Junta Suprema Central
The Junta Suprema Central y Gubernativa del Reino ( Central and governmental junta of the Kingdom ) was an institution that from September 1808 to January 1810 in the areas of Spain that are not from the reign of King Joseph I were controlled, the absolute state power in the name of King Ferdinand VII exercised.
prehistory
Both King Charles IV and his son King Ferdinand VII of Spain were forced to resign by Napoléon Bonaparte in May 1808 while they were in Bayonne , France .
Napoleon installed his brother Joseph as the new king of Spain. The power of the government and administration led by King Joseph did not extend to all of Spain. On the other hand, the orders of the Rey Intruso (undesirable king) were ignored by parts of the Spanish administration. As a result, Juntas Provinciales formed throughout Spain, but especially in the areas not controlled by French troops , which organized a local administration bypassing the orders made by King Joseph. These juntas were partly formed from existing institutions such as B. City councils and regional assemblies. In order to be able to regulate supra-regional affairs, especially the establishment and equipment of a liberation army or contact with foreign countries, it was necessary to form an umbrella organization for these juntas. Representatives of the Juntas Proviciales formed a Junta Suprema Central y Gubernativa del Reino in September 1808 .
The establishment of the Junta Suprema Central y Gubernativa del Reino was not seen as a revolutionary act in which the king's government or even King Ferdinand VII himself were replaced by representatives of the population. This junta made all of its public statements on behalf of King Ferdinand VII. The establishment of the junta took place on September 25, 1808 in a solemn act in the castle church in Aranjuez , during which the members were sworn in to King Ferdinand. In November 1808, the junta moved its headquarters first to Extremadura , then to Seville and finally to Isla de León near Cádiz .
Composition of the junta
In 1808 the junta consisted of about 35 members. Most of the provincial juntas delegated two representatives. The overseas provinces (America and the Philippines) were not represented. The representatives included both members of the nobility and the high clergy. Also various politicians, who under the kings Charles III. and Charles IV were ministers, belonged to the junta. The first chairman of the assembly was the former minister José Moñino y Redondo , Count Floridablanca, who died at the end of December 1808.
Activity of the junta
The junta was a body that fulfilled both legislative and executive functions. For this purpose, various committees were formed within the junta, which in their tasks and working methods showed certain similarities with the Consejos , in which government affairs and administrative activities had been coordinated since the Habsburgs .
Probably the most important measure of the junta was the convocation of the Cortes of Cádiz. What is particularly striking here is that no assembly of the estates was called, but a unicameral parliament with equal members from Spain and the overseas territories. Another measure was the levying of a war tax. With the proceeds of this tax a new army was set up which, together with the British army, was able to resume the fight against the French occupation. To this end, the junta signed an alliance treaty with the British government in January 1809.
With a decree of January 29, 1810, the Junta Suprema Central dissolved and transferred its legislative power to the Cortes and its executive power to a regency council that was yet to be formed, the Consejo de Regencia de España e Indias.
Individual proof
- ↑ List of the members of the junta http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/13515286112683495222202/p0000001.htm
literature
Contexto histórico de la Constitución española de 1812 http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portal/1812/contexto.shtml