TIMELINE

Timeline of

Spain in the XIX century

Construction of the liberal state

Maria Cristina

Espartero

PG

Triennium

Alfonso XII

Amadeo I

Biennium

First Republic

Joseph I Bonaparte

Six-Year Absolutist Period

Ominous Decade

Regencies

Moderate decade

Alfonso XIII

Crisis of the Elizabethan system

Elizabeth II

Ferdinand VII

War of Indepen-dence

Revolutionary Six-Year Period

Bourbon Restoration

Charles IV

1790

1800

1810

1820

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

El 2 de mayo de 1808 en Madrid

• Author: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
• Year: 1814
• Material: Oil on canvas

This painting depicts the War of Independence, a conflict within the Napoleonic Wars in which Spain, allied with Great Britain and Portugal, fought against the occupation of the First French Empire. Beginning after the uprising of May 2, 1808, it sought to expel Joseph Bonaparte, imposed by Napoleon, and restore the Spanish monarchy.

Fernando VII

• Author: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
• Year: 1814
• Material: Oil on canvas

In this portrait, we can see King Ferdinand VII, who returned to Spain after the war, attempting to reimpose absolutism. His reign can be divided into three periods: the Absolutist Six-Year Period, the Liberal Triennium, and the Ominous Decade.

Elizabeth II

• Author: Federico de Madrazo
• Year: 1848

In the work we can see Isabel II of Spain represented, called "the one of the Sad Destinies" or "the Castilian Queen", she was queen of Spain between 1833 and 1868, thanks to the repeal of the Succession Regulation of 1713 by means of the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830.

Joseph I Bonaparte

• Author: Joseph Flaugier
• Year: 1809

This painting depicts Joseph Bonaparte, the king Napoleon left in Spain. Although his intentions were good, the Spanish people opposed him, nicknaming him Pepe Botella (Joe Bottle) and eventually leading to a war for his expulsion.

Carlos IV

• Author: Anton Raphael Mengs
• Year: 1765
• Material: Oil on canvas

This painting depicts King Charles IV, who reigned from 1788 to 1808. His reign was heavily influenced by the events of the French Revolution. Minister Godoy played a prominent role in his government.

Allegory of the triumph of Spain and Ferdinand VII over Napoleon

This work was painted by Francisco de Goya in 1810. It is an allegory representing the return of Ferdinand VII to Spain after the War of Independence. The image is an allegory of the triumph of Spain and Ferdinand VII over Napoleon. Ferdinand VII was released by Napoleon through the Treaty of Valençay in December 1813 and returned to Spain in March 1814. His return marked the end of Napoleon's rule and the beginning of a period of tension between absolutism and liberalism in Spain. Upon his arrival, Ferdinand VII restored the absolute monarchy, annulling the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812.

General Riego

This is a print painted by the French artist Hippolyte Lecomte. It depicts General Riego, a Spanish military officer and liberal politician, known for: leading the military uprising in Las Cabezas de San Juan on January 1, 1820, which forced King Ferdinand VII to swear allegiance to the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812 and initiated the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823); being a symbol of liberalism in Spain, whose rebellion was based on principles of liberty; and being captured and hanged after the absolutist restoration by the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis.

Landing of King Ferdinand VII and the royal family at the Port of Santa Maria

This painting by José Aparicio depicts the landing of Ferdinand VII in El Puerto de Santa María after his release from captivity in Cádiz. He is received by the Duke of Angoulême, commander of the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis, and by the Duke of Infantado, president of the absolutist Regency appointed by the French. This event marked the end of the Liberal Triennium and the beginning of the Ominous Decade.

Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

This portrait by Vicente López depicts Maria Cristina, who served as regent for Isabella II from 1833 to 1840. Following the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833, she became regent of the kingdom during the minority of her daughter, Isabella II. Her regency (1833-1840) was a crucial period that marked the beginning of the consolidation of the liberal regime in Spain.

Baldomero Espartero

This portrait of General Espartero was painted by the Spanish artist Antonio María Esquivel in 1841. It depicts General Espartero, who was regent of Spain from 1840 until the declaration of Isabella II's minority (1843). He is a symbol of the progressive liberals.

Portrait of Elizabeth II

This is a portrait of Isabella II at the age of 15, painted by Federico de Madrazo between 1845 and 1852. It was painted a year after she came of age, that is, during the Moderate Decade, the first period of Isabella II's effective reign, characterized by the exclusive dominance of the Moderate Party, led by General Narváez, with the support of the Crown. A conservative regime was established based on the 1845 Constitution, shared sovereignty, restricted property-based suffrage, and administrative centralization.

Pascual Madoz

This is a portrait of Madoz painted by José Nin y Tudó in 1873. It portrays Madoz, who was an illustrious politician and the author of the 1855 disentailment project. He was also Minister of Finance, a deputy, a journalist, a writer... in addition to being the great mind of liberal progressivism in the 19th century.

Allegorical image of the Glorious

It represents the Revolution of 1868 in Spain, also known as La Gloriosa. It was a military and civil uprising that took place in September 1868 and resulted in the dethronement and exile of Queen Isabella II. The uprising began with a pronouncement by the Navy in Cádiz, led by Admiral Juan Bautista Topete, and the army, led by Generals Juan Prim and Francisco Serrano. The driving forces behind the revolution were the Progressive Party, the Democratic Party, and the Liberal Union, which united in the Pact of Ostend with the aim of ending the reign of Isabella II. After the triumph of the revolution, a provisional government was established, ushering in a period known as the Democratic or Revolutionary Sexennium.

This is an allegorical print of the Glorious Revolution, published in La Flaca in 1874.

Juan Bautista Topete

This is a portrait of Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo. The portrait was painted by Rafael Monleón. He was a Spanish Navy vice admiral and politician, born in Mexico in 1821. He played a key role in the Revolution of 1868, known as "La Gloriosa," leading the military uprising in Cádiz. He held several ministerial positions, including Minister of the Navy and acting President of the Council of Ministers.

Amadeo I de Saboya

It is a portrait of King Amadeo of Savoy, painted by Carlos Luis de Ribera y Fieve. This portrait depicts King Amadeo I, who ruled Spain during the democratic monarchy and faced political opposition from both republicans and supporters of the Bourbons, as well as several military uprisings. Faced with this situation, Amadeo abdicated in 1873, and the First Republic was proclaimed.

Nicolas Salmeron

This is a portrait of Nicolás Salmerón painted by Federico Madrazo in 1879. It depicts the first president of the First Spanish Republic, which was divided between the Unionists, supporters of a centralist state, and the Federalists, defenders of a decentralized state. However, a new Carlist War, the Cuban War, and the insurrection of some municipalities, such as Cartagena, which proclaimed themselves independent cantons or republics, provoked several government crises that ultimately favored the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy.

Portrait of King Alfonso XII

This work portrays King Alfonso XII; it was painted by Federico Madrazo in 1886. It depicts King Alfonso XII, who was King of Spain between 1874 and 1885. Son of Queen Isabella II and King Consort Francisco de Asís de Borbón, with the beginning of his reign the First Republic ended and the period known as the Restoration began.

Portrait of Alfonso XIII in hussar uniform

This is a portrait of King Alfonso XIII painted in 1907 by the artist Joaquín Sorolla. It depicts Alfonso XIII of Spain, called the African, who was King of Spain from his birth until the proclamation of the Second Republic on April 14, 1931. He personally assumed the Crown upon reaching the age of sixteen, on May 17, 1902.

General Arsenio Martínez Campos

This is a portrait of General Martínez Campos painted by Federico Madrazo in 1889. It portrays the general who rose up in Sagunto and proclaimed Alfonso XII, son of Isabel II, King of Spain: the Restoration began, a period in the history of Spain of political stability and economic prosperity.