“The Spaniard´s Revolution at Aranjuez”: the 19th of March myth up to the enactment of the Cadiz Constitution

Abstract

As all the nationalisms, the Spanish one is built through myths and anti-myths. The Mutiny of Aranjuez, currently known as a courtier intrigue, didn’t carry the same image in the following years after 1808. This essay will study many authors and politicians who considered the 19th of March as the beginning of the Spanish Revolution. This anniversary was so important that its date was the one chosen to proclaim the Constitution of 1812 four years later. With this coincidence, the deputies of the Cadiz Courts did not just pay tribute to Fernando VII, but also marked Godoy as a symbol of despotism. At the same time, we will compare this ephemeral myth with the Dos de Mayo Uprising, still commemorated and recently revitalized because of its bicentennial.