Trienio Liberal (1820–1823): Reforms, Conflict and Consequences

Trienio Liberal (1820–1823): Reforms & Conflict

On 1 January 1820, Rafael del Riego, leading a company of soldiers, revolted in Andalucía and proclaimed the Constitution of 1812. The passivity of the army, the action of liberals in major cities, and the neutrality of the peasants forced Ferdinand VII to accept the Constitution. He immediately formed a new government, proclaimed an amnesty and called elections to the Cortes.

Electoral Outcome and Legislative Program

The election results returned the more liberal deputies, who began to draft and enact a program of reforms. Key policies and measures included:

• Restoration of freedom of industry and measures to liberalize economic activity.
• The abolition of corporate privileges and restrictions (often described as the abolition of guild or union restrictions), the abolition of primogeniture, and the suppression of señoríos (seigniorial jurisdictions).
• The sale or transfer of land and monastic property, including the disposition of many monastery holdings.
• Reductions in the tithe and reforms to the tax system to modernize state revenues.
• Reforms to the penal code and to the structure of the army (reorganizing military institutions).
• Promoting the liberalization of trade and industry by eliminating obstacles to the free movement of goods, thereby encouraging the development of the bourgeoisie and urban commerce.
• Administrative and political modernization: the formation of provincial councils, the election of provincial representatives, and the development of a national militia drawn from the urban middle classes to guarantee order and defend constitutional reforms.

Reaction and Royal Opposition

These liberal measures quickly aroused the opposition of the monarchy. Ferdinand VII stalled legislation by resorting to the royal veto and by conspiring against the government, seeking to recover absolutist powers in Spain.

Social and Rural Impact

The new liberal measures also caused discontent among peasants. Although the señoríos were abolished, access to land was not facilitated for many peasants. In addition, there was a substantial reduction of in-kind payments such as tithes and a process of monetization that had previously been paid in agricultural produce. Farmers were thus forced to obtain cash by selling their products. It was often difficult to sell products at profitable prices and to collect the money needed to pay new monetary contributions.

Opposition from Traditional Elites and Factionalism

The traditional nobility and the Church, affected by the abolition of the tithe and the sale of monastic property, opposed the liberal rulers of the triennium and helped drive revolt against them. There were also tensions among the liberals themselves: they were divided into two main trends — the moderate, who supported limited reforms that would preserve many social elites, and the exalted, who argued for more radical and far-reaching changes.

These events between 1820 and 1823 shaped the political, social and economic landscape of Spain, highlighting the collision between liberal reform efforts and entrenched absolutist and traditional interests.