On March 24, 1814, three months after the signing of the Treaty of Valençay (December 11, 1813) by Napoleon became effective, Ferdinand VII returned to Spain to establish himself definitively on the throne. The return of “the Desired” was seen by all of Spanish society as something good, both for royalists and liberals, but both ideologies soon opposed the reformist policies carried out by the king.
The first sign of disagreement with the liberals took place on April 12, 1814, when 69 deputies in favor of the Old Regime addressed a manifesto to the king -the well-known Manifesto of the Persians- with the purpose of having the monarch abolish the Constitution of 1812. The goal of the 69 Persians was to justify a coup by Ferdinand VII himself to reinstate Absolutism in Spain, to which the king immediately agreed. From that moment on, during the six years that the absolutist six-year term lasted, Spain experienced several pronouncements that, although it is true that they were mostly a resounding failure, deteriorated the image of “the Desire.”
Reasons for the pronouncements
The pronouncement is understood as a form of military coup against the power to introduce political reforms. In most cases, these uprisings have more to do with the personal discontent of the pronounced than with the needs of the Spanish. Therefore, these uprisings are the work of a minority, because neither a population nor a popular mass ever speaks out: a small part of an army barracks always speaks out.
A) Due to the discontent of a minority. One of the first causes was the discontent of a minority with the actions carried out by the king. And this is repeated in each of the pronouncements that are carried out these years. All this revolutionary sequence is due to a simple reason: the desire to overthrow an order of things to establish another order more and that it would be in accordance with those pronounced.
B) For the ministerial reforms. One of the main accusations that weigh throughout the entire reign of Fernando VII is the instability in ministerial politics. Up to twenty-eight ministers had Spain during those six years, nineteen of those substitutions occurred between the period of May 1814 and November 3, 1819. One of the clearest examples is found in the first weeks of government, where San Carlos, faithful adept at the monarch, lasted weeks as Minister of State.
C) Because of the political baseness that was in “La Camarilla”. The camarilla was the antechamber where the king held official audiences and where he met with a group of people whom he asked for advice. There he met with sparklers, water carriers and even with personal friends to discuss, especially personal issues.
D) The military and their situation in 1814. Between 1814 and 1820 we find for the first time an army that rises up against the power. The pronouncement bears an ideological character that breaks for the first time with fidelity to the monarch. And this is because the War of Independence meant a revolution in the Spanish consciousness that was more important than the actual episode of the struggle. Among the profound transformations in the military aspect, is the ease with which a multitude of humble characters rose to the highest positions of command: Espoz y Mina, Juan Martín the stubbornPorlier, Palafox, Ballesteros… A new generation of soldiers saw themselves controlling the high command.
However, little by little his aspirations were cut short because all the positions were being occupied by old generals and followers of Fernando VII: Eguía, Elio, Imaz, Ezpeleta, the prize at the end was for the darkest, for those who had not prominent during the War of Independence. And here comes the problem: what to do with the improvised army? What Fernando VII did was dissolve it and try to remove this large number of new Spanish heroes. But these former militiamen could not become farmers, charcoal burners, or simply be demoted again. For this reason, many of them are going to become bandits, those guerrillas and soldiers who have already lost their jobs and who do not know how to do anything but fight.
This policy that Ferdinand VII opted for made clearer the ideological differences between the minority sector that was gradually gaining many followers. In fact, because of this, an unsustainable climate was created in the army that from the summer of 1814 was going to divide into two factions: the regulars, those of the old school who supported Fernando VII and the guerrillas, the new breed of heroes who will be dissatisfied with the policies carried out by the monarch.
E) The liberal cause. The way in which the country was governed during the absolutist six-year term generated a climate of generalized discontent that served the purposes of the liberal minority, eager to achieve the power lost in 1814. Supporters and opponents of the liberal system are unanimous in supporting the time to recognize the failure of the policy carried out by Fernando VII. The Liberals saw in 1814 how the Liberal Constitution of 1812 signed in Cádiz was permanently annulled. From then on, they would not give up until they were able to see the Constitution triumphant again and the persecuted people in the highest positions. Even if Fernando had finally accepted the Constitution, the Liberals would have conspired anyway because over time this group gained supporters, in addition to the fact that most of the high-ranking officials related to the Liberals were arrested, humiliated and even banished.
All this situation explains this climate of discontent that naturally existed and that was magnified by the famous business of buying ships. The corruption in the purchase of these ships will cause the revolt of 1820 in Riego and the beginning of the liberal triennium.
Mina’s pronouncement
Francisco Espoz y Mina was born in 1781 in the small Navarran town of Idocin. Like all his family, he lived dedicated to agriculture, and without other aspirations he decided to join the army (along with his nephew Javier Mina) to fight against the French in the War of Independence, where he was appointed second of the Navarrese guerrillas. . Francisco Espoz y Mina was one of the most famous guerrillas during the War of Independence, as the famous guerrilla successfully led his games in Navarra, and when he was victorious there he extended his field of action to the Vascongadas and Alto Aragón. His victories earned him the rank of general in a very short time.
The end of the campaign surprises Mina in the heavy blockade of San Juan de Pie de Puerto, where his troops suffered heavy casualties due to the scarcity of supplies. In fact, as soon as the campaign was over, his soldiers, lacking resources, began to desert. For this reason, the return of Fernando VII was received with joy, since the exhaustion of his troops was clear and the numerous casualties he suffered during that campaign would prevent him from continuing. Mina wanted to go to Catalonia to receive the monarch, but Wellington forced him to tighten the siege of San Juan Pie de Puerto as much as possible, sending his secretary, Don Fidel Boyra, who did not reach Fernando VII until Valencia, where he offered his respects in the name of the famous guerrilla. Although he had been linked to Freemasonry since 1812, Espoz y Mina was a patriotic man and loyal to the king.
After the campaign, the general returned to Pamplona, where he was received as a hero. On May 23, he requests permission to go to Madrid to meet with the King. The only reason for his visit to Madrid was to talk to the king about the sorry state of his guerrillas, in need of subsidies and supplies. But it was also expected that the monarch would make him Viceroy of Navarre for his exploits in the war. In the end, on June 15, he received a letter from the Court, signed by the Minister of War, Eguía, where he finally obtained the license to go to the capital. He arrived in the capital in mid-July, where he met the king in the antechamber. However, the meeting was not very fruitful, since Fernando VII confused him with his nephew and when he saw that it was him, he did not pay much attention to him. In fact, Pedro Girón, one of those who was at that meeting that day, wrote that “when it was Espoz and Mina’s turn, he kissed her hand and the King paid no more attention than a dog.” This may be because by making petitions to him on behalf of the troops and by trying to frankly declare to the king the malfunctioning of the high military bodies, he realized that there were people interested in removing him from the map.
However, we never find a serious word towards the monarch, even when he was banished. The criticism of the former guerrilla is directed exclusively against ministers, administrators and high-ranking army officers for his inability to continue leading the country. Mina experiences some humiliation in his visit to the Court, so he will not tolerate humiliation and will be the first to rise up against that state. Espoz y Mina believes in the King, he is sure that if he could talk to him, he would convince him with his reasons, and the King could not but accept them. The day before his return to Navarre, he still makes one last attempt to meet with the monarch, but he is denied and attacks the King’s bad advisers, since he thought they were the only ones to blame for the situation in which he found himself. found.
However, a former farmer turned guerrilla and without the necessary training to lead a territory as large as Navarre could not take charge of the viceroyalty. He was not prepared. On June 25 there was an erroneous interpretation of one of the laws that promulgated the dissolution of the irregular armies and one of Mina’s battalions was disbanded. Thus, Eguía and Fernando VII ordered Mina to return to Pamplona to stop the desertion of his army. This order will make Espoz and Mina feel bad because he believes it is a lie to keep him away from the Court. When he arrived in Navarra, Espoz y Mina quickly reassembled his battalion. The delicate situation with the Court (especially with Eguía) and with Ezpeleta, Viceroy of Navarre, due to the few resources available to his battalion. On September 23 came the final blow: Viceroy Ezpeleta issued an order from the Ministry of War by which General Mina was assigned to the Pamplona barracks, leaving the remaining units of his division under the command of the Captain General of Aragon. After that decree, Espoz y Mina was not only relegated to a low position, but he thought that his integrity was in danger.
The order of the 23rd hastened events, and prevented a calm preparation for the coup that he had been planning for approximately two weeks. Mina thought that with a few men from her battalion and thanks to the confidence of his rank, she would be able to make his feat reach the Vascongadas, Aragón and Madrid to gradually achieve …