Person

Ferdinand VII of Spain

1784–1833 · 19th century

Ferdinand VII was King of Spain in 1808 and again from 1813 to 1833. Napoleon forced him and his father Charles IV to abdicate at Bayonne in 1808 and held him in France, while juntas in Spain and America governed in his name. Restored in 1814, he abolished the liberal Constitution of 1812 and ruled as an absolute monarch as the American colonies won independence. His Pragmatic Sanction in favour of his daughter Isabella led to the Carlist Wars.

Ferdinand VII of Spain
Image: Vicente López Portaña · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 state histories

Bourbon SpainBonapartist SpainFree and Independent State of CundinamarcaPatria ViejaState of Quito

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ferdinand VII of Spain. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-vii-of-spain
MLA
“Ferdinand VII of Spain.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-vii-of-spain. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ferdinand VII of Spain.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-vii-of-spain.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ferdinand VII of Spain’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-vii-of-spain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻