Spanish Constitution of 1812

Common card · No. 323885

The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (Spanish: Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz (Spanish: Constitución de Cádiz) and nicknamed La Pepa, was the first Constitution of Spain and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history. The Constitution was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines. "It defined Spanish and Spanish American liberalism for the early 19th century." The Constitution of Cádiz emerged as a response to the French occupation in a context of rivalry with the Bayonne Statute imposed by Napoleon. With the notable exception of proclaiming Roman Catholicism as the official and sole legal religion in Spain, the Constitution was one of the most liberal of its time: it affirmed national sovereignty, separation of powers, freedom of the press, free enterprise...

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