ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Granja de San Ildefonso insurrection 1836

Synopsis
King Ferdinand VII died in 1833, pointing to his under-aged daughter as heir to the Spanish throne. This led to a civil war (1833-40) that confronted those loyal to the king’s brother, Don Carlos, and those who preferred child Isabel. As Don Carlos represented the claims of absolutism and traditionalism, liberals turned to the regent María Cristina, Isabel’s mother. However the queen's attitude was contrary to the liberals' expectations. Since 1833 onwards, popular riots challenged the government authority and spread all over the country. In the cities, the local committees called Juntas started to fight Carlism on their own, thus increasing the power of the local militia. The liberal reforms carried out by Mendizábal did not prevent open rebellion to happen. His dismissal on 15 May 1836 caused several military revolts that lasted until August, when the royal guard mutinied and forced the queen regent to restore the Constitution of 1812. The mutiny was resolved without bloodshed, as the commission of mutineers entered the royal palace with explicit permission from the queen regent. However, in the long run their achievements were modest. The Constitution of 1812 was updated into a new text in 1837, which was much more moderate than the former and gave up the principle of national sovereignty, among many other concessions.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 1 day. Name in sources: Motín de la Granja de San Ildefonso. Location: La Granja de San Ildefonso Country (current): Spain. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Soldiers. Number of participants: unknown. Main reasons & motivations: Military issues, Political. Leadership: Sergeant Higinio García. Relevance: medium.

Further reading
BURDIEL, Isabel (1998). “Myths of Failure, Myths of Success: New Perspectives on Nineteenth-Century Spanish Liberalism”, The Journal of Modern History, 70 (4): 892-912. FUENTES, Juan Francisco (2007). El fin del Antiguo Régimen (1808-1868). Política y sociedad. Madrid: Síntesis. MILLÁN, Jesús, ROMEO, María Cruz (2004). “Was the Liberal Revolution Important to Modern Spain? Political Cultures and Citizenship in Spanish History”, Social History, 29 (3): 284-300.
Cite this entry

Fernández Flórez, Marina (2020). "Granja de San Ildefonso insurrection 1836", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/granja-de-san-ildefonso-insurrection-1836/ (accessed on 02 August 2025).