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ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Riego military rebellion 1820

Synopsis
On the first day of January 1820, Commander Rafael de Riego led a military coup (pronunciamiento) in Cabezas de San Juan to restore the liberal Constitution of 1812. It was not the first try to enforce changes in the government, but the first one that succeeded: in fact, there had been a failed pronunciamiento a year since king Ferdinand VII returned from exile in 1814. The Spanish society felt indeed disappointed with the king they had once longed for. After the war of Independence, rigid market and social structures hindered any chance for economic development, while the progressive loss of the colonies worsened the opportunities in the international arena. Politically, the king and his ministers were commonly held as incapable and corrupted. Meanwhile, many soldiers had lost their job, and the remaining troops were unwilling to risk their lives in the Americas. From 1818 onwards, secret societies emerged to help organizing the army for a general uprising. After the coup in Cabezas de San Juan, many other important cities within the Peninsula followed the steps, creating a network of autonomous, provisional governments (Juntas). The Crown failed to prevent this to happen because its own lack of confidence. The king finally signed the Constitution on 9 March 1820. Thus began the so-called Trienio Liberal (1820-1823), which lasted until France sent an army (the Cien Mil Hijos de San Luis) to restore absolutism. Afterwards, Rafael de Riego was hanged.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 5 months. Name in sources: Pronunciamiento de Riego. Location: Cabezas de San Juan Country (current): Spain. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Soldiers. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Military issues, Political. Leadership: Rafael de Riego. Relevance: high.

Further reading
BULDAIN JACA, Blanca E. (1988). Régimen político y preparación de Cortes en 1820. Madrid: Publicaciones del Congreso de los Diputados. CASTELLS OLIVÁN, Irene (2001). “La resistencia liberal contra el absolutismo fernandino (1814-1833)”, Ayer, 41: 43-62. COMELLAS, José Luis (1958). Los primeros pronunciamientos en España. Madrid: CSIC.
Cite this entry

Fernández Flórez, Marina (2020). "Riego military rebellion 1820", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Encyclopaedia of Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. https://mappingrebellions.com/revolt/riego-military-rebellion-1820/ (accessed on 12 March 2026).