King Ferdinand VII has provoked widespread unrest,…
January 1820 CE
King Ferdinand VII has provoked widespread unrest, particularly in the army, by refusing to accept the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812.
The King seeks to reclaim the Spanish colonies in the Americas that had recently revolted successfully, consequently depriving Spain from an important source of revenue.
In January 1820, soldiers assemble at Cádiz for an expedition to South America, angry over infrequent pay, bad food and poor quarters, mutiny under the leadership of Colonel Rafael del Riego y Nuñez.
Pledging fealty to the 1812 Constitution, they seize their commander.
Subsequently, the rebel forces moved to nearby San Fernando, where they begin preparations to march on the capital, Madrid.