Spain's foreign alignments with France and the United Kingdom and influenced state-building processes in Andalusia, Catalonia, and Basque Country.
The revolution accelerated liberal reforms affecting municipal governance in Barcelona and Madrid, industrial policy in Catalonia's textile districts, and agrarian relations in Andalusia and Extremadura. Worker organizations and proto-syndicalist groups around Federal Republican and International Workingmen's Association currents gained traction in urban centers like Bilbao and Valencia, while rural unrest persisted among landless laborers in Seville and Córdoba. Financial strains on the Treasury, debates over public debt under ministers tied to Antonio Cánovas del Castillo's later governments, and foreign loans from banking houses with ties to Paris and London affected infrastructure projects such as rail lines linking Madrid to Barcelona and port improvements in Cadiz. Cultural shifts included the proliferation of liberal press organs in Madrid and Barcelona and intellectual debates involving figures like Emilio Castelar and Claudio Moyano.