Spanish Constitution of 1812

The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was a liberal charter adopted by the Cádiz Cortes during the Peninsular War. It declared national sovereignty and established a constitutional monarchy with elected representation.

National sovereignty: The principle that political authority ultimately belongs to the nation rather than a monarch or ruling dynasty. The constitution grounded legitimate authority in the Spanish nation, not solely in the king.
Peninsular War: The conflict from 1807 to 1814 in which Spain and Portugal, aided by Britain, fought French occupation. French occupation and the collapse of royal authority created the emergency in which the constitution was drafted.
Agustín de Argüelles: A Spanish liberal politician who helped draft the Constitution of 1812 and defended it in the Cádiz Cortes. Argüelles was a leading voice in shaping and explaining the charter’s provisions.
Spanish American wars of independence: The conflicts from the early nineteenth century through the 1820s that ended Spanish rule across most of continental Spanish America. The constitution’s imperial representation debates unfolded alongside revolutions that dismantled Spanish rule overseas.
Cádiz Cortes: The assembly convened in Cádiz from 1810 to 1814 that governed resistance to Napoleon and drafted the 1812 constitution. This assembly debated and adopted the constitution while much of Spain was occupied.
Bayonne abdications: The 1808 transfer of the Spanish crown from Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to Napoleon, who installed Joseph Bonaparte. The disputed transfer of the crown prompted resistance and claims that sovereignty had returned to the nation.
Diego Muñoz-Torrero: A Spanish priest and liberal deputy who helped advance national sovereignty in the Cádiz Cortes. His proposals helped establish the assembly’s claim to represent the Spanish nation.
Liberal Triennium: The Spanish constitutional period from 1820 to 1823, when Ferdinand VII was forced to restore the 1812 constitution. The charter governed again after a military uprising compelled the king to accept it.
Constitutional monarchy: A system in which a monarch remains head of state but exercises authority under constitutional limits. The charter retained Ferdinand VII as king while defining his powers and duties.
Supreme Central Junta: A Spanish governing body formed in 1808 to coordinate resistance to French occupation in the king’s absence. Its failure helped lead to the convocation of the Cádiz Cortes.

Linked from 18 pages