De la disputa cortesana a la crisis de la monarquía. Godoyistas y fernandinos en 1806-1807

Abstract

In 1806, together with the first night of Moratín´s play El sí de las niñas, the clashes in the Spanish court between king Charles IV and Godoy´s followers, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, a group of aristocrats and priests organised around the prince of Asturias, the future Ferdinand VII , became worse. At first sight, this dispute can be considered as just another court fight, a typical court intrigue so characteristic of the Old Regime, but after the “Escorial conspiracy” (October 1807) it reached another dimension, as most part of society was involved in it. What began restricted to an elite, was quickly being debated in conversations, gatherings, cafés, family reunions and in the streets. The debate moved from the court to the people and it had an enormous importance in the crisis of the monarchy model of the Enlightenment.