Carlist Wars facts for kids

The Carlist Wars were a series of civil wars that happened in Spain during the 1800s. These wars were mainly about who should be the king or queen of Spain. But they also involved big disagreements about how the country should be run.

From 1833 to 1876, a group called the Carlists fought for their beliefs. They followed Don Carlos and his family. Their motto was "God, Country, and King." They wanted to keep old Spanish traditions, like a strong monarchy and the Catholic Church. They were against new ideas like liberalism (which supports individual rights and freedoms) and later, republicanism (which supports a government without a king or queen).

These wars also had a strong regional side. Areas like the Basque region and Catalonia had their own special laws and customs for hundreds of years. The new governments wanted to change these, which made many people in these regions unhappy.

The wars started when King Ferdinand VII of Spain died in 1833. His wife, Queen Maria Cristina, became the regent (someone who rules for a child king or queen) for their two-year-old daughter, Isabella II. Spain then split into two main groups:

• The Cristinos (or Isabelinos) supported Queen Maria Cristina and her government. They were the Liberal party, who wanted more modern changes.
• The Carlists supported Infante Carlos of Spain, Count of Molina. He was King Ferdinand VII's brother. Carlos believed he should be king because of older laws about who could inherit the throne. He wanted Spain to return to an "autocratic monarchy," where the king had all the power.

Historians sometimes count three main Carlist Wars. Other people often talk about two big wars, with a smaller event in between.

The First Carlist War (1833–1840)

This war lasted more than seven years. Fighting happened across much of Spain. But the main battles were in the Carlist strongholds. These included the Basque Country, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. The Carlists were often good at using guerrilla warfare (small groups using surprise attacks). However, they were eventually defeated by the Liberal forces.

The Second Carlist War (1846–1849)

This was a smaller uprising, mostly in Catalonia. The rebels tried to put Carlos, Count of Montemolín on the throne. There was also a smaller uprising in Galicia, which was stopped by General Ramón María Narváez.

The Third Carlist War (1872–1876)

This war began after some big changes in Spain's government. Queen Isabella II left Spain in 1868. The Spanish Parliament (called the Cortes) chose Amadeo, the Duke of Aosta from Italy, to be the new king.

In 1872, there were elections in Spain. The Carlist candidates faced difficulties, and the Carlist pretender, Carlos VII, decided that fighting was the only way to win the throne. So, the Third Carlist War began. It lasted for four years, until 1876.

Carlists in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

The Spanish Civil War was another major conflict in Spain. For the Carlists, it was a fight to protect their traditions and beliefs. They joined the side that eventually won. However, their hopes for a Carlist king were not met. General Francisco Franco took control. He brought the Carlist militias (called Requetés) into his army and their political party into his own "National Movement."

See also

In Spanish: Guerras carlistas para niños

• The two Spains