View source for Trienio Liberal

{{Expand Spanish}}{{Short description|Spanish liberal government, 1820 to 1823}}
{{Italic title}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = ''Reino de España''
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Spain
| common_name            = Spain
| era                    = [[Revolutions during the 1820s]]
| status                 = 
| status_text            = 
| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[parliamentary]] [[semi-constitutional monarchy]]
| event_start            = [[Rafael del Riego#1820 revolt|Established]]
| date_start             = 1 January
| year_start             = 1820
| event_end              = [[Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis|Disestablished]]
| date_end               = 1 October
| year_end               = 1823
| year_exile_start       = 
| year_exile_end         = 
| event1                 = [[Spanish Constitution of 1812#Repeal and restoration|Restoration of the Constitution]]
| date_event1            = 7 March 1820
| event2                 = [[1820 Spanish general election|First general election]]
| date_event2            = April – May 1820
| event3                 = [[1822 Spanish general election|Second general election]]
| date_event3            = October – December 1822
| event4                 = 
| date_event4            = 
| event5                 = 
| date_event5            = 
| event6                 = 
| date_event6            = 
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_post             = 
| date_post              = 
| p1                     = Sexenio Absolutista
| flag_p1                = Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
| s1                     = Ominous Decade
| flag_s1                = Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
| flag_alt               = 
| image_flag2            = 
| flag_alt2              = 
| flag                   = Flag of Spain
| flag2                  = 
| flag_type              = 
| flag2_type             = 
| image_coat             = Full Ornamented Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (1761-1868 and 1874-1931).svg
| coa_size               = 
| coat_alt               = 
| symbol_type            = Coat of Arms
| symbol_type_article    = 
| image_map              = Imperio Español (1821-1898).png
| image_map_alt          = 
| image_map_caption      = 
| image_map2             = 
| image_map2_alt         = 
| image_map2_caption     = 
| capital                = [[Madrid]]
| national_motto         = ''[[Plus ultra]]'' ([[Latin language|Latin]])<br />(English: "Further Beyond")
| national_anthem        = ''[[Himno de Riego]]''<br />''Anthem of Riego''{{center|[[File:National-Anthem-of-Spain- 1931-1939 -Himno-de-Riego.ogg]]}}
| common_languages       = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| religion               = [[Roman Catholic Church]] ([[State religion|official]])
| demonym                = [[Spanish people|Spanish]]
| currency               = [[Spanish dollar]]
| iso3166code            = omit
| leader1                = [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]]
| year_leader1           = 1820–1823
| title_leader           = [[King of Spain|King]]
| representative1        = [[Evaristo Pérez de Castro|Evaristo Pérez]]
| representative2        = [[Ramón López-Pelegrín Martínez|Ramón López-Pelegrín]]
| representative3        = [[Francisco Martínez de la Rosa|Francisco Martínez]]
| representative4        = [[Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel|Evaristo Fernández]]
| representative5        = [[José María Pando y Remírez de Laredo|José María Pando]]
| year_representative1   = 1820–1821
| year_representative2   = 1821–1822
| year_representative3   = 1822
| year_representative4   = 1822–1823
| year_representative5   = 1823
| title_representative   = [[Prime minister of Spain|Secretary of State]]
| legislature            = [[Cortes Generales]]
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| stat_year2             = 
| stat_area2             = 
| stat_pop2              = 
| stat_year3             = 
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| stat_pop3              = 
}}
{{republicanism sidebar}}
The '''{{lang|es|Trienio Liberal}}''', ({{IPA|es|ˈtɾjenjo liβeˈɾal|}}, {{literal translation|Liberal Triennium}}) or '''Three Liberal Years''', was a period of three years in [[History of Spain (1808–1874)|Spain between 1820 and 1823]] when a liberal government ruled Spain after a military uprising in January 1820 by the lieutenant-colonel [[Rafael del Riego]] against the absolutist rule of [[Ferdinand VII]].

It ended in 1823 when, with the approval of the crowned heads of Europe, a French army invaded Spain and reinstated the King's [[absolute monarchy|absolute power]]. This invasion is known in France as the "Spanish Expedition" ({{lang|fr|expédition d’Espagne}}) and in Spain as the "[[Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis]]."

==Revolution of Cabezas de San Juan==
[[Image:Cortes of the Trienio Liberal.jpg|thumb|left|200px|1820 print depicting the [[Cortes Generales]].]]
King Ferdinand VII provoked widespread unrest, particularly in the army, by refusing to accept the liberal [[Spanish Constitution of 1812]]. The King sought to reclaim the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonies in the Americas]] that had recently revolted successfully, consequently depriving Spain of an essential source of revenue.

In January 1820, soldiers assembled at [[Cádiz]] for an expedition to South America, angry over infrequent pay, bad food, and poor quarters, mutinied under the leadership of Rafael del Riego.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lawrence|first=Mark|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/881418310|title=Spain's First Carlist War, 1833-40|date=2014|isbn=978-1-137-40174-8|location=New York, NY|pages=27|oclc=881418310}}</ref> Pledging fealty to the 1812 Constitution, they seized their commander.

Subsequently, the rebel forces moved to nearby [[San Fernando, Cádiz|San Fernando]], where they began preparations to march on the capital, [[Madrid]].

== Liberal government ==
[[Image:Rafael Riego.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Rafael del Riego]] (1784–1823), the leader of the [[Cortes Generales]], which sought to restore the 1812 constitution.]]{{See also|July 1822 Spanish coup d'état}}
Despite the rebels' relative weakness, Ferdinand accepted the constitution on 9 March 1820, granting power to liberal ministers and ushering in the so-called Liberal Triennium (''el Trienio Liberal''), a period of liberal rule. However, political conspiracies of both right and left proliferated in Spain, as was the case across much of the rest of Europe. Liberal revolutionaries stormed the King's palace and seized Ferdinand VII, who was a prisoner of the Cortes in all but name for the next three years and retired to [[Aranjuez]]. The elections to the [[Cortes Generales]] in 1822 were won by [[Rafael del Riego]]. Ferdinand's supporters set themselves up at [[Urgell]], took up arms and put in place an absolutist regency, the [[Urgel Regency]].

Ferdinand's supporters, accompanied by the Royal Guard, staged an uprising in Madrid that was subdued by forces supporting the new government and its constitution. Despite the defeat of Ferdinand's supporters at Madrid, civil war erupted in the regions of [[Castile (historical region)|Castile]], [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], and [[Andalusia]].

Three years of liberal rule (the ''Trienio Liberal'') followed. The Progresista government reorganized Spain into 52 provinces, and it intended to reduce the regional autonomy that had been a hallmark of Spanish bureaucracy since Habsburg rule in the 16th and 17th centuries. Opposition of the affected regions, in particular, Aragon, Navarre, and Catalonia, shared in the king's antipathy for the liberal government. The anticlerical policies of the Progresista government led to friction with the [[Catholic Church in Spain|Catholic Church]], and attempts to bring about industrialisation alienated old [[trade guild]]s. The [[Spanish Inquisition]], which had been abolished by both [[Joseph Bonaparte]] and the [[Cortes of Cádiz]] during the French occupation, was ended again by the government, which led to accusations of it being nothing more than ''[[afrancesados]]'' (francophiles), who, only six years earlier, had been forced out of the country.

More radical liberals attempted to revolt against the entire idea of a monarchy, regardless of how little power it had. In 1821, they were suppressed, but the incident served to illustrate the frail coalition that bound the government together.[[Image:Francisco Goya - Portrait of Ferdinand VII of Spain in his robes of state (1815) - Prado.jpg|thumb|175px|[[Ferdinand VII of Spain]], who abolished the Spanish Constitution of 1812 in 1814. Portrait by [[Francisco Goya]], 1814.]]The election of a radical liberal government in 1823 further destabilized Spain. The army, whose liberal leanings had brought the government to power, began to waver when the Spanish economy failed to improve, and in 1823, a mutiny in Madrid had to be suppressed. The [[Jesuits]], who had been banned by [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]] in the 18th century, only to be rehabilitated by Ferdinand VII after his restoration, were banned again by the government. For the duration of liberal rule, Ferdinand (still technically head of state) lived under virtual house arrest in Madrid. The [[Congress of Vienna]], ending the Napoleonic Wars, had inaugurated the "Congress system" as an instrument of international stability in Europe. Rebuffed by the [[Holy Alliance]] of [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in his request for help against the liberal revolutionaries in 1820, by 1822, the "Concert of Europe" was so concerned by Spain's liberal government and its surprising hardiness that it was prepared to intervene on Ferdinand's behalf.

In 1822, the [[Congress of Verona]] authorized France to intervene. [[Louis XVIII of France]] was only too happy to put an end to Spain's liberal experiment, and a massive army, the [[Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis|100,000 Sons of Saint Louis]], was dispatched across the Pyrenees in April 1823. The Spanish army, fraught by internal divisions, offered little resistance to the well organised French force, who seized Madrid and reinstalled Ferdinand as absolute monarch. The liberals' hopes for a new Spanish War of Independence were dashed.

Regarding the policy for America in the absolutist period, the new government changed political repression into negotiation. Sending troops was replaced by commissioners to attract pro-independence leaders, who were invited to submit to royal authority in exchange for recognition by Spain. With that in mind, the government announced a ceasefire for negotiations with the rebels until the 1812 Constitution, which ironically, had been superseded by Ferdinand's actions, was accepted.

According to the ceasefire, Spain would end the persecution and would issue a blanket amnesty for the insurgents; otherwise, the war would continue. The 11 commissioners failed, since the patriots demanded recognition of their independence from Spain.

==French intervention==
{{see|Royalist War}}
[[Image:El cardenal don Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga (Museo del Prado).jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga, 14th Count of Chinchón]] (1777–1823), [[Archbishop of Toledo]] and [[Primate of Spain]], a liberal churchman who abolished the [[Spanish Inquisition]] in 1820. (It would be re-established in 1823.)]]In 1822, Ferdinand VII applied the terms of the [[Congress of Vienna]], lobbied for the assistance of the other absolute monarchs of Europe, in the process joining the [[Holy Alliance]] formed by Russia, Prussia, Austria and France to restore absolutism. In France, the ultra-royalists pressured [[Louis XVIII of France|Louis XVIII]] to intervene. To temper their counter-revolutionary ardour, the [[Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu|Duc de Richelieu]] deployed troops along the [[Pyrenees]] Mountains along the France-Spain border, charging them with halting the spread of Spanish liberalism and the "yellow fever" from encroaching into France. In September 1822, the ''cordon sanitaire'' became an observation corps and then very quickly transformed itself into a military expedition.

[[File:José Aparicio - Landing of Ferdinand VII in El Puerto de Santa María - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''[[The Landing of Ferdinand VII in El Puerto de Santa María]]'' by [[José Aparicio]]. Ferdinand VII greets the [[Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême|Duke of Angoulême]] having been freed from the control of the Liberal government in [[Cadiz]].]]
The [[Holy Alliance]] (Russia, [[Austria]] and [[Prussia]]) refused Ferdinand's request for help, but the [[Quadruple Alliance (1815)|Quintuple Alliance]] ([[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]], France, Russia, [[Prussia]] and [[Austria]]), at the Congress of [[Verona]] in October 1822, gave France a mandate to intervene and restore the Spanish monarchy.  On 22 January 1823, a secret treaty was signed at the congress of Verona, allowing France to invade Spain to restore Ferdinand VII as an absolute monarch. With that agreement from the Holy Alliance, on 28 January 1823, Louis XVIII announced that "[[The Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis|a hundred thousand Frenchmen]] are ready to march, invoking the name of [[Louis IX of France|Saint Louis]], to safeguard the throne of Spain for a grandson of [[Henry IV of France]]".

==Bibliography==
{{no footnotes|date=May 2016}}

===In French===
*''Encyclopédie Universalis'', Paris, Volume 18, 2000
*''Larousse'', tome 1, 2, 3, Paris, 1998
*Caron, Jean-Claude, ''La France de 1815 à 1848'', Paris, Armand Colin, coll. « Cursus », 2004, 193 p.
*Corvisier, André, ''Histoire militaire de la France, de 1715 à 1871'', tome 2, Paris, Presses universitaires de France, "Quadrige" collection, 1998, 627 p.
*Demier, Francis, ''La France du XIXe 1814–1914'', Seuil, 2000, 606 p.
*Dulphy, Anne, ''Histoire de l'Espagne de 1814 à nos jours, le défi de la modernisation'', Paris, Armand Colin, "128" collection, 2005, 127 p.
*Duroselle, Jean-Baptiste, ''L'Europe de 1815 à nos jours : vie politique et relation internationale'', Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, "Nouvelle clio" collection, 1967, 363 p.
*Garrigues, Jean, Lacombrade, Philippe, ''La France au 19e siècle, 1814–1914'', Paris, Armand Colin, "Campus" collection, 2004, 191 p.
*Lever, Evelyne, ''Louis XVIII'', Paris, Fayard, 1998, 597 p.
*[[Jean Sarrailh]], ''Un homme d'état espagnol: Martínez de la Rosa (1787–1862)'' (Paris, 1930)

===In Spanish===
* Miguel Artola Gallego, ''La España de Fernando VII'' (Madrid, 1968)
* Jonathan Harris, 'Los escritos de codificación de [[Jeremy Bentham]] y su recepción en el primer liberalismo español', ''Télos. Revista Iberoamericana de Estudios Utilitaristas'' 8 (1999), 9–29
*W. Ramírez de Villa-Urrutia, ''Fernando VII, rey constitucional. Historia diplomática de España de 1820 a 1823'' (Madrid, 1922)

===In English===
*Raymond Carr, ''Spain 1808–1975'' (Oxford, 1982, 2nd ed.)
* Charles W. Fehrenbach, ‘Moderados and Exaltados: the liberal opposition to Ferdinand VII, 1814–1823’, ''Hispanic American Historical Review'' 50 (1970), 52–69
* Jonathan Harris, 'An English utilitarian looks at Spanish American independence: Jeremy Bentham's Rid Yourselves of Ultramaria', ''The Americas'' 53 (1996), 217–33
*{{cite book|last=Jarrett|first=Mark|title=The Congress of Vienna and its Legacy: War and Great Power Diplomacy after Napoleon|publisher=I. B. Tauris & Company, Ltd.|year=2013|location=London|isbn=978-1780761169}}

==See also==
*{{Annotated link|Bienio progresista}}
*{{Annotated link|Sexenio Democrático}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1820s in Spain]]
[[Category:Bourbon Restoration]]
[[Category:19th-century revolutions]]
[[Category:Revolutions during the 1820s]]
[[Category:Liberalism in Spain]]

[[fr:Restauration absolutiste en Espagne#Triennat libéral (1820-1823)]]
[[Category:Aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars]]