Ferdinand VII: Absolutism and Repression in 19th Century Spain

Ferdinand VII's Reign: The Bourbon Restoration (1814-1833)

The Absolutist Restoration Begins (1814)

In 1814, Ferdinand returned to Spain, known popularly as El Deseado (The Desired). A group of deputies from the Cortes of Cádiz, holding absolutist ideology, presented the King with a document requesting the restoration of the absolute monarchy and the repeal of the 1812 Constitution. This pivotal document is historically known as the Manifesto of the Persians.

Repeal of the Constitution and the Absolutist Sexennium (1814-1820)

On May 4, 1814, Ferdinand ordered the repeal of the Constitution. This was the first major reaction against the emerging liberal revolution. The King annulled the legislative work of the courts and promoted a harsh repression against the Constitutionalists. This marked the beginning of a constant theme in Spanish history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: intolerance and ideological repression.

This period of six years, known as the Absolutist Sexennium, was dominated by the most reactionary sector of society, led by the Church. The Inquisition was restored.

The adherence to absolutism and the manorial system led to economic prostration and the ruin of the Treasury, exacerbated by the independence of the American colonies, which halted the flow of wealth from the Indies.

Ferdinand VII's Reign: The Ominous Decade (1823-1833)

The return of absolutism brought a wave of repression and the abolition of all forms of political freedoms. Many liberals were killed, including Rafael del Riego, and others had to go into exile. The Church again became the main ally of Ferdinand VII, justifying the bloody repression from its pulpits. This repression caused thousands of Spaniards to be exiled to European countries or the newly independent American nations.

This decade saw some changes in the organization of the state and some modernization of the administration. Key developments included:

• Establishment of the Council of Ministers.
• Reorganization of the Public Finance system.

The Spanish economy, after almost two decades of instability and war, began to recover.

The political discourse of this period was not peaceful. On one hand, liberal resistance remained active both at home and abroad. On the other hand, the most reactionary absolutists responded to the reforms by calling for greater stagnation and repression. Since 1825, these ultra-reactionary sectors of Ferdinand's absolutism demanded a clear return to seignorialism; they were the signatories of the Pure Realist Manifesto.

For their part, the Liberals continued plotting and preparing uprisings: the cases of Torrijos and Mariana Pineda. These figures, executed in Málaga and Granada respectively, clearly represented the aspiration for freedom that expanded coinciding with the wave of liberal revolutions across Europe in 1830.