In the meanwhile the struggle for a liberal constitution was being waged in the kingdom, and a revolutionary movement at the palace of La Granja in 1836 forced Maria Christina to swear to the Constitution of 1812. In 1840 Espartero, the liberal leader, was made the head of the Ministry on his own terms. Maria Chris tina resigned the regency October 12, 1S40, and the Cortes made Espartero Regent and guardian of Isabella and her sister. The Regent's firm government made enemies, and in 1843 a revo lutionary movement, headed by Narvaez and Prim (qq.v.), drove him from power. In No vember, 1843, Isabella was declared of age and assumed the crown, with Narvaez. the leader of the Moderates (Moderados), as Prime Min ister. Maria Christina was recalled and the Constitution modified on reactionary lines. Narvaez exercised practically dictatorial pow ers until 1851. Parties gradually read justed themselves, the old Absolutists, with whom the Moderates tended to assimilate, group ing themselves about Queen Isabella and her mother, and the liberal elements joining the Pro gressists. In March, 1351, a concordat was ar ranged with the Pope by which all ecclesiastical affairs were to be canonically regulated and all religions but. Catholicism were forbidden in the kingdom, the Church in return yielding its sec ular jurisdiction and recognizing the sale of church lands. A Cabinet of personal supporters was made np by the Queen mother. They at tempted in 1852 a modification of the Constitu tion in the direction of absolutism. This led in 1854 to a new outbreak. A coalition of the more liberal Moderates under Narvaez and Progressists under O'Donnell was formed and was joined by Es partero, now again recognized as one of the Pro gressist leaders. Maria Christina left the country and a Government was formed with Espartero as President of the Council and O'Donnell as Minis ter of War. The latter was now at the head of a new party, the Liberal Union, which favored a liberal constitutional monarchy. In the coalition Government the Progressists were at first the dominant. factor. but before the new Constitution of 1855 was promulgated they lost control. There were republican risings in the northeast and Carlist risings in the northwest, and the suspen sion of popular liberties by the Government, while engaged in the suppression of these revolts, gave an opportunity to O'Donnell and his party. Their control was short-lived, and in 1856 Queen Isabella appointed a Moderate Ministry under Nnrvaez, which adopted a reactionary policy. In 1858 the Queen recalled O'Donnell and he held office for five years. A war with Morocco (1S59-60) had no result except to test the efficiency of the Spanish army. Spain joined France in the ill-advised Mexican expedition. hut Prim, in command of the Spanish forces, signed a convention with Juarez and refused to support the French. Napoleon Ill. was indignant with his ally, and in Spain there was bitter discussion of Prim's course. The Progressists made it a handle for a partisan attack on the Government and the Moderates also took a hostile attitude. The O'Donnell Government, which had added vastly to the national debt, went down in 1863.
With the passing of the Liberal Union there Aras a gradual return to absolutism. The Mira fibres Government, which succeeded that of O'Donnell. attempted to govern constitutionally, but the absolutist pressure in Court circles was too strong, and this Ministry gave way to suc cessors more pliable. The Government really fell into the hands of the eamorilla, a group of per sonal favorites who had influence with the Queen. The Liberal groups were forced more and more into a hostile and revolutionary attitude. Cas telar (q.v.), then a professor in the University of Madrid, raised his eloquent voice against the ex travagance of the Crown and was supported by the university. The Government attempted to suppress such agitation. The Cortes was: dis solved in 1866 and Marshal Serrano (q.v.), presi dent of the Senate, was sent into exile. Narvaez, who had represented all shades of political opin ion at different times, was now called to the bead of affairs and maintained a strong Government, which was really a military dictatorship, until his death in 1868. An open revolt, headed by
Prim. failed. but a little later Prim, Serrano, and Admiral Topete (q.v.) began a better organized and better supported revolutionary movement. The fleet at Cadiz under Topcte declared for na tional sovereignty. Serrano marched toward the capital, defeated the Government forces at Al colea on September 2S, 1868, and on October 3d entered Madrid. already in a tate of insurrec tion. Isabella in the meanwhile escaped into France and the revolution was accomplished.
A provisional government was established by the revolutionists under the presidency of Ser rano. A liberal monarchical constitution was put through by a combination of Republicans under Castelar and Progressists under Prim, and was promulgated ,June 6, 1S69. Serrano was made Regent. with Prim as Prime Minister. Carl ists, Republicans, and Constitutional Monarch ists all aspired to profit by the upheaval in the government. Several foreign princes were in vited to take the crown—among them Prince !Leopold of Hohenzollern, whose candidacy (July, 1870) gave rise to irritation between France and Germany, and in a measure provoked the Franco German War. At last, in December, 1870, Amadeus, Duke of Aosta, son of King Victor Emmanuel, accepted the crown (see AMADEUS 1.), but before his arrival in Madrid Prim, the king-maker, was assassinated. King Amadeus thus lost a strong support, and he abdicated Feb ruary 11, 1873, after a brief and uncomfortable reign, distracted at the end by a great rising in favor of the young Don Carlos (Charles VII.) and disturbed by an insurrection in Cuba, which had broken out in 1868. A republic was then de clared. Figueras was the first president of the Ministry, with Castelar as Minister of Foreign Affairs. A constituent Cortes was summoned in June, and prepared a constitution making Spain a federal republic. Several Ministries attempted vainly to cope with the situation, which, in ad dition to the Carlist insurrection in the north, was complicated by the risings of the Intran sigentes (see INTRANSIGEANTS ) and Interna tionals in the cities of Andalusia, Murcia, and Valencia. On September 7th Castelar was made President of the Executive with dictatorial powers, and the Cortes adjourned until January, 1874. The Wise and positive course of Gastelar in enforcing order and recognizing conservative interests displeased the extremists, and when the Cortes reassembled a vote of lack of con fidence was passed. Castelar resigned, and Ser rano became nominally President of the Execu tive, but in reality a military dictator. He car ried on with vigor the war against the Carlists, but he had hardly secured recognition for his Government from the European powers when Gen. Martinez Campos (q.v.) proclaimed Alfonso X11., on of Isabella, King (Decemher, 1874). The army declared for Alfonso. The Serrano Government, of which Sagasta (q.v.) was then Prime Minister, gave way, and Ciinovas del Cas tillo (q.v.) headed a provisional government. _Alfonso, then seventeen years of age, assumed the government on January 14, 1875, guided by C'iinoyas del Castillo. The Carlist revolt was completely suppressed in 1876. Don Carlos went into permanent exile, and Navarre and the Basque Provinces were deprived of their ancient privileges and fueros (q.v.). A constitution of a decidedly illiberal character was adopted in 1876, and its provisions were enforced with se vere by the _Ministry of Ciinovas del Castillo. By 1878 order had been reestablished throughout most of Cuba. Martinez Campos, who was sent to the island to put down the in surrection, came back in 1S79 an advocate of a reform policy toward Cuba, and attempted to form a Ministry on that issue, hut failed and went into the opposition. Much of his pro gramme,inelnding abolition of slavery in the An tilles, was carried out by C5novas del Castillo. In 1881 a more liberal regime was inaugurated under Sagasta.