Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Moderados and Exaltados: The Liberal Opposition to Ferdinand VII, 1814-1823

1970; Duke University Press; Volume: 50; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1215/00182168-50.1.52

1527-1900

Charles Fehrenbach,

Media, Journalism, and Communication History

F OR SPANIARDS March 22, 1814, was a momentous date. Freed by the Treaty of Valengay, Ferdinand VII returned to Spanish soil; the War of Independence was over at last. Everywhere Spaniards cheered their monarch. When the king entered Valencia in April the residents yoked themselves to his carriage and shouted: Long live the absolute king! According to the British Ambassador, the enthusiastic demonstrations for Ferdinand exceeded all expectations.' At the end of the war the absolute monarchy was still held in high esteem. Even though a small group of intellectuals had drafted a constitution and adopted numerous political and administrative reforms during the war, their program had failed to win the approval of large and important elements among the Spanish people. The population of northern Spain was openly hostile to the Constitution of 1812, and in Seville and Cordoba citizens suspended constitutional authorities upon Ferdinand's return. One ayuntamiento con,stitucional openly advocated the abolition of the new system, but even where local authorities attempted to uphold the constitution, military leaders and citizens combined to demand its overthrow. In fact, there was hardly a village in Spain that supported the liberals in the Cortes. As a result, Ferdinand decided that he need not accept the Constitution of 1812. His advisers urged him to annul the reforms of the Cortes, and senior officers of the regular army were openly hostile to constitutional government. In spite of his earlier apparent acquiescence in the liberal program,2 Ferdinand made plans to abolish *The author is Professor of History at Tarleton State College. This article is a slightly revised version of a paper read at the Southern Historical Association convention in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 10, 1967. Research was made possible by a Fulbright-Hays grant to Madrid and by a grant from Tarleton State College. 1 Sir Henry Wellesley to Lord Castlereagh, Madrid, May 15, 1814, Public Record Office (London), F. 0. 72/160, no. 42. 2 Gaceta extraordinaria de la Regencia, March 24, 1814.