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Monarchy of Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monarchy
Arms of His Majesty The King of Spain
Incumbent:
Juan Carlos I
Style: His Majesty
Heir apparent: Felipe, Prince of Asturias
First monarch: Carlos I of Spain
Formation: 1516
The Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as the The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or (historically) Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and a historic office of Spain.[1] The monarchy comprises a reigning King or Queen of Spain, their family, and the Royal Household organization which supports and facilitates the monarch in the exercise of his royal duties and prerogatives.[2][3][4] The monarchy is currently represented by King Juan Carlos I, his wife Queen Sofia, and their children and grandchildren.[2][4] Opinion polls routinely reveal that the monarchy remains popular by a wide majority of citizens in contemporary Spain.[5]
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 reestablished [1][6] a constitutional monarchy as the form of government for Spain. The 1978 constitution affirmed the role of the King of Spain as the personification and embodiment of the Spanish State and a symbol of Spain's enduring unity and permanence.[2][7] Constitutionally, the king serves as the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces.[2][7] The constitution codifies the use of royal styles and titulary, royal prerogatives, hereditary succession to the crown, compensation, and a regency-guardianship contingency in cases of the monarch's minority or incapacitation.[2][7] According to the constitution, the monarch is also instrumental in promoting Ibero-American relations, the "nations of its historical community".[2][7] In this capacity, the King of Spain serves as the president of the Ibero-American States Organization, representing over 700,000,000 people in twenty-four member nations worldwide. In 2008, Juan Carlos I was considered the most popular leader in all Ibero-America.[8]
The Spanish monarchy has its roots in the Visigothic Kingdom founded in Spain and Aquitainia[9] in the 5th century, and its Christian successor states which fought the Reconquista following the Muslim conquest of Spain in the 8th century. A dynastic marriage between Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon united Spain in the 15th century. The Spanish Empire became one of the first global powers as Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand funded Christopher Columbus's exploratory voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This led to the discovery of America, which became the focus of Spanish colonization.
History
The Spanish monarchy has its roots in the Visigothic Kingdom and its Christian successor states which fought the Reconquista following the Muslim conquest of Spain in the 8th century. A dynastic marriage between Isabella I of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon united Spain in the 15th century.
In the early 16th century, the Spanish monarchy was united with much of Europe under the Habsburg King Charles I (also Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V), who claimed Spain through his mother Joanna. His reign ushered in the Spanish Golden Age. In 1700, Charles II, the last of the Spanish Habsburgs, designated his sister's grandson Philippe de Bourbon, duke of Anjou, as his heir. The possible unification of Spain with France sparked the Spanish War of Succession in the 18th century, culminating in the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714) which preserved the European balance of power. Philip V was the first member of the House of Borbón to rule Spain.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the French forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate in 1808 and the Borbóns became a focus of popular resistance against French rule. However, Ferdinand's rejection of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812, his erratic ministerial appointments, his favoring conservatives to the exclusions of liberals, and the chronic bankruptcy of the government eroded popular support for the Spanish monarchy. With the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830, Ferdinand set aside House of Borbón succession laws prohibiting women from succeeding by naming his eldest daughter, Isabella, as his heiress. This sparked the Carlist Wars against those who preferred to bar women from rule and secularism.[10] Queen Isabella II, whose main support came from centrists and moderates, was beset by Carlist forces on the extreme right and radicals on the extreme left. Faced with these challenges, Isabel's rule became increasingly reactionary in her dealings with the Cortes and her authoritarian rule became increasingly dependent on the army. Isabella II's reliance on the military eroded her popular support from the moderates and centrists until 1868 when she was forced to abdicate. In September 1873 the First Spanish Republic was founded.
A coup d'état by conservatives restored the Borbón dynasty to the throne in 1874. However, in 1931 local and municipal elections produced victories (particularly in urban areas) for candidates favoring an end to the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Faced with unrest in the cities, King Alfonso XIII went into exile, but did not abdicate. The ensuing provisional government evolved into the relatively short-lived Second Spanish Republic. The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and ended on 1 April 1939 with the victory of General Francisco Franco and his Nationalists.
General Franco ruled Spain through the fascist Falange political party until his death in 1975. Despite Franco's Carlist sympathies, Franco appointed Juan Carlos I de Borbón as his successor, who is credited with presiding over Spain's transition from fascism to democracy by fully endorsing political reforms.
Impatient with the pace of democratic reforms, the new king, known for his formidable personality, dismissed Carlos Arias Navarro and appointed the reformer Adolfo Suárez as President of the Government in 1977.[11][12]
The next year the king signed into law the new liberal democratic Constitution of Spain, which was approved by 88% of voters. Juan Carlos' "quick wit and steady nerve" cut short the attempted military coup in 1981 when the king used a specially designed command communications center in the Zarzuela Palace to denounce the coup and command the military's eleven captain-generals to stand down.[13]
Following the events of 1981, Juan Carlos has led a less eventful life, according to author John Hooper.[13] The king does not preside over ceremonies such as the opening of hospitals and bridges as often as monarchs in other nations. Instead, he has worked towards establishing reliable political customs when transitioning one government administration to another, emphasizing constitutional law and protocol, and representing the Spanish State domestically and internationally, all the while maintaining a professionally non-partisan yet independent monarchy.[13]
The Crown, constitution, and royal prerogatives
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This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Spain