Agustín Argüelles (18 August 1776 in
Ribadesella,
Asturias – 26 March 1844 in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
) was a Spanish
liberal politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. He served as the 81st and 94th
president of the Congress of Deputies.
Biography
He studied
Law at the
University of Oviedo and worked as secretary of the
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. In 1809, he was appointed secretary of the
patriotic Royal Junta of the
Treasury and Legislation. He was a member of the
Cortes of Cádiz and was selected for the Constitutional commission, playing thus a key role in the drafting of the
Constitution of 1812. Siding with the liberal faction of the Parliament, he promoted
freedom of the press,
free-market and
physiocracy, the abolishment of
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
, the prosecution of
slave trade and the abolishment of the jurisdictional power of
manors. He showed a notable
oratorial skill during the parliamentary debates.
When in 1814 the
War of Independence finished and
Ferdinand VII returned to Spain as
absolute monarch, Argüelles was imprisoned in
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
and later in
Alcudia (
Majorca). After the
Riego's coup d'état in 1820, he was appointed
minister of the Interior and led the moderate wing of the liberal party. He resigned in 1821 and was elected member of the Parliament in 1822. After the absolutist reaction of 1823, he exiled to
Britain and turned back in 1834, when
Queen Regent Maria Christina signed the ''
' Estatuto Real'''. He was elected member of the
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and also turned to his original progressive liberal positions back, giving support to
Mendizábal cabinet of 1835 and his ecclesiastical confiscation policy. After the revolution of 1836, he was appointed member of the commission for composing the
Constitution that was promulgated in 1837. Thanks to him and to
Olózaga, the Constitution was progressive liberal but not so much as 1812's, as they hoped moderate liberals would accept it.
When Queen Regent Maria Christina resigned in 1840, the Parliament debated whether to appoint one or three
regents, including Argüelles. Finally,
General Espartero was elected as the only Regent, but Argüelles was appointed
legal guardian of Queen
Isabella II (although Maria Christina protested the decision from
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
) and president of the Parliament. He ceased to be legal tutor in 1843, when Espartero resigned as Regent and Parliament decided to declare
come of age 13-year-old queen.
He was a
freemason.
Legacy
The Argüelles neighborhood of
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
is named after him, as is the
Argüelles metro stop.
Writings
* with Olózaga, José: ''De 1820 a 1824: reseña histórica'', Madrid: A. de San Martín, 1864
*''Discurso preliminar de la Constitución de 1812'', Madrid: Centro de Estudios Constitucionales, 1989
*''Examen histórico de la reforma constitucional de España'', Oviedo: Junta General del Principado de Asturias, 1999
*''La reforma constitucional de Cádiz'' (annoted by Jesús Longares), Madrid: Iter, 1970
External links
Parliamentary speeches during the Cortes of Cádiz
Bibliography
*Ramos Argüelles, Antonio: ''Agustín Argüelles (1776-1844), "Padre del constitucionalismo español"'', Madrid: Atlas, 1991
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arguelles, Agustin
1776 births
1844 deaths
People from Ribadesella
University of Oviedo alumni
Spanish Freemasons
Presidents of the Congress of Deputies (Spain)