Spain's 19th Century: Constitution, Parties, and Disentailment

Exam B

1. The Constitution of 1812

This is a juridical text written at the time. This text contains the articles of the Constitution of 1812, which was the first in the history of Spain. It recognized individual agents as equals before the law and established national sovereignty. Absolutism was replaced by a liberal political system, including the separation of powers.

2. Key Events of the 19th Century

• Greece claiming independence from the Ottoman Empire (1829)
• Convention of Vergara (1839)
• First Spanish Republic (1873-1874)
• Battle of Ayacucho (1824)
• Construction of the Madrid-Aranjuez railway (1851)

3. Political Groups and Disentailment

Afrancesados and Patriots

Afrancesados embraced the new morality and supported its reforms. This group of Spaniards included members of the nobility, clergy, and mainly civil servants. Patriots refused to accept a foreign morality imposed by military might. This group included most of the people who defended the sovereignty of Ferdinand VII. They are related because both were ideological groups that emerged when Joseph Bonaparte reigned.

Moderate Party and Progressive Party

The Moderate Party was composed of the upper bourgeoisie and some sectors of the middle class. The Progressive Party consisted of the urban middle class, such as employees. They were related because both were political parties created when Isabella II reigned, and they were often in conflict.

Mendizabal and Madoz Disentailment

Mendizabal's disentailment meant that the state confiscated and auctioned off the assets of the clergy and abolished the entailed states of the nobility. Madoz's Law of General Disentailment ordered the sale of common lands and the personal assets of the city councils. They are related because both were disentailment measures approved in the Cortes of Cadiz and the Liberal Triennium.

4. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia

The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia aimed to incorporate the territories of central Italy. This unification was completed with the annexation of Venice and the conquest of the Papal States.

5. The Liberal Triennium (1820-1823)

In 1820, the uprising led by Commander Rafael de Riego at Las Cabezas de San Juan (Seville) prevailed. A frightened Ferdinand VII swore allegiance to the Constitution of Cadiz and accepted the Liberals' reestablishment of the work of the Cortes of Cadiz, such as the suppression of the manor and the elimination of the Inquisition. Meanwhile, Ferdinand VII obtained the aid of the absolutists of the Holy Alliance. In 1823, a French army, the "One Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis," invaded Spain and allowed the king to restore absolutism.