We explain what the revolution in Spain was in 1808. Also, its history, the French occupation, its causes and consequences.
What was the revolution in Spain in 1808?
The revolution in Spain in 1808 was the process that began when Napoleon's troops invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The “patriotic” Spaniards, opposed to the French occupation, They resisted the French army and ignored the authority of Joseph Bonaparte, the king imposed by Napoleon.. A first act of resistance was the uprising of May 2, 1808 in Madrid, which was quickly repressed.
The Bourbon king, Ferdinand VII, was a prisoner in France, and In Spain, provincial boards were formed that assumed sovereignty and they coordinated the War of Independence against the French occupation. Then the Supreme Central Board of Seville was formed, which took a revolutionary measure: it convened the Cortes (a power until then exclusive to the monarch).
Although the fight against the French was carried out in the name of King Ferdinand VII, recognized as legitimate king, some members of the boards were influenced by enlightened ideas and defended liberal principles. This decided that the Cortes of Cádiz, meeting in 1810, promulgated a liberal Constitution in 1812. However, when Napoleon began to be defeated in the War of Independence and finally withdrew his troops from Spain, Ferdinand VII reestablished absolutism.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in Spain in 1808?
The Aranjuez mutiny forced the resignation of Manuel Godoy and the abdication of Charles IV in favor of his son, Fernando VII. Simultaneously, Napoleonic troops invaded Spain. King Ferdinand VII was taken prisoner and Napoleon installed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the throne of Spain. The “patriotic” Spaniards rose up against the French occupation but were harshly repressed. From that moment, the Spanish War of Independence began, which lasted until 1814.
What happened on May 2, 1808 in Spain?
On May 2, 1808, Madrid residents who opposed the French occupation rose up against the invaders. The uprising was quickly repressed by Napoleonic troops but provoked other anti-French reactions in various areas of the country. These events marked the beginning of the Spanish War of Independence.
What consequences did the events of 1808 have?
The French occupation of Spain caused the start of the Spanish War of Independence, carried out by the “patriotic” Spaniards who were unaware of the authority of the king imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. The “power vacuum” led to the formation of the Supreme Central Board, which assumed sovereignty and convened general and extraordinary Cortes. In Latin America, government boards were formed and a process began that led to struggles for independence.
See also: Crisis of the Spanish Empire (19th century)
The French occupation of Spain
At the beginning of the 19th century, Charles IV of the House of Bourbon reigned in Spain, and Napoleon Bonaparte ruled in France, which became an empire in 1804. In 1807, Spain and France agreed, through the Treaty of Fontainebleau, invade Portugal (ally of the United Kingdom). The Spanish government, led by Manuel Godoy, allowed French troops to advance through Spanish territory towards Portugal.
It soon became evident that The entry of Napoleonic troops into Spain had become a French occupation of the country, and that Napoleon's intention was to overthrow the Bourbons and establish a new ruling dynasty. Aware of this fact, Godoy plotted the flight of the royal family to Andalusia and, for that, the Court moved to Aranjuez.
In Aranjuez Godoy's plans were frustrated. Between March 17 and 19, 1808, a popular riot broke out organized by the Court faction that was in favor of Fernando, Prince of Asturias and opponent of Godoy's policies. The “Aranjuez mutiny” precipitated the fall of Godoy and forced Charles IV to abdicate in favor of his son.who became king of Spain under the name of Ferdinand VII.
The confrontation between Ferdinand VII and Charles IV had Napoleon as referee. With General Joachim Murat's French troops in Madrid, Napoleon recalled father and son to Bayonne, France, and forced them to abdicate in May 1808. Through the Bayonne abdications, The Bourbons ceded their rights to Napoleon, who named his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain..
See also: Spanish monarchy
The Spanish War of Independence
With the intention of attracting enlightened opinion, the new monarch, who adopted the name Joseph I promulgated the Statute of Bayonne in July 1808.a granted charter that granted some rights and limited absolutism that characterized the Bourbon monarchy.
However, from the moment the French invasion had become evident, popular discontent had exploded. On May 2, 1808, an insurrection began in Madrid that was put down. due to the repression of Napoleonic troops.
During the following days, anti-French uprisings spread throughout the country. This is how the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814) began.. The coordination of the Spanish military resistance, which generally took the form of a guerrilla war, was left to the provincial boards and, later, to the Supreme Central Board, based in Seville. He also had the support of the British Army, commanded by the Duke of Wellington.
The political revolution in Spain
The abdications of Bayonne and the insurrection against Joseph I caused a situation of “power vacuum” in Spain. To confront the invader, provincial boards were formed, which assumed sovereignty in the name of the absent king (since Ferdinand VII remained a prisoner in the castle of Valençay, in France).
In September 1808, The provincial boards were coordinated and the Supreme Central Board. Although a large part of the members of these boards were conservatives and supporters of the Old Regime, The war situation caused the taking of revolutionary measures, such as the convening of the Cortes (which, until then, could only be convened by the king).
This situation later led to the replacement of the Supreme Central Board by a Regency Council of Spain and the Indies (1810) since the formation of the Cortes of Cádiz (1810), which drafted a liberal Constitution in 1812. It also encouraged the revolutionary processes that took place in Latin America.
See more in: Constitution of 1812
The end of the Spanish War of Independence
After the general uprising against the invaders, the Spanish troops achieved some triumphs, such as the victory of Bailén in July 1808. To put an end to the insurrection, the Napoleon, leading 250,000 menheaded to the peninsula in autumn and occupied most of the country, except the peripheral and mountainous areas, where the guerrilla war against the French army began.
For six years, the French army (with the support of the “afrancesados”, Spaniards favorable to the reign of Joseph Bonaparte), and the Spanish guerrilla (made up of peasants and former Spanish soldiers identified as “patriots”, with the help of the British Army).
The decisive year was 1812. the british army commanded by the Duke of Wellington, with the support of Spanish and Portuguese, caused successive defeats for the French (as in the battle of the Arapiles) that continued during 1813 (as in the battle of San Marcial). After the catastrophe of the Grande Armée French in Russia in 1812, Napoleon's army was weakened and the Emperor of the French decided to return the crown of Spain to Ferdinand VII through the Treaty of Valençay (December 1813).
French troops left the country, the War of Independence concluded and Ferdinand VII returned to the throne of Spain in 1814. On May 4, 1814, Ferdinand VII dissolved the Cortes of Cádiz, suspended the Constitution of 1812 and reestablished Bourbon absolutism.
References
- Artola, M. (ed.) (2003). The Cortes of Cádiz. Marcial Pons.
- Aymes, J.-R. (2008). The War of Independence in Spain (1808-1814). 21st century.
- Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Peninsular War. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Castells, I. & Moliner, A. (2000). Crisis of the Old Regime and Liberal Revolution in Spain (1789-1845). Ariel.
- Esdaile, C. (2003). The War of Independence: a new history. Criticism.
