First Carlist War: Causes and Resolution of Spanish Conflict

Regime and Conflict in Spain

The conflict affected the regime across Navarre, Basque Country, Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia. Defending the fueros (local privileges) against the liberal steamroller also gained importance. Finally, note that the movement was essentially rural and was supported only outside of the Holy Alliance (Prussia, Russia, and Austria), which offered only moral support. The Christines or Elizabethans represented the forces defending liberalism and were aided by the introduction of capitalist practices: most of the nobility, the bourgeoisie, and the urban popular classes supported them. They received material support from the Quadruple Alliance: France, Britain, Spain, and Portugal.

1.2 Development of Armed Conflict

The First Carlist War began with the uprising of 1833 and lasted six years (1833–1840). During this period, Carlists never managed to achieve widespread conflict throughout Spanish territory or hold the country's big cities for long. They always dominated rural areas and used guerrilla tactics in the form of lines of soldiers.

Although General Zumalacárregui tried to organize a formal army, his death at the siege of Bilbao in 1835 began a period in which the Carlists were gradually defeated by the Liberal army under the command of General Espartero (notably at the Battle of Luchana in 1836).

The last period of the conflict (1837–1839) was characterized by the transfer of the most contentious fighting to the Maestrazgo region, where General Cabrera led the forces. This time also saw an ideological divide within Carlism:

• Supporters who agreed to terms with the liberals (called the "Transaction").
• The "intransigent" faction (formed by the political leadership closer to Don Carlos and many peasants), who considered any agreement a betrayal of Carlist ideals.

This division led the head of the Transaction faction, General Maroto, to sign the Convention of Vergara (1839) with General Espartero. In this agreement, Maroto recognized the Liberal victory in exchange for:

1. Maintenance of Carlist army officers within the new structure.
2. Espartero's promise to ask the Queen to maintain the traditional privileges (fueros).

The agreement effectively ended the war in the Basque Country, although fighting continued in the Maestrazgo until 1840 when Cabrera was finally defeated militarily.