Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Don Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (born February 8, 1828 in Málaga , † August 8, 1897 in Mondragón ) was a Spanish statesman , prime minister , poet , historian and restorer of the monarchy in Spain . He was also the holder of the Order of the Golden Fleece .
Earlier life
After the death of his father, Cánovas moved to Madrid to live with his uncle, the writer Serafín Estébanez Calderón . He studied law at the University of Madrid .
He edited the basic document of the pronunciamientos known in Spain as "Vicalvarada" , which in 1854 led to the overthrow of the Moderados government. This document, the Manifiesto del Manzanares, expressed what the initiators of the Pronunciamientos wanted to achieve: preservation of the monarchy but without the court, observance and expansion of basic rights, especially the right to vote and freedom of the press, lowering of taxes based on an economically oriented policy, fair Personnel decisions in public administration and in the military, more self-administration rights for the communities against the centralization of administration, establishment and maintenance of a national militia, d. H. the formation of local reserve companies from the population.
In the elections to the Constituent Cortes in October 1854, Cánovas was elected MP at the age of 26. During the final years of Queen Isabella II's reign he held several offices, including diplomat in Rome and governor of Cádiz . From March 1, 1864 to September 16, 1864 he was Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Prime Minister Alejandro Mon Menéndez and from June 21, 1865 to July 10, 1866 Minister for the Overseas Territories in the cabinet of Prime Minister Leopoldo O'Donnell . This O'Donnell cabinet resigned in July 1866 when criticism of how the government put down a mutiny in the San Gil barracks made it impossible to work with the Cortes.
During the "Sexenio Revolucionario", the period between 1868 and 1874, Cánovas was the leader of a small group of MPs in the Cortes until April 1872, who campaigned for Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón , the son of the former Queen Isabella, as the new king .
Years as prime minister
At the end of 1874 General Arsenio Martínez-Campos proclaimed the Prince of Asturias, Alfons de Bourbon , to be king in Sagunto . Cánovas had hoped that the monarch would come to the throne at an appeal from the people through the Cortes, not through a pronunciamiento of the military. But he bowed to the facts and took advantage of the consensus that resulted from the proclamation in Spain. Appointed Prime Minister by the King, Cánovas created a new constitution that strengthened royal power in legislation and government, while at the same time guaranteeing the people basic rights. The restoration of the authoritarian state forced the republicans underground, and assassinations shook the country.
After the death of King Alfonso XII. The political leaders, Cánovas and Práxedes Mateo Sagasta , decided to support the queen widow Maria Christina as regent, thus preserving political stability. Under the protection of the flexible and sensible constitution of 1876 and with the consolidation of the repeated peaceful alternation of the Conservative Party of Cánovas and the Liberal Party of Sagastas in the exercise of government, the system of restoration continued. Even the opposition - both the Carlist and the Republicans - offered a truce to the regime, which was represented by "a widow and an orphan".
Political crisis
In the late 1880s, Cánovas' overseas policy was increasingly unstable. The repression of the Cuban nationalists was unsuccessful. The political and military struggle against the Spanish colonial power was organized by José Martí , due to a high and unjust tax burden and the lack of opportunities for the population to participate in politics and administration . In addition, there were political and economic interests of the USA , which encouraged the local population to rebel against the colonial power. This led to the Spanish-American War in 1898 and ended with the occupation of Cuba , Puerto Rico , Guams and the Philippines by the USA and, for Spain, with the loss of its last significant colonies .
writer
Cánovas' historical writings found a considerable reputation , especially his The Story of the Collapse of Spain ( Spanish Historia de la Decadencia de España ), for which he was elected to the Real Academia Española in 1860 . Others followed: Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas (1871), Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (1887) and Athenaeum in Madrid (1870–74, 1882–84 and 1888–89). He wrote: "Estudios del reinado de Felipe IV" (Vol. 1–2, Madr. 1888 to 1889). Under his direction, a “Historia general de España”, edited by members of the academy, began to appear in 1890 .
death
On August 8, 1897, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was murdered in the spa complex of Santa Águeda de Gesalibar in Mondragón by the Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo (1871-1897).
Web links
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
Prime Minister of Spain 1874–1875 |
Joaquín Jovellar Soler |
| Joaquín Jovellar Soler |
Prime Minister of Spain 1875–1879 |
Arsenio Martínez-Campos |
| Arsenio Martínez-Campos |
Prime Minister of Spain 1879–1881 |
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
| José de Posada Herrera |
Prime Minister of Spain 1884–1885 |
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
| Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
Prime Minister of Spain 1890-1892 |
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
| Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
Prime Minister of Spain 1895–1897 |
Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cánovas del Castillo, Antonio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish politician and restorer of the monarchy in Spain |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 8, 1828 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Málaga |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 8, 1897 |
| Place of death | Mondragón |