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Coronation of Carlos
Carlos III died and Carlos IV succeeded to the throne. He ruled for the next two decades. Even though he had a profound belief in the sanctity of the monarchy and kept up the appearance of an absolute, powerful king, Carlos never took more than a passive part in his own government. The affairs of government were left to his wife, Maria Luisa, and the man he appointed first minister, Manuel de Godoy. -
Start of the French Revolution
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Execution of French royalty
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Napoleon crowned emperor
Napoleon was named consul 1799 and took control over France. He started invading Europe in 1803 with great success. He was named emperor in 1804, by the Pope. -
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies. It was a complete disaster, the British won. -
Treaty of Fountainbleu
It was a treaty signed by Spain and the French Empire. Napoleon told Carlos that he wanted to invade Portugal and asked if he could pass through. Carlos agreed. -
Carles and Ferran argue
Carles’ son, Ferran (future king Ferran VII), conspires against his father to take the crown. It doesn’t work but father and son are fighting -
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French offensive
Napoleon controlled the army and occupied most of Spain. Some besieged cities, such as Girona and Zaragoza, resisted attack for several months. Once he had control over the country, Napoleon took many of his troops to invade Russia in 1812. -
The invasion of Spain
After they got permission to pass through the country, Napoleon's troops settled in Spain. They didn't go away. -
Mutiny of Aranjuez
The mutiny of Aranjuez was an uprising led against Carlos IV. It took place, as the name indicates, in the town of Aranjuez. Manuel de Godoy abdicated. -
Abdication of the royalty
Since father and son were arguing, Napoleon told them to come to Bayona, where he would help them resolve their problems.
Carlos IV and Ferran agreed and went. The emperor didn’t let them leave and forced them to abdicate. -
The revolt starts
The French armies were extremely violent and cruel with the population. This made the people angry, and they revolted in Madrid on the 2nd of May 1808. It started the Spanish war of independence, also known as guerra de guerrillas.. -
Popular resistance
Irregular troops began guerrilla warfare and the Spanish army stopped the French advance southwards at the Battle of Bailén. -
A new king
Napoleon made his brother José Bonaparte, also known as Pepe Botella, king of Spain. He wants to introduce part of a liberal programme in Spain and end the Ancien Régime (spanish liberals “afrancesados” gave him support) -
The Juntas
People revolted and formed Juntas in their provinces to repel the invasion and create a legitimate government to represent the Spanish people. In 1810, the Junta Central Suprema was created to coordinate the efforts of various local and provincial juntas.
It proclaimed the Courts of Cádiz (unoccupied by the French) and created a liberal constitution. -
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Anglo-Spanish victories
The British army, commanded by General Wellington, attacked, supporting the Spanish troops and defeating the French in the Battle of Salamanca (Los Arapiles) in 1812. -
La Pepa (constitution)
It was a liberal constitution and the first Spanish one. A lot of time and effort went into making it (two years). It included many things, but some important ones were:
1. national sovereignty
2. separation of powers (executive, judicial, legislative)
3. powers and rights to people
4. universal male suffrage -
Treaty of Valençay
The French sign Treaty of Valençay and agreed to leave Spain -
The return of the monarchy
After the French left, Ferran VII, came back to Spain. He said he was going to give support to the 1812 constitution. That was untrue. His plan was to be an absolute monarch and bring back the Ancien Régime. Six years of absolutism followed his return.
