Title

Lt-Col Rafael de Riego and the Cadiz Pronunciamiento

Description

After a brief period of liberal rule under the Constitution of Cadiz (1812-1814), when Spain was fighting against French occupation, the country became subordinated to the absolutist rule of Ferdinand VII. Over the next six years, Spain was deeply divided between supporters of the restored absolutism of Ferdinand VII, those wanting a restoration of the privileges of the elite and the Church, and liberals who wanted a constitutional order and something close to representative democracy. Moreover, the loss of the South American colonies had dramatically curtailed the revenues of the state, and there were inadequate and costly attempts to restore Spanish control of its former colonial lands.

On 1 January 1820 Lieutenant Colonel Rafael de Riego was due to lead troops from Cadiz to Buenos Aires to subdue those resisting the attempt to restore Spanish rule. He assembled the troops in the plaza of the small Spanish town of Las Cabezas de San Juan where they were stationed and called on them to resist Ferdinand and to support the restoration of the 1812 Constitution. This 'pronunciamiento' was followed by similar eruptions across Spain. Riego then led his troops, which were greatly outnumbered by Ferdinand, in a march punctuated by skirmishes with the enemy over a two month period that served to spread the revolt more widely. However, his extensive losses meant that he was eventually forced to seek temporary refuge in Portugal, and he was there when he learned of Ferdinand’s capitulation.

Riego became a national hero, wholly identified with the ensuing trienio. There was a Royalist putsch against the liberal regime (increasingly bitterly divided between moderates and 'exaltados', which weakened it further) in July 1822, when Riego led an urban guerilla group resisting the Royal Guard. Sections of the country remained under control of counter-revolutionaries, and the government became increasingly dominated by 'exaltados'. In 1823, Ferdinand appealed to France for assistance in re-establishing his regime and the French invaded. The consequent war lasted from April through to September 1823. Riego was captured by the French and turned over to Ferndinand’s forces to be executed as part of a wide-scale set of reprisals against those who had challenged his authority. The Himno de Riego was written by a compatriot of the soldier during the 1820 uprising, but became a popular song associated with 'exaltado' ambitions in which he held a major place. The Spanish wars, like the Peninsular War before it, were often marked by extreme brutality and reprisals. Riego, however, seems to have shown consistent restraint in his treatment of his opponents and those loyal to the old regime.

Contributor

Mark Philp

Spatial Coverage

Cadiz, Spain

Temporal Coverage

1 January 1820 - September 1823

Date

1820-01-01 - 1823-09-

Subject

army

ideologies

insurrection

liberalism

people

songs