Ferdinand VII

Ferdinand VII was king of Spain in 1808 and from 1814 until 1833. His reign encompassed the Peninsular War, the restoration of absolutism, and the loss of most Spanish American territories.

Charles IV of Spain: King of Spain from 1788 until his abdication in 1808 and Ferdinand VII’s father. His abdication at Bayonne transferred the crown to Ferdinand before Napoleon intervened.
Spanish Constitution of 1812: Spain’s liberal constitution, adopted by the Cádiz Cortes during the Peninsular War. Ferdinand rejected it on returning and later restored it under pressure.
Absolute monarchy: A form of government in which a monarch holds supreme political authority, subject to few or no constitutional restraints. Ferdinand restored this form of rule after abolishing the 1812 constitution.
Joseph Bonaparte: Napoleon’s elder brother, whom Napoleon made king of Spain from 1808 to 1813. Napoleon installed him in place of Ferdinand after the Bayonne abdications.
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1807): An agreement allowing French troops to cross Spain to invade Portugal. Its troop movements helped precipitate the crisis that brought Ferdinand to the throne.
Pronunciamiento: A military declaration or uprising intended to force a change in government in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Rafael del Riego’s pronunciamiento compelled Ferdinand to accept constitutional rule in 1820.
Liberal Triennium: The period from 1820 to 1823 when Spain was governed under the Constitution of 1812. Ferdinand’s compelled acceptance of the constitution opened this brief liberal period.
Manuel Godoy: A Spanish statesman and chief minister under Charles IV, influential in Spain’s diplomacy before 1808. Ferdinand’s faction opposed Godoy, whose influence helped provoke the Aranjuez uprising.
Mutiny of Aranjuez: A 1808 uprising that forced Charles IV to abdicate in favor of Ferdinand VII. It secured Ferdinand’s first accession amid popular opposition to his father’s government.
Rafael del Riego: A Spanish army officer whose 1820 uprising forced Ferdinand VII to restore the Constitution of 1812. His revolt began the Liberal Triennium against Ferdinand’s absolutist government.

Linked from 21 pages