Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/368

 344 SPAIN [HISTORY. and had thrown himself into the reactionary policy of Caballero. The Spanish church was once more placed in strict subjection to the Roman see, from which for a short time it had been freed. But the worst evil lay in the undisguised domination of France, which the Government was wholly incapable of shaking off. As soon as Bona- parte saw himself involved in a new war with England, he turned to Spain for assistance and extorted a new treaty (October 9, 1803), which was still more burdensome than that of 1796. Spain had to pay a monthly subsidy of six million francs, and to pledge itself to enforce a strict neutrality upon Portugal. Thus the country was involved in a new and still more disastrous war with England. The last remnants of its maritime power were shattered in the battles of Cape Finisterre and Trafalgar, and the English seized Buenos Ay res. The popular hatred of Godoy was roused to passion by these disasters, and many competent observers believed that Spain stood on the brink of revolution. At the head of the opposition was the crown prince Ferdinand, as insignificant as his rival, but endowed with all good qualities by the credulous favour of the people. To maintain himself against his domestic enemies Godoy turned to France, where Bona- parte, now the emperor Napoleon I., was irritated by the crown prince's marriage with a daughter of the king of Naples. The court quarrels at Madrid were fomented from Paris in order to complete the subordination of Spain. Napoleon was at this time eager to humble Eng- land by excluding it from all trade with Europe. The only country which had not accepted his " continental system " was Portugal, and he determined to reduce that kingdom by force. It was not difficult to bribe Godoy, who was conscious that his position could not be main- tained after the death of Charles IV. In October 1807 Spain accepted the treaty of Fontainebleau, which arranged a partition of Portugal into three parts. The northern provinces were to be given to the young king of Etruria, who was to purchase them by the cession of Tuscany. In the south a principality was to be carved out for Godoy himself. The central district was to be kept in pledge by France until the conclusion of a general peace. The treaty was hardly concluded when a French army under Junot marched through Spain to Portugal, and the royal family of that country fled to Brazil. But Spain was destined to share the same fate as its neigh- bour. The crown prince, whose wife had died in 1806, determined to imitate his rival by bidding for French support. He entered into secret relations with Beauhar- nais, Napoleon's envoy at Madrid, and went so far as to demand the hand of a Bonaparte princess. Godoy, who discovered the intrigue, induced Charles IV. to order his son's arrest. Napoleon at once seized the opportunity to make himself absolute master of Spain, and ordered French troops to cross the Pyrenees in support of the prince. This act terrified Godoy into a reconciliation with his opponents, but the French invasion was not delayed by the removal of its pretext. Charles IV. and his minister, conscious that they could expect no support from the people, determined on flight. The news of this intention, however, excited a popular rising in Madrid, and the king was compelled to abdicate in favour of his son Murat, however, who commanded the French, refused to be turned aside by this change of circumstances. He obtained from Charles IV. a declaration that his abdica- tion had been involuntary, and occupied Madrid (March 23, 1808). Meanwhile Napoleon advanced to the frontier, and Ferdinand was lured by French agents to an interview with the emperor at Bayonne. There he was confronted with his parents and Godoy, and was intimidated into restoring the crown to his father, who at once made a second abdication. Napoleon now divulged the real inten- tion of his actions, and the crown of Spain was formally conferred upon his brother Joseph Bonaparte, who two Joseph years before had been made king of Naples. Bona- But Spanish loyalty was too profound to be daunted P aTte> even by the awe-inspiring power of the French emperor. For the first time Napoleon found himself confronted, not by terrified and selfish rulers, but by an infuriated people. The rising in Spain commenced the popular movement which ultimately proved fatal to his power. At first he treated the novel phenomenon with contempt, and thought it sufficient to send his less prominent generals against the rebels. Madrid was taken without difficulty, but the capital was absolutely devoid of military importance, and the Spaniards showed great capacity for the guerilla warfare in the provinces. The French were repulsed from Valencia; and Dupont, who had advanced into the heart of Andalusia, was compelled to retreat and ultimately to capitulate with all his forces at Baylen (July 10). The Spaniards now advanced upon Madrid and drove Joseph from the capital, which he had just entered. Unfortun- ately the insurgents displayed less political ability than military courage. The government was entrusted in Ferdinand's name to a central junta of thirty-four members, a number which was far too large for the conduct of executive business. Napoleon's arrival in Spain was enough to restore victory to the French. In less than a week the Spanish army was broken through and scattered, and Napoleon restored his brother in Madrid. Sir John Moore, who had advanced with an English army to the relief of the capital, retired when he found he was too late, and an obstinate battle, in which the gallant general lost his life, had to be fought before the troops could secure their embarkation at Coruna. Napoleon, thinking the work accomplished, had quitted the Peninsula, and Soult and Victor were left to complete the reduction of the provinces. The capture of Seville resulted in the dis- solution of the central junta, and the Peninsula was only saved from final submission by the obstinate resistance of Wellington in Portugal and by dissensions among the French. The marshals were jealous of each other, and Napoleon's plans were not approved by his brother. Joseph wished to restore peace and order among his subjects in the hope of ruling an independent nation, while Napoleon was determined to annex Spain to his own overgrown empire. So far did these disputes go that Joseph resigned his crown, and was with difficulty induced to resume it. Meanwhile Cadiz became the capital of what was left of independent Spain, and there the cortes met in 1810 for the purpose of drawing up a new constitution. The fall of the old monarchy and the exigencies of self-defence had given to the reforming party an ascendency which they had never before possessed. In the constitution which was promulgated early in 1812 the principles of the French constituent assembly were closely followed. The Inquisition had already perished, and the last relics of the old autocratic government shared its fate. Supreme legislative power was placed in the hands of a single national assembly, and effective checks were devised to restrict the power of the monarchy whenever it should be revived. The freedom of the press was established, and the property of the clergy was confiscated to defray the expenses of the war. The great defect of the constitution was that it was the work of one party, to which circum- stances had given a temporary supremacy, and it failed to command the support of the united nation. The nobles and priests were bitterly hostile, and the latter had more influence in Spain than in any European country except Ireland. The restoration of Spanish independence could hardly