Carlist wars

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Carlist wars

Spanish history

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June 22, 2026

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The Carlist Wars were a series of civil wars in Spain during the 19th century. They stemmed from a succession dispute following the death of King Ferdinand VII in 1833. His brother, Don Carlos, and his supporters, known as Carlists, challenged the right of Ferdinand's infant daughter, Isabella II, to inherit the throne.12

Carlism was a traditionalist political movement that opposed liberalism and advocated for a strong monarchy and the preservation of traditional Catholic values and regional fueros (privileges). The wars were characterized by fierce fighting between the liberal, constitutionalist forces supporting Isabella and the more traditionalist, rural Carlist forces, particularly strong in the north of Spain. Although the Carlists were ultimately defeated in the major wars, the movement persisted, influencing Spanish politics for decades.23

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Carlism
…its ideological overtones provoked the Carlist War of 1833–39. Although the Carlists were defeated, thereafter they upheld their cause in the face of the constitutional regime of Isabella and unsuccessful attempts to effect a dynastic reconciliation through a marriage between Isabella II and Don Carlos’s heir, Don Carlos, conde de…
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…its ideological overtones provoked the Carlist War of 1833–39. Although the Carlists were defeated, thereafter they upheld their cause in the face of the constitutional regime of Isabella and unsuccessful attempts to effect a dynastic reconciliation through a marriage between Isabella II and Don Carlos’s heir, Don Carlos, conde de…
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Tomás de Zumalacárregui y de Imaz
…Spanish throne, in the First Carlist War (1833–39).
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…Spanish throne, in the First Carlist War (1833–39).
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Isabella II
…accession precipitated civil war (First Carlist War, 1833–39). During Isabella’s minority (1833–43), her mother and Gen. Baldomero Espartero, a hero of the civil war, acted successively as regents. In 1843 Espartero was deposed by military officers and Isabella was declared of age.
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…accession precipitated civil war (First Carlist War, 1833–39). During Isabella’s minority (1833–43), her mother and Gen. Baldomero Espartero, a hero of the civil war, acted successively as regents. In 1843 Espartero was deposed by military officers and Isabella was declared of age.
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Quadruple Alliance
…Don Carlos in the First Carlist War (1833–39). In Portugal the alliance successfully supported Maria da Glória by intervening in the Miguelite Wars (1828–34) and expelling the reactionary Dom Miguel from Portugal. The cooperation between France and Britain in the affairs of the Iberian Peninsula broke down in 1846, when…
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…Don Carlos in the First Carlist War (1833–39). In Portugal the alliance successfully supported Maria da Glória by intervening in the Miguelite Wars (1828–34) and expelling the reactionary Dom Miguel from Portugal. The cooperation between France and Britain in the affairs of the Iberian Peninsula broke down in 1846, when…
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Carlos María de los Dolores de Borbón y Austria-este, duke de Madrid
…bloody civil war, the Second Carlist War (1872–76). Although the Carlists scored some notable successes, their cause was doomed by the accession of Isabella’s son Alfonso XII to the throne in 1874.
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…bloody civil war, the Second Carlist War (1872–76). Although the Carlists scored some notable successes, their cause was doomed by the accession of Isabella’s son Alfonso XII to the throne in 1874.
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Spain
The Carlist wars
The dynastic war between Isabelline liberalism and Carlism was a savage civil war between urban liberalism and rural traditionalism, between the poorly paid and poorly equipped regular army of the liberal governments, supporting Isabella, and the semi-guerrilla forces of the Carlists. The Carlist…
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The dynastic war between Isabelline liberalism and Carlism was a savage civil war between urban liberalism and rural traditionalism, between the poorly paid and poorly equipped regular army of the liberal governments, supporting Isabella, and the semi-guerrilla forces of the Carlists. The Carlist…
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