The Reign of Elizabeth II and the Democratic Six-Year Period

The Reign of Elizabeth II and the Carlist Wars

During the reign of Elizabeth II, the Salic Law, which prohibited women from ruling, was in effect. Consequently, the right to the throne belonged to the brother of King Charles IV. However, King Ferdinand VII eventually repealed this law by promulgating the Pragmatic Sanction, which named his daughter, Isabel II, as the heir.

The Opposition to Liberalism and Carlist Civil War

In 1833, a civil war began between the Carlists and the Elizabethan liberals, lasting until 1840, though further uprisings occurred throughout the century. The Carlists were uncompromising supporters of the king's brother's rights to the throne. During the First Carlist War, they gained strength in the north, particularly in the Basque Country and Navarre, achieving several victories against Elizabethan forces. By 1835, the tide of the war shifted, and the liberals secured a series of victories that led to peace talks, culminating in the Convention of Vergara, which ensured the survival of certain local rights and recognized the ranks of the Carlist army.

The Democratic Six-Year Period

This era was defined by political corruption, repression of liberals and republicans by the moderates, and severe economic and social crises, including peasant revolts and student protests.

The Revolution of 1868

The Spanish Navy revolted in Cádiz against the monarchy of Isabel II. Revolutionary committees were formed in major cities, and the revolution triumphed, ending the conservative and liberal authoritarian regime. The revolutionaries, led by Prim and Serrano, called for elections to write a new constitution. In June 1869, a democratic-liberal constitution was adopted, featuring:

• Establishment of a constitutional and parliamentary monarchy
• Universal male suffrage for citizens over 25
• Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association
• Freedom of religion, while maintaining funding for the Catholic Church

The Reign of Amadeo I (1870–1873)

With Prim as head of government, the royal crown was offered to Amadeus of Savoy, a figure of liberal ideology. His reign was marked by significant political instability. General Prim was assassinated in December 1870, and the nation faced foreign policy challenges, including uprisings in Cuba against Spanish rule.

The First Republic

Republicans promoted the transition in Parliament, and on February 11, 1873, the assembly voted by a majority to establish a republic. It was a tumultuous period characterized by:

• Resurfacing revolutionary uprisings
• Demands from Andalusian workers for the distribution of estates
• The drafting of a federal constitution that introduced the concepts of popular sovereignty and the separation of church and state, though it never fully took effect.