Spain, 1788–1814
Autocracy · Monarchy · Southern Europe · Age of Revolutions era
Spain from Bourbon crisis through French invasion and the Peninsular War, its authority collapsing as its American colonies moved toward independence.
Bourbon Spain entered crisis as the French Revolution, war and dynastic weakness undermined the monarchy, culminating in Napoleon’s 1808 imposition of his brother as king and the popular Peninsular War of resistance. Central authority collapsed, and a liberal Cortes at Cádiz produced the 1812 constitution. The upheaval opened the way to the independence movements across Spanish America.
Dominant patterns
- Imperial Decline
- External Expansion
- Institutional Decay
- Succession Crisis
- Militarization
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 42 |
| Media Control | 48 |
| Repression | 50 |
| Nationalism | 55 |
| Militarization | 60 |
| Economic Stress | 68 |
| External Conflict | 85 |
| Cult of Personality | 45 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 78 |
| Institutions | 32 |
| Social Polarization | 58 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 58 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 55 |
| External Sovereignty | 55 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $1200 (intl-$) |
| GDP growth | -1%/yr |
| Population | 11.0M people |
| Share of world population | 1.2% |
| Territory | ~500k km² |
| Capital population | ~170k |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Spain 1788–1814, by similarity score (0–100).
- Armenia, 330–370 CE – similarity 92/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis, Militarization
- Ottoman Empire, 1789–1808 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis, Militarization
- Qing Dynasty, 1861–1895 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis, Militarization
- Seleucid Empire, 150–63 BCE – similarity 83/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis
- Ottoman Empire, 1808–1839 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis, Militarization
- Mexico, 1821–1848 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Ottoman Empire, 1730–1774 CE – similarity 81/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Succession Crisis, Militarization
- Ukraine, 2013–2015 – similarity 80/100 · shared: External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
What followed
- French invasion and the Peninsular War.
- The onset of Spanish-American independence.