The Spanish and Portuguese constitutionalism through the first half of the XIX century (a compared study)

Abstract

This article examines the development of the constitutional process at the Iberian Peninsula since the first moments, when the legal movement gains force. In Spain the united court in Cadiz succeed to promulgate in 1812 a Constitution, which turns out to be an important model for the revolutionaries at that time. In Portugal the constitutional revolution arrives shortly after the Spanish liberal restoration in 1820 inaugurating a new era. It follows the study of the progress and vicissitudes of the constitutionalism peninsular during the first half of the 19th century.