Charles IV Reign, War of Independence & Liberal Revolution

Charles IV (1788-1808)

The year after his accession, the French Revolution broke out.

• In the first place, it ended enlightened reforms. Following the execution of Louis XVI, Spain, along with other absolutist powers, declared war on France.

• Manuel Godoy allied with France, and Napoleon signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau to carve up Portugal.

Under the pretext of invading Portugal, French troops entered Spain and occupied strategic points in the peninsula. This provoked a popular rebellion against the policies of Godoy, the Mutiny of Aranjuez. As a result, a deposed Charles IV abdicated in favor of his son, Ferdinand. Napoleon offered to mediate in the conflict between father and son, attracting them to Bayonne, where he managed to secure their abdication and gave the throne of Spain to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte.

On May 2, 1808, Madrid rebelled against the French troops. Its example spread throughout Spain, thus starting the War of Independence.

The War of Independence (1808-1814)

It was both a liberation struggle against the French invasion and the start of a liberal revolution against absolutism.

The opposition to the invaders was carried out by guerrillas and uprisings in cities against the French. After the victory at the Battle of Bailén, Napoleon went to Spain and regained much of the territory. However, in 1812, building on Napoleon's problems in Russia, and with the help of the British army, the Spanish defeated the French at Arapiles. They retreated, and Napoleon recognized Ferdinand VII as king.

The Cortes of Cádiz and the Liberal Revolution

The liberal revolution against absolutism developed in parallel with the war. Given the power vacuum, provincial defense boards were created to lead the war, along with a Central Junta. This took power and called for Cortes in Cádiz (1810) to reform the Old Regime. Under their influence, the 1812 Constitution was proclaimed.

• The 1812 Constitution recognized individual rights, equality before the law, national sovereignty, and the separation of powers.
• Laws were passed that established freedom of the press and abolished the estates, guilds, and the Inquisition.

Restoration of Absolutism: Ferdinand VII

• At the beginning of his reign, Ferdinand VII restored absolutism, abolished the work of the Cortes of Cádiz, and persecuted liberals. Some were exiled, but others tried to seize power through coups.
• In 1820, the pronouncements of Riego led to the Liberal Triennium. The Holy Alliance sent an army, the Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis, which allowed Ferdinand VII to restore absolutism.

• The last ten years of his reign, the Ominous Decade, were marked by absolutist government, Spanish-American independence, and the problem of succession. After the birth of his daughter Isabel, Ferdinand repealed the Salic Law that prevented women from reigning. This was not accepted by Don Carlos, and Maria Cristina assumed the regency.