Viva El Regente!: The Birth of Modern Spain

This is an idea I got after reading the Royal Vendatta: The Crown of Spain 1829-1965 by Theo Aronson (great book btw)

Basically I wonder what would happen if Isabel II's liberal regent, General Espartero was able to hold on to power longer than the three short years he did otl. I think I have come with a responsible scenario to ensure this, but I would like some feedback. Any thoughts, comments, and constructive criticisms are welcome. Also any help in finding other good sources of information about Spain in this time period or about Espartero would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

El Palacio Real, Madrid, October 7, 1841
Countess Espoz, the governess of Queen Isabel II of Spain and her sister Infanta Luisa Fernanda had just taken her charges to their music lessons. She paused for a moment to reflect on the monumental task given to her. The girls’ mother Maria Christina of Naples had been forced to resign as regent and flee to Paris. The new regent, the immensely popular General Baldomero Espartero, had entrusted with raising Isabel and Luisa to be respectable women of rank. Yet to the countess it seemed impossible. Isabel was already 11 and her education had been horrendously neglected. Her handwriting was ineligible; she hated studies and books and seemed obsessed with dancing. Luisa was better, she was 9 but already more serious than her sister and she was sincerely and deeply religious. Such piety would suit a Spanish royal well at least. The Countess’ thoughts were suddenly interrupted by thunderous shouts of Viva! accompanied by a volley of bullets. The Palace was under attack! Countess Espoz quickly had the windows and doors of the royal suite bolted. However, her efforts were in vain, a bullet smashed through a window and embedded itself squarely into Isabel’s neck.[1] Despite the frantic efforts of the servants,the poor girl bled out quickly. At this point Luisa was crying hysterically, so much so that all those present in the room didn’t notice that the assault on the palace had been crushed until Espartero’s troops crashed into the royal apartment.
[1] The major POD, the assault on the Palacio Real did take place in OTL but Isabel survived. Here she doesn’t.
 
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Madrid October 7-9, 1841
The General Espartero, Regent of Spain and hero of Vergara was furious. A queen of Spain had died on his watch and he wanted those responsible captured yesterday. He need not wait long, his soldiers quickly found the commander of the assaulting troops, General Diego de Leon. With sufficient encouragement, De Leon confessed rather quickly. He admitted leading the assault on the palace but swore he only meant to kidnap Isabel not kill her. In a desperate and foolish attempt to save his own life he reviled that he had been acting on the orders of Maria Christina, Isabel’s mother and the former Regent.[2] He even turned over several letters which proved this. Much to Espartero’s joy the letters also revel the involvement of the two most prominent Moderado (Conservative) Party generals, Leopoldo O’Donnell and Ramon Narvaez in the plot as while. These letters were just want Espartero was looking for. Maria Christina’s involvement in her own daughter’s death would distract the Cortes and the public from his own failure to protect the Queen. It would also effectively eliminate the possibility of Maria Christina resuming the regency for Luisa. Espartero swiftly ordered for the letters to be published, ordered O’Donnell’s and Narvaez’s arrests, and for de Leon to be hanged.

General Baldamero Espartero, Regent of Spain
[2] In OTL Maria Christina, and the other generals’ involvement was highly suspected but never really proven. In this ATL de Leon is more desperate and thus revels more.
 
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Yes Luisa is now queen. The Carlists were crushed only a two years prior and thus aren't in a position to seriously contest the secession.
 
Paris, October 13, 1841
The former Queen Regent of Spain, Maria Christina was found dead this morning. She apparently committed suicide after learning of her daughter’s death at the hands of de Leon’s soldiers. She was discovered hanging by her second husband, Augustin Fernandez Munoz. Her few remaining supporters claimed that she had been framed and killed by Espartero’s agents. The common perception however was that she killed herself out of grief and guilt over Isabel’s death. A few of her most ardent detractors however, noted her suicide came only after rumors that the French government agreed to extradite her to Spain, and her real motive was to avoid the humiliation of a trial.

Ex-Queen Regent of Spain, Maria Christina (1806-1841)
 
Madrid, November 1841
Espartero need to ensure that at its next meeting the Cortes would confirm Luisa as Queen and himself as regent. The first task was relatively easy, the only other potential candidate was Infante Carlos, the self-proclaimed Carlos V. Carlos, an extreme ultra-conservative who had first claimed the throne after the death of Ferdinand VII and ascension of Isabel II, argued that the Pragmatic Sanction (issued by Ferdinand VII) allowing women to ascend to the throne to be illegal and illegitimate. However, the vast majority of members of the Cortes had supported Isabel II in the resulting civil war and none of them were eager to back their recent enemy, despite Carlos’ pompous proclamations from exile. Carlism seemed to be a spent force for now, and Isabel’s death only triggered a few minor disturbances in Vascongadas (the Basque Country) and Catalonia which were easily crushed. Additionally Luisa was universally recognized as Queen Luisa I by the major European powers, even by Austria and Russia, which had favored Carlos in the civil war.


The task re-securing the regency would prove to be more difficult. Within his own Liberal Progresista party, he had secured support by guaranteeing his chief rival Augstin Argüelles that he would continue on in his position of guardian of Luisa. But the other major party, the more Conservative Moderado Party was drastically opposed to his continued regency. Yet they could not unite behind any candidate. Maria Christina, their traditional choice was dead. Their two leading generals Leopoldo O’Donnell and Ramon Narvaez had been implicated in de Leon’s plot. O’Donnell had been captured in Bilbao, while Narvaez had escaped to France. Nor could the moderatos turn to any members of the royal family. Besides Carlos, Lusia’s only relative was her uncle the liberal Infante Francisco de Paula and his unpopular wife Princess Carlota, sister of Maria Christina. Thus, with his opponents unable to unite behind a candidate, the Cortes voted to confirm him as regent by an overwhelming majority.


5514716fcd24dbde19418fae_1427490100217.jpg
Espartero renewing his oath as Regent before the Cortes Generales
 
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An interesting TL. I'd like to see what else happens from here thereon, with a Moderate Party that has been cut off at the knees with such a stupid move.

However, a couple of problems:
- The name of the parties in Spanish are Moderado (instead of Moderato) y Liberal-Progresista (instead of Liberal Progressivo).
- The correct (at least, at the time) term for the Basque Country in the 19th century is "Vascongadas".
- There's a "Carols" at the end of the first paragraph in this last update.
- There are a couple of grammar mistakes: for example, where it says "Carlos, an extreme ultra-conservative who had first claimed the throne after the death of Ferdinand VII and ascension of Isabel II. He argued that the Pragmatic Sanction...", you should replace ". He argued" with ", argued".

Also, that photo seems quite familiar... :D (I've used it in my own story)
 
An interesting TL. I'd like to see what else happens from here thereon, with a Moderate Party that has been cut off at the knees with such a stupid move.

However, a couple of problems:
- The name of the parties in Spanish are Moderado (instead of Moderato) y Liberal-Progresista (instead of Liberal Progressivo).
- The correct (at least, at the time) term for the Basque Country in the 19th century is "Vascongadas".
- There's a "Carols" at the end of the first paragraph in this last update.
- There are a couple of grammar mistakes: for example, where it says "Carlos, an extreme ultra-conservative who had first claimed the throne after the death of Ferdinand VII and ascension of Isabel II. He argued that the Pragmatic Sanction...", you should replace ". He argued" with ", argued".

Also, that photo seems quite familiar... :D (I've used it in my own story)

Thank you for your kind advice. :) My Spanish is quite horrible and I appericate the pointers, especially about the Moderado and Liberal-Progresista parties. What have read about them came from sources which used their English translations and I tried finding the correct Spanish original without much success apparently :eek:. Also the main sources I have found deal primarly with Spanish monarchs and their personalities and reigns. If there are any sources about Spanish politics and Spain in general in you that you would recommend I would be grateful. Thanks again for all the advice!
 
You can start with the wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parties_and_factions_in_Isabelline_Spain. Of course, with Isabel dead, things are going to be quite different, but it is a good start.

You can also read the first two episodes of my story "The Legacy of the Glorious", but those two take place in the late 1860s and early 1870s.

Thanks and I have just started reading your TL (which is quite good btw), and I already learned a few new things that will be helpful. :D
 
Madrid, December 1841
Financial Reforms
Now that he had been reconfirmed as Regent, Espartero faced no shortage of issues. Spain’s economy was in tatters, and the government was in desperate need of revenue. Luckily, one solution was already underway. The Progresista Government of Juan Alvarez Mendizabal had begun a program confiscating and selling Church Land in 1836, and this policy had already produced substantial amounts of revenue. The program made practical sense on every level. The Church was the largest land-holder in all of Spain, yet the vast majority of its lands lay unused, their potential wealth left untapped. However, the policy had faced strict opposition of the Moderados and caused sharp protests from Pope Gregory XVI. Nevertheless, Espartero decided to not only continue the program but to expand it, arranging for any exceptions for specific parishes (won by Moderado Deputies in the Cortes to ensure their constituent priests would not be affected) to be removed.
The next economic task would be much harder. Quite frankly Spain’s tax code was broken. It hadn’t been revised since Carlos IV, and it remained a mess and severely hampered the government’s ability to raise funds. Espartero, no expert in economics himself decided to create a committee to study the problem and form solutions. The committee was headed by former liberal Prime Minister Juan Alvarez Mendizabal, whom Espartero installed as the new Finance Minister, and included the Moderado leader Alejandro Mon y Menendez, and Ramon de Santillan, a political independent who had severed under both Moderado and Progresista governments. Hopefully, with all sides represented would lead to fresh thinking and a realistic solution that could be supported across the country.
The third issue was the most difficult, because it had more than just economic consequences. Great Britain had indicated it was interested in a free trade agreement with Spain. Politically the deal would be supported by the Progresistas as they had always supported closer ties with Britain, and viewed its constitutional monarchy as a model for Spain. On the economic side the potential advantages included the opening of British Markets to Spanish merchants and increased British investment in Spain. These advantages were dutifully pointed out by Mendizabal. However, Mano objected claiming the government could hardly afford to do away with the revenue that current tariffs on British goods provided. Espartero, found Mon’s worries relatively unconvincing and suspected they were guided more by politics than by economics (the Moderados had always favored closer ties with France rather than Britain).
But then de Santillan spoke up in drastic terms, “General, this agreement will doom Spain. The future of all nations lay in industrialization. Our industry is already far behind that of most of Europe and even America. Flooding Spain with cheap British goods will eliminate any incentive for the development of independent Spanish manufacturing. I urge you sir, in the strongest possible terms to reject this agreement!”
Espartero was taken back a bit, de Santillan’s passion was out of character for the soft-spoken politician, but his passion on the issue convinced Espartero, he agreed to reject the British proposal. [1]
Mendizabal reacted angrily, “Am I your Minister of Finance or is Ramon, Espartero! I did not accept this position, only for my counsel to be ignored!”
Espartero did not like to be shouted at and especially not by a man who owned his position to his good graces. “I will follow whichever policies are in Spain’s best interests, regardless of who proposes them. If you have a problem with that Juan, you can always resign your ministry!” he shouted.
Mendizabal realizing he had bitten off more than he could chew decided not to respond.
Espartero knowing he had won this round decided not to press Mendizabal anymore and left the meeting.


[1] In OTL Espartero accepted the agreement and it set off a rebellion in Barcelona. In this TL, he rejects it. Barcelona is still a powder keg, but it lacks the necessary spark.


Ramon de Santillan, the man who convinced Espartero to overrule his own Finance Minister
 
Not a bad one. Good to see that we will avoid the Barcelona riots that eventually led to Espartero being exiled.

Another thing I would recommend for Espartero to do is to start writing a new constitution, one that makes some damn sense and does away with ideas like shared sovereignty between the Crown and the Cortes or the many attributions the Crown still has. And, also, to begin expanding the franchise, so that, eventually, Spain can have a true universal suffrage.
 
Not a bad one. Good to see that we will avoid the Barcelona riots that eventually led to Espartero being exiled.

Another thing I would recommend for Espartero to do is to start writing a new constitution, one that makes some damn sense and does away with ideas like shared sovereignty between the Crown and the Cortes or the many attributions the Crown still has. And, also, to begin expanding the franchise, so that, eventually, Spain can have a true universal suffrage.

Yeah, I plan to deal with a new consitution in a few updates. I just want to discuss several other points first.
 
Wow, I'm loving this TL. Looking forward to a more strong and stable Spain and how it performs in TTL's Spanish-American War, if one even occurs. Subscribed
 
October 1841-January 1842, Madrid
images
Luisa I, La Reina de España
Luisa Fernanda, Queen of Spain, had been traumatized by the death of her sister and her mother’s suicide shortly thereafter. For two months, she had sequestered herself away in mourning. She had spent much of her time reading. Unlike her sister, who had had a strong aversion to reading, Luisa loved books. As she was now queen (something she never believed would happen) she thought she better know how to act as one. She spent hours reading about the lives of her ancestors and predecessors. She was particularly fascinated with Isabel I of Castile, as her only example of a Spanish queen ruling in her own right. After two months she realized that mourning would not bring her family back, and that she had a duty to become educated to better run her kingdom. Therefore she threw herself into her studies, which were overseen by the brilliant liberal Augustin Argüelles (who had gotten rid of many of the corrupt and self-serving officials and staff left over from Maria Christina’s reign as regent). She soon proved herself a brilliant student in history geography, Spanish, and French, although her Latin and English left much to be desired. She was serious and diligent girl, wholly unlike her sister the late Isabel II.
Luisa also admired her regent, General Espartero. He had immediately granted her request that her mother be buried in the Pantheon of Kings (the traditional burial place of Spain's kings and their spouses), despite several of her tutors warning her not to broach the subject. It also helped that Infanta Carlota, Luisa’s power hungry aunt had died shortly after her sister Marie Christina, and thus could not poison Luisa’s mind against Espartero. The Regent visited Luisa often and even discussed the kingdom’s various problems and his efforts to solve them. He always reminded her that one day she would reign in her own right without him, and to be a good ruler one must always listen to the will of the people and do what is in their best interests. Luisa loved these conservations (even if she did not grasp all of topics) and the seriousness with which Espartero treated her. She would come to look up to him and his repeated advice to “listen to the will of her people” slowly began to ingrain itself in her.
 
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Luisa I is looking to be a Spanish Victoria. I wonder how long it will take for this to affect the rest of the world.
 
January 1843-December 1843
Espartero had decided it was time for a new constitution. The current one from 1837 had been a compromise measure accepted by the Progresistas and Moderados in order to from a unified front after the chaos of the recent Civil War. But, now the balance had shifted and the Progresistas were the dominant party and were in a position to finally implement the radical changes that had always desired to. Espartero called for a constitutional convention to be held, in order that the new constitution could be openly debated and thought out, unlike most of its predecessors which had been rushed and secretive affairs. The Moderados protested fiercely, but they lacked the votes necessary to block the action. Their popularity had seriously waned ever since the October Plot (the common name for the failed coup attempt, which ended Isabel II’s life). The Progresistas got to work and began drafting a far more liberal constitution; the Moderados did influence several parts where the Progresistas were internally split. In the end a solid majority of delegates to the convention passed the new constitution. The major points are as follows:
 
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Chapter I The Monarchy​
1. The Sovereignty of Spain lays solely in the nation of Spain not the crown. [1]
2. The legitimate Monarch of Spain is Luisa Fernanda de Bourbon.
3. The Monarch of Spain is the head of state and as such will perform only such duties as specified in the constitution.
4. The succession to the Throne of Spain shall be governed by regular primogeniture. [2]
5. Don Carlos de Bourbon and all of his line are hence forth removed from the succession of the Throne of Spain for their past crimes of treason against the Spanish Nation.
6. The Monarch of Spain must always be of the Catholic Faith, as it is the traditional religion of Spain.
7. When a female reigns her husband will have no role in the government of Spain.
8. The Monarch of Spain may not be impeached.
9. The approval of the Monarch is necessary to amend the constitution.
10. In the event of a tie in the Senate or the House of Deputies, the Monarch shall cast the deciding vote.
11. The Monarch shall automatically regardless of gender, inherit the rank of Captain-General and shall be considered the head of the Spanish Army and Navy.
12. The Monarch shall have the power to create and distribute titles of nobility.
13. The Monarch shall nominate appointees for the Supreme Court and for the Governor-Generalships of Spain’s colonies.
14. The Monarch may not campaign for any political party, he or she must remain completely neutral.
15. A Monarch shall be considered of age at 14 years of age.
16. If the Monarch is not of age, a Regent shall reign in his or her name and exercise all of his or her prerogatives on his or her behalf.
17. The Regent shall be whomever the former Monarch named in their will or act of abdication; however the proposed candidate must be confirmed by the Senate.
18. The Regent may not retain any other political office. In order to assume the regency he must resign his other offices upon being confirmed by the Senate.

[1]The 1837 constitution had stated sovereignty was shared by the crown and the nation
[2] Aka male preference first born inherits








Chapter II The Cortes Generales
1. The legislative power shall be vested in the Cortes Generales which shall consist of two houses: The House of Deputies and the Senate.
2. The House of Deputies shall consistent of 300 deputies.
3. To serve in the House of Deputies one must be of at least twenty-one years of age.
4. The representation in the House of Deputies shall be based on the percentage an official political party wins in the national election, with elections being held every four years. A party must win at least 5 percent of the national vote in order to represent in the House of Deputies.
5. The leader of the party with the most deputies will be asked to form a government by the monarch. If he fails to form a government within ten days, the leader of the party with the second most deputies will be asked by the monarch to form a government and so on. If no government is formed within thirty days the House of Deputies shall be dissolved and new elections called. These elections must be held within sixty days of the House of Deputies being dissolved.
6. The head of government shall be a Prime Minister elected by the majority of the Hose of Deputies.
7. The House of Deputies shall oversee all legislative functions not explicitly granted to the Senate.
8. All bills regarding funding and the national budget must originate in the House of Deputies.
9. The Senate shall comprise of 140 senators elected from electoral districts each representing 100,000 citizens.
10. A Census shall be held every ten years from the enactment of this constitution in order that the Spanish people are properly represented.
11. If the number of citizens expands by 100,000 a new Senate seat shall be created but the senate shall not exceed 200 senators. At such a point the number of citizens each senator represents shall be increased.
12. A Senator shall be elected to a term of 12 years and 1/3 of the body of senators shall stand for elections every four years.
13. The candidates for the Senate shall be elected directly by the voters.
14. A Senator must be of thirty years of age or older.
15. The Senate shall have the following powers:
A) Along with the Congress of Deputies, to ratify treaties, accept peace agreements, and declare war.
B) To preside over trails of impeachment as jury after an individual has been impeached by the House of Deputies.
C) Along with a 2/3 majority of the House of Deputies, a 2/3 majority of the Senate is necessary to amend the constitution along with the approval of the Monarch.
D) To confirm a Regent if the Monarch is not of age.
E) To elect a regent if the Monarch’s choice is rejected or none is formally named.
F) To confirm royal appointees to the Supreme Courts and Governor-Generalships of Spain’s colonies.

Chapter III The Judiciary​
1. The final judicial power of Spain shall be vested in a Supreme Court.
2. The Supreme Court shall be comprised of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.
3. The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices shall be nominated by the Monarch and subject to the approval of the majority of the Senate.
4. The Cortes Generales may establish lesser courts by specific legislation as it sees fit.

Chapter IV The Rights of The People​
1. The right of the people to free speech shall not be infringed in any way. One’s ability to openly articulate one’s ideas shall be considered scared.
2. The freedom of the press shall not be infringed. The people shall have the right to publish any truthful information or opinion that they wish.
3. While it is recognized that Spain is a traditionally Catholic nation, the right of the people to freedom of religion shall not be infringed. Discrimination on the basis of religion or creed is expressly forbidden.
4. The rights of people to freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of petition shall not be infringed.
5. The people have the right to a public trial presided over by civilian authority in times of peace. In times of declared war or rebellion, civilians may be tried by military tribunals in order to safeguard the security of the nation.
6. As the people have the right to privacy, no police or military official may search private property without obtaining a warrant.
7. The people have the right to be humanely treated while under arrest. The use of torture by police officials in order to obtain information is expressly forbidden.
8. The people have the right not to be complied to testify against oneself and to not be held twice in jeopardy for the same offense.
9. All people on trial shall be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
10. All cruel and unusual punishment is henceforth banned.
11. All people are equal before the law, class distinctions, titles of nobility, the defendants’ ethnicity, or religion shall not be a factor in the sentencing of convicted criminals.


Chapter V The Electorate​
1. In order to vote a citizen must meet all of the following qualifications:
A) He must be a male of at least twenty-one years of age.
B) He must either be a natural born citizen of Spain or a naturalized citizen who has been a citizen for five years.
C) He must be literate in both reading and writing the Spanish language.[3]
D) No one shall be denied the right to vote because of religion or ethnicity.

[3] In most OTL Spanish constitutions voting was based on owning a certain amount of land. Around 1% of people qualified under this system. Under the literacy program 20-25% will be able to vote. Hopefully Spain can move to universal suffrage in the future.

Chapter VI Implementation of the Constitution​
1. The constitution must be approved by the constitutional convention that was called for by the current Cortes Generales.
2. Once approved the constitution will automatically go into effect on January 30, 1846 when Queen Luisa I shall come of age.
3. The first elections shall be held by March 30, 1846.
 
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