Treaty of VALENÇAY: causes and consequences

Treaties are an important part of history, being the decisions made in them vital to change historical facts and events. Therefore, it is interesting to know the most important treatises in history, analyzing their causes and consequences. To know a key event in the history of Spain, In this lesson from a Teacher we are going to talk about Causes and consequences of the Treaty of Valençay.

Known as Treaty of Valençay was the text resulting from the talks between the french emperor Napoleon bonaparte and the spanish king Ferdinand VII, some conversations held in the French city of Valençay on December 11, 1813.

In the agreement, both leaders signed a peace agreement, according to, Fernando VII could return to Spain and recover the throne that was at that time in the hands of Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte.

The agreement ended with the call Spanish War of Independence, in which Napoleon's army had invaded and occupied Spanish soil for years and in which, only the guerrilla warfare and the many fronts of France, had made Napoleon have to dispose of Spain.

The agreement was frowned upon on Spanish soil, since Napoleon gave the Spanish crown to Fernando VII without consulting the Spanish people who had united in the Cortes of Cádiz to create a Constitution, without knowing if the king would agree with the existence of this legal text, causing political and social disputes for years.

Like any other treaty, that of Valençay appeared for a series of causes that led to the surrender of France and the victory of Spain. Stand out 3 causes of the Treaty of Valençay main.

Spanish resistance

The invasion and conquest of Spain was easy for the French troops, but the popular and ideological conquest was not as simple, since much of the Spanish population rose up in arms to confront the French and stop the invasion, causing events such as the Battle of Bailén.

At first, the Spanish rebellions were simple uprisings of arms against the French, with guerrilla events that led to some victories, but did not appear to be able to expel the French.

Over the years, the Spaniards organized themselves into numerous Defense Boards, which organized the attacks against the French creating aid networks to organize the attacks. Thus, they caused great defeats to the French causing Napoleon to need more and more men to maintain the invasion.

Constitution and Courts

Local councils evolved towards Supreme Central Board. It was considered an exceptional government in which the sovereignty of Fernando VII as king was recognized, but in which decisions were made through the representation of people from different points of Spain.

Due to the numerous Spanish defeats, the Junta met in Cádiz, a city that withstood the French attacks thanks to English aid. In the city of Cadiz The Cortes were created as a representation of the people and these created the Constitution of 1812. In this text Spain was set as a nation, serving as a symbol to fight against the French.

Napoleon's many fronts

Napoleon fought in many areas at the same time, it being almost impossible for him to maintain his conquests due to the enormous number of fronts he had. After the defeat on Russian and German soil, Napoleon had to remove enough troops from Spain to go to other regions, especially for the emergence of a Coalition against her Empire. Finally, Napoleon could no longer keep his troops on Spanish soil.

To finish this lesson on the Treaty of Valençay, we must talk about the consequences of the signing of this agreement between Spain and France. The main consequences of the Treaty of Valençay were the following:

• The biggest consequence was the end of the Spanish War of Independence, giving Spain as the winner.
• Many Spaniards returned from exile, while many of the Spaniards known as Frenchified (for their support of the French) had to go into exile after the war.
• The relations between the colonies Americans and Spain returned to work, although not in the same way as before, since the first ideas of independence had emerged.
• The departure of the French did not reassure Spain, emerging clashes between liberals and absolutists.
• Ferdinand VII regained the throne and, although at first he swore in the Constitution of 1812, it did not take long to abolish it, with the support of the absolutists, the clergy and the nobility.
• In 1814 the Spanish government sided absolutist in Europe, which would take years to regain democracy.