King Amadeo of
Brief History
The Generals were determined to keep the leadership of the
revolution in their own hands by channeling it into a constitutional
monarchy. They were, however, faced with a problem of finding an appropriate
constitutional monarch. Because of the political interests of other European
Nations, which seemed to them to authorise their active interference, the
selection of an occupant for the vacant throne was no easy matter. During the interregnum, Francisco Serrano undertook the Regency,
and the Cortes drew up a brand new Constitution by which an hereditary King
was to rule in conjunction with a Senate and a Popular Chamber. There were four prominent candidates for the throne: a Bourbon,
a German, a Portuguese, and an Italian. As no Bourbon candidate was found
acceptable, the offer of the crown was made to Leopold of Hohenzollern. This
offer was opposed by Amadeo, as he was called in Spanish, attempted to rule as a
Constitutional Monarch. Opposed both by Republicans and by the Carlists, he
could form no stable government. Bereft of Prim's help and feebly served by a
series of short-lived ministries, Amadeo faced continuous turmoil. Support for Alfonso increased, along with Republican agitation,
and the second Carlist War broke out, (1872 - 1876). On |
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