Page "Monarchy of Spain" Paragraph 7

During the Napoleonic Wars, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate in 1808 and the Bourbons became a focus of popular resistance against French rule.

However, Ferdinand's rejection of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812, his ministerial appointments, particularly the exclusion of liberals, gradually eroded popular support for the Spanish monarchy.

With the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830, Ferdinand set aside the Salic Law, introduced by Philip V, that prohibited women from becoming sovereigns of Spain.

Thereby, as had been customary before the arrival of the Bourbons, the King's eldest daughter Isabella became his heiress presumptive.

Opponents of the Pragmatic Sanction argued that it was never officially promulgated, claiming the King's younger brother, Prince Carlos, the rightful heir to the Crown according to the Salic Law.