In the letter of the law: liberalism, morals and religion in the Gaditan constitutionalism

Abstract

Born from one critical moment in Iberian history, the Constitution of Cadiz caused big changes in the political and social daily life of Spain. However, while on the one hand it ensured the introduction of a series of previously nonexistent rights and freedoms, on the other, the document maintained a firm commitment to Christian morality and religious exclusivism. In view of this, this article intends to present the extent to which the Spanish Constitution of 1812 gave way to the moral-religious narrative, what influences this type of thought exerted on the reordering of the state, what factors contributed to its promotion and in what terms the coexistence between that discourse and the Gaditan liberal project developed.