The Constitutional Party ( es, Partido Constitucional) was one of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

political parties that contended for power during the reign of

Amadeo I Amadeo ( it, Amedeo , sometimes latinized as Amadeus; full name: ''Amedeo Ferdinando Maria di Savoia''; 30 May 184518 January 1890) was an Italian prince who reigned as King of Spain from 1870 to 1873. The first and only King of Spain to come fro ...

(reigned 1870–1873) and the

First Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic ( es, República Española), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic's founding ensued after th ...

(1873-1874), opposing the Radical Democratic Party. The party was established in 1871, after the division of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

following the death of General

Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, 1st Viscount of Bruch (; ca, Joan Prim i Prats ; 6 December 1814 – 30 December 1870) was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until h ...

. The right wing of the party, along with some members of the Liberal Union organised themselves as a party under the leadership of General

Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre Francisco Serrano Domínguez Cuenca y Pérez de Vargas, 1st Duke of la Torre, Grandee of Spain, Count of San Antonio (17 December 1810 – 25 November 1885) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He was Prime Minister of Spain in 1868–69 ...

and

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta Práxedes Mariano Mateo Sagasta y Escolar (21 July 1825 – 5 January 1903) was a Spanish civil engineer and politician who served as Prime Minister on eight occasions between 1870 and 1902—always in charge of the Liberal Party—as part of th ...

. The constitutionalists split up in two groups after the 1874 restoration of the monarchy. The right faction of the party, led by

Manuel Alonso Martínez Manuel Alonso Martínez (1827, Burgos – 1891, Madrid) was a Spanish jurist and politician, and the principal redactor of the Spanish Civil Code. After working as a Burgos attorney, he entered public service in 1854 as a member of the Corte ...

, accepted the new King

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 188 ...

and the new Constitution, and joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (8 February 18288 August 1897) was a Spanish politician and historian known principally for serving six terms as Prime Minister and his overarching role as "architect" of the regime that ensued with the 1874 restor ...

. The rest of the party, headed by Sagasta, remained faithful to the Constitution of 1869 until 1880, when they finally accepted the new one and the ''

turno In Spanish politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ''El Turno Pacífico'' ("The Peaceful Turn") was an informal system operated by the two major parties for determining in advance the result of a general election. The system ens ...

'' system, establishing the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, which contended for power opposing the Conservative Party.

References

*''Historia de España'', Vicens Vives, 2009, {{ISBN, 978-84-316-9037-3 1871 establishments in Spain 1880 disestablishments in Spain Liberal parties in Spain Political parties established in 1871 Political parties disestablished in 1880 Defunct political parties in Spain Defunct liberal political parties