The Abella Case (1819-1820). Discussing Social Changes during the First Restauration of Absolutism in Spain
This article studies a case of disenso (a judicial proceeding in which the authority of the State is asked to decide whether a wedding is to be authorized or prohibited) which took place in Barcelona in 1819-1820. The Barons of Abella tried to oppose to the wedding of their daughter and heiress Raim...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Catalan |
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Universidad de Alicante
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Pasado y Memoria |
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| Online Access: | https://pasadoymemoria.ua.es/article/view/2019-n18-el-caso-abella-1819-1820-debates-en-torno-a-la-movilidad-social-durante-la-primera-restauracion-absolutista |
| Summary: | This article studies a case of disenso (a judicial proceeding in which the authority of the State is asked to decide whether a wedding is to be authorized or prohibited) which took place in Barcelona in 1819-1820. The Barons of Abella tried to oppose to the wedding of their daughter and heiress Raimunda de Subirá with her fiancé José Calasanz Abad, a merchant al pormenor (i.e. shop-owner). The case highlights the fact that there are strong discrepancies amongst the ruling elites during the First Absolutist Restauration of Fernando VII. Ultra-reactionaries and “moderates”, who felt close to Enlightment thinking, opposed radically when questioning social change. Whilst the former defended a conception of the society deeply rooted in the Old Regime (rigid division between nobility and common folk), the latter acknowledged that the society was changing. Consequently, a royalist political culture seemed impossible to maintain. |
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| ISSN: | 1579-3311 2386-4745 |