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LEFT SPAIN SPAIN compulsory for males of 25 or over. Each province has its own parliament, and each commune its own elected ayun- tamiento presided over by the alcalde, for municipal and provincial adminis- tration. People and Religion. — The people of Spain are of very mixed origin, the most ancient inhabitants, the Iberians (now represented probably by the Basques or Biscayans of the N. E.), being after- ward mingled with Celts, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians, Roman colonists, Goths, Jews, and Arabs or Moors. They are generally of medium height and of spare habit, with black hair, dark eyes, and sallow complexion. Under the con- stitution the state binds itself to main- tain the Roman Catholic religion, but a restricted liberty of worship is permitted to Protestants, of whom, however, there are very few. There are nine arch- bishops, the Archbishop of Toledo being primate. Houses for monks no longer exist, having been abolished by law in 1841. History. — Spain was first known to the Phcenicians, subsequently to the Cartha- ginians, and, in the 3d century B. C, to the Romans. It was completely subdued under Augustus, after which it enjoyed tranquillity for nearly 400 years. This state of peace was disturbed by the ir- ruption of the Northern barbarians, the Suevi, the Vandals, and the Alani. Christianity was introduced about the end of the 6th century; the invasion of the Moors took place in the beginning of the 8th; and they overran the whole country except the Asturias. They were finally expelled in 1492. Under Charles v., Spain made a great figure in the general affairs of Europe. He reigned 40 years, and in 1556 abdicated in favor of his son, Philip II., who died in 1598 and bequeathed to his successor, Philip III., Belgium, Naples, Sicily, and Por- tugal. Charles II., the last prince of the Austrian branch, reigned from 1665 to 1700; after which began the well-known war for the succession to the Spanish dominions, in which the claim of Austria was supported by the grand alliance against Louis XIV. Notwithstanding the opposition of the Allies, however, the grandson of Louis XIV. reigned in Spain, relinquishing the Belgic prov- inces to the house of Austria. Philip v., the first king of the French line, had a long and turbulent reign. After him Ferdinand VI., a prudent prince, intro- duced various reforms and maintained peace, but dying in 1759 his son, Charles III., went to war with Great Britain. Peace ensued in 1763 and continued till 1778, when Spain, at first neutral in the American War of Independence, was pre- vailed on to take up arms against Eng- land, and obtained, at the peace of 1783, the Floridas and the island of Minorca. Charles IV. succeeded to the crown in 1788, became soon after a party to the coalition against Republican France; but was, after Prussia, the first of the Great Powers to conclude a treaty of peace, in 1795. In little more than a year afterward, the cabinet of Spain joined its late opponent and declared war against England. The abdication of the royal family of Spain took place at Bay- onne in May, 1808. It was followed by the general resistance of the inhabi- tants, by the invasion of their country by Napoleon I., and by the subsequent expulsion of the French by the troops of Great Britain combined with those of Portugal and Spain. The dissatisfac- tion and indignation excited by the ty- rannical proceedings of Ferdinand led, in the beginning of 1820, to a revolu- tion of great importance, by which the constitution of the Cortes, as estab- lished in 1812, was restored, and such salutary restraints established on the power of the crown as seemed best cal- culated for securing the rights of the people. In 1823 Spain was again in- vaded by French troops under the Duke d'Angouleme, whose object was to put down the new government and to re- store Ferdinand to absolute power. They penetrated the country without re- sistance; and having laid siege to Cadiz, the king was given up to them, and afterward the town. In 1833, on the death of Ferdinand VII., the queen- mother, Christina, was appointed queen-regent during the minority of her daughter Isabella, to whom, by his will, he bequeathed his throne. On this, Don Carlos, the late king's brother, laid claim to the crown, when a civil war which lasted till 1840 ensued. In that year the partisans of Don Carlos were finally de- feated. The next event of importance was the contest between Espartero, the regent, and the Queen-Dowager Chris- tina, for the supreme power during the minority of the queen. Espartero was successful from 1840 to 1843, but was compelled to flee before O'Donnell and Narvaez, and was not restored till 1847. Espartero's success obliged Christina to retire to France, whence she returned after his fall, Narvaez and the Modera- dos having control of the government. Isabella was now declared of age, mar- ried her cousin, Francis d'Assisi, and succeeded to the throne as Isabella II. During her reign the Liberals and Con- servatives successively gained control of the government. The disputes finally ended in a successful revolt of the Lib- erals, the queen being obliged to fly to