Leopoldo O'Donnell

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Leopoldo O'Donnell

Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris (born January 12, 1809 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife , † November 5, 1867 in Biarritz ) was a Spanish general and politician . He was the Spanish Prime Minister several times . Since 1839 he was named Count of Lucena , and since 1860 Duke of Tetuán .

Life

Leopoldo came from the old Irish family of the O'Donell . He was the son of Carlos O'Donnell y Anethan (1772-1830), and the Josefa Jorris y Casaviella.

First Carlist War and Espartero reign

From 1833 he fought in the first Carlist War on the side of Ferdinand VII's widow Maria Christina , who ruled on behalf of her daughter Isabella II . In 1839, at the age of 30, O'Donnell was named Captain General of Aragon , Valencia, and Murcia . As part of this office he led military actions against the Carlist troops. For his achievements in the fighting for the place Lucena (today in the province of Castellón ) he was honored with the title of Count of Lucena and promoted to lieutenant general.

After the end of the First Carlist War and Espartero's appointment as Prime Minister in 1840, he lived for a while in France, then again in Spain, where, after Baldomero Espartero took over the reign of Pamplona in 1841, he rebelled in vain in favor of Maria Christina. which was meanwhile in exile.

La Década Moderada (The Decade of the Moderados Government)

After Espartero was overthrown as regent in 1843, O'Donnell returned to Madrid and was named Captain General of Cuba in 1843 . In 1848 he was recalled from the post.

As early as 1845, during his time in Cuba, he had been appointed Senator for life by the Queen. After his return to Madrid, he took up his mandate from December 1848.

In 1848 he was appointed director general of the Infantry Military Academy in Toledo . He held this post until 1851.

El Bienio Progresista (The Two Years of Progressive Government)

At the end of June 1854, O'Donnell became one of the leading figures in the rebellions against the Moderados government and against the influence of the camarilla , which became known in Spain as the Vicalvarada . After surveys had already taken place in Saragossa in February 1854 and in some other cities in June, O'Donnell published the Manifiesto del Manzanares on July 6, 1854, in which he summarized the demands: preservation of the monarchy but without the court, compliance and expansion of the Fundamental rights, especially the right to vote and freedom of the press, lowering of taxes based on a business-oriented policy, fair personnel decisions in the public administration and in the military, more self-administration rights for the communities against the centralization of the administration, establishment and maintenance of a national militia, i. H. the formation of local reserve companies from the population. The pronunciamiento got stuck in its development, the protesters were unable to enforce their demands, and the government was unable to suppress the protests. It was only when the progressives, under the leadership of General Espartero, joined the insurrection that Queen Isabella II was forced to appoint Espartero Prime Minister and O'Donnell Minister of War at the end of July 1854. The parliament was dissolved and in October new Cortes were elected as a constituent assembly , contrary to the provisions of the constitution of 1845, in the form of a unicameral parliament. O'Donnell ran for this Cortes and was elected on October 4, 1854 in the Valencia constituency. The policy of the Bienio Progresista is particularly important because of the economic policy decisions, the Desamortización de Madoz , the laws on railway construction and the reorganization of the banking system. The extension of freedom rights should be achieved through the new constitution. This constitution was not enacted.

El Bienio Moderado (The two years of the Moderados reign)

Various uprisings across the country, some of which were supported by local militias, prompted the Queen to appoint O'Donnell Prime Minister in July 1856. Since he did not have a majority in parliament, he let the Queen dissolve the Cortes. This broke off the debate on a new constitution without any result. The constitution of 1845 was reinstated by decree, with some changes that were not passed by any parliament. A difference of opinion between the Queen and O'Donnell prompted his resignation in 1856. The Queen then appointed Ramón María Narváez Prime Minister. The new elections of the Cortes in March 1857 resulted in an overwhelming majority of the Moderados , the party of the Prime Minister. The new government set about reversing the laws that had been passed over the past two years. In addition to the laws relating to the relationship with the Church, this particularly affected the regulations in the area of ​​self-government of the cities (Ayuntamientos) and provinces (Diputaciones provinciales).

El Gobierno Largo (The long government of the Liberal Union)

As early as 1854, O'Donnell had tried to bring together politicians from various directions in Spanish liberalism . From 1858 he united in the Unión Liberal, which he led, both more progressive and more moderate politicians with the aim of creating a balance between the greater freedom demanded by the progressives and the order demanded by the moderados. On June 30, 1858, he put together a new cabinet in which, as Prime Minister, he also took over the War Ministry and the Ministry for Overseas Territories. This cabinet remained in office until January 1863. O'Donnell was the prime minister who served continuously for the longest time during the reign of Isabella II.

Battle of Tetuan

However, his presence in Madrid was interrupted by the Spanish-Moroccan War , without his resigning from the post of Prime Minister. O'Donnell himself took command of the Spanish troops. The capture of Tetuan led to an agreement with the King of Morocco, which ended the war for the time being. Queen O'Donnell bestowed the title of Duke of Tetuan for his achievements during this war.

Since the Queen did not want to meet O'Donnelle's request for new elections to the Cortes, he resigned in 1863 from the office. After Manuel Pando Fernández de Pinedo , Lorenzo Arrazola García and Alejandro Mon Menéndez , Ramón María Narváez Campos was again appointed Prime Minister on September 16, 1864 .

The final O'Donnell cabinet

O'Donnell Mausoleum in Madrid

After student riots on April 10, 1865 ( Noche de San Daniel ) in Madrid, which were suppressed with particular severity by the Guardia Civil and the military, and the public reaction to these events, Narváez lost the support of the military. The Queen preferred to swap Narváez for O'Donnell, who was appointed Prime Minister on June 21, 1865.

On June 22, an attempted mutiny in the San Gil barracks, supported by progressives and democrats, led to street battles between the mutineers and troops loyal to the king in Madrid. The Queen lost confidence in the O'Donnell government and on July 16, 1866 reappointed Narváez as Prime Minister.

On November 5, 1867, O'Donnell died in Biarritz, where he was staying for health reasons.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information about membership in the Senate ( Memento from January 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Manifiesto del Manzanares , see also Manifiesto de Manzanares ( Wikisource )
  3. ^ List of Congress Members
predecessor Office successor
Baldomero Espartero Prime Minister of Spain
1856 		Ramón María Narváez
Francisco Javier Istúriz Montero Prime Minister of Spain
1858 - 1863 		Manuel Pando Fernández de Pinedo
Ramón María Narváez Prime Minister of Spain
1865 - 1866 		Ramón María Narváez
personal data
SURNAME O'Donnell, Leopoldo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES O'Donnell y Jorris, Leopoldo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish nobleman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 12, 1809
PLACE OF BIRTH Santa Cruz de Tenerife
DATE OF DEATH November 5, 1867
Place of death Biarritz