LIBERAL TRIENNIUM: PRONOUNCEMENT OF IRRIGATION AND REFORMS - HISTORY - 2025

The liberal triennium or constitutional triennium was a period of three years in the history of Spain (understood from 1820 to 1823) in which the army rebelled against the authority of King Fernando VII. The uprising occurred due to the king's refusal to abide by the Constitution of 1812.

The movement was led by Colonel Rafael de Riego, who rose up against the king with a small group of rebels. Despite the relative weakness of the rebels, King Fernando agreed to recognize the Constitution of 1812, which started the Liberal Triennium.

Irrigation Statement

Since 1819, King Ferdinand VII was amassing a huge amount of troops to send to South America and fight in the different wars of independence that were being fought in Latin American territory.

Rafael de Riego had been assigned one of the battalions he would command on behalf of Spain, but when he arrived in Cádiz with his troops, a mutiny began on January 1, 1820.

Although his uprising had no effect in the province, the repercussions resonated throughout Spain and, in a short time, large numbers of soldiers arrived in Madrid and surrounded the royal palace.

Intention to reestablish the constitutional monarchy

The uprising sought to incite the regime to reestablish a constitutional monarchy that had already functioned for two years, from 1812 to 1814. The proposed changes had already been rejected by the monarchy.

However, the pressure was so strong that when the insurgent troops appeared in front of the royal palace to pressure the king, he decided to agree to the military demands and recognize the Constitution again.

These events gave rise to the emergence of the Liberal Triennium, the intermediate stage of the reign of Fernando VII and the second validation of the Constitution of 1812, which lasted from 1820 to 1823.

The Constitution of 1812

This Constitution had been created with a unique thought for the time: the creation of a Hispanic nation that would work as one with the colonies of the Americas. It is considered one of the most liberal constitutions in the world at that time in human history.

This Constitution had been eliminated in 1814 by Ferdinand VII himself, as it diminished the power of the monarchy and established a parliamentary democracy that leaned more towards the vision of modern regimes. This naturally did not sit well with royalty given their apparent decline in power.

So liberal was this Constitution that it was created in conjunction with various South American leaders. These leaders would be in charge of drafting the bases of the constitutions of their countries when they obtained their independence, a few years later.

One of the main demands that the colonies had was the fact that they wanted to be recognized as independent nations by Spain.

The refusal of the monarchy to abide by American demands had caused armed uprisings in South America, which became the wars of independence.

Smooth trade exchange

This Constitution allowed a fluid commercial exchange between Spain and the colonies, which was mostly supported by the Creole elites, given the amount of economic benefits it brought with it.

However, the Constitution was never able to correctly define many aspects of the country's laws and the distribution of power in Latin America, since at the time of its promulgation Spain was invaded by the French.

Reforms

Formation of provinces

The liberal government that was established after the recognition of the Constitution by Fernando VII focused on dividing Spain into 52 provinces to seek to eliminate the regionalist fortress that had been built for centuries. This was quite rejected by the more autonomous provinces, such as Catalonia and Aragon.

Policies against the Church

The liberal government had several considerable frictions with the Catholic Church, whose presence had always been wide in Spain and its power was remarkable.

The government sought to remove powers from the Church to eliminate the influence of a religious force in the mandate of the nation.

Arrest of the king

Fernando VII, who in theory was still the head of state, spent the entire Triennium locked up in his home, where the government kept him under house arrest.

Spanish destabilization in the colonies

During the Liberal Triennium the independence movements in South America were in a fairly advanced state. It was tried to reach agreements with the leaders of the Latin regions, but all these failed because Spain refused to recognize them as independent countries.

In 1821 the political head of New Spain (which included all the colonies and viceroyalties) signed a treaty in which the Crown recognized the independence of New Spain. This treaty was signed without prior agreement with the king or the government, which meant a political catastrophe for the Iberian country.

However, government policies had indeed changed political and military repression for opening negotiations with the colonies.

Cancellation of the work of the Liberal Triennium

During the three years that the Liberal Triennium lasted, Fernando VII had contacts with the Quintuple Alliance, a coalition made up of the United Kingdom, France, Prussia, Russia and Austria.

This alliance was formed after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, to prevent a future regime of the same nature and to avoid the formation of liberal governments and revolutions in Europe.

Given the nature of this alliance, the countries that made it up were concerned about the state of Spain during the liberal rule in the Triennium.

In 1823, a congress of the alliance that took place in Vienna gave France permission to invade Spain and end the current regime, in order to re-establish the monarchy of Fernando VII and restore peace to the peninsula.

France sent one hundred thousand soldiers to Spain, with whom they easily took Madrid and returned Fernando VII to power, ending the Liberal Triennium and restoring monarchical order in the country.

References

1. Liberal Triennium, Wikipedia in English, July 17, 2017. Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), (nd). Taken from mcu.es
3. The liberal movement in Spain: from the Constitution of Cádiz to the broadsword of Pavía, (nd), Alejandro Vidal Crespo. Taken from bancamarch.es
4. Rafael de Riego, Wikipedia in English, January 14, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. Quintuple Alliance, Wikipedia in English, February 26, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org