Podcast Summary: Todo Concostrina – “29 de septiembre de 1833: Comienza el reinado de Isabel II. Tres añitos”

Host: Nieves Concostrina
Co-host: Carlos
Podcast: SER Podcast, “Acontece que no es poco”
Air Date: September 29, 2025

Main Theme / Overview

This episode explores a pivotal date in Spanish history: September 29, 1833, the day Fernando VII died, his three-year-old daughter Isabel II became queen, and the First Carlist War began. With her characteristic wit and clarity, Nieves Concostrina unpacks the convoluted succession, the regency of María Cristina de Borbón, the intertwined ambitions and tragedies of the period, and the messy birth of Spain’s constitutional struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Death of Fernando VII & Proclamation of Isabel II (00:44–02:55)

• Fernando VII’s death at 4pm on September 29, 1833 triggered immediate political chaos.
• Isabel II, at just three years old, was proclaimed queen: “Tres añitos tenía el angelito e inmediatamente después empezó a organizarse la guerra civil...” (Nieves, 01:10)
• Carlist insurrection: Many considered her uncle, Carlos María Isidro, the rightful heir due to Salic law forbidding women from inheriting if a male existed.

  “Los Borbones prohíben reinar a las hembras si hay un macho en los alrededores” (Nieves, 01:23)

• Reflection on the monarchy’s enduring sexism: Jokes about current-day Spain and the succession of Leonor (“Si tuviera un hermano que se llama Manolo...”).

2. The Regency of María Cristina de Borbón (03:18–05:00)

• María Cristina, Isabel II’s mother, became regent simply by being in the right place (and the king’s widow), regardless of her political capacity.
• She allied, out of necessity, with liberal parties—whom she despised—to secure her daughter’s throne and her own position against Carlos María Isidro.

  “María Cristina se puso una pinza en la nariz y formó alianza con esa pandilla de impresentables que eran los liberales...” (Nieves, 04:15)

• Birth of political terminology: During this period, “liberales moderados” vs. “liberales progresistas” became part of Spain’s political vocabulary.

3. Political Bargaining & Friction (05:21–07:05)

• Liberals now set conditions for their support; in the context of civil war, negotiation was “jodilla” (difficult).
• María Cristina, though forced to accept liberal support, did so reluctantly, offering only minimal reforms.

  “Eran reformitas tan ridículas que los liberales decían, hombre, no...” (Nieves, 06:10)

• She appointed the moderately liberal Francisco Martínez de la Rosa as prime minister.
• Efforts began in parliament to revive the 1812 Constitution, hated by both Fernando VII and María Cristina.

4. The Stagnation of Real Change (07:24–09:19)

• Despite apparent movement, “en realidad no se estaba moviendo nada salvo la guerra” (Nieves, 07:33).
• Liberals fought the Carlists under the illusion of defending a renewed monarchy, but Isabel II was raised by staunch absolutists.
• María Cristina’s personal scandals (her secret remarriage and concealed pregnancy) were covered up by politicians more interested in political stability than accountability.

  “El escándalo era mayúsculo lo de esta mujer... los políticos flojeras... correr un estúpido velo sobre las envergonzonerías...” (Nieves, 07:50)

• 1835: Growing progressive pressure (and unrest) forced María Cristina to appoint the more radical Mendizábal, who moved toward constitutional reform and the disentailment of church property.

5. The Limits of Liberal Power and Monarchical Intransigence (09:56–12:04)

• María Cristina, still governor, held near-absolute power until the constitution was revived.
• She secretly sought external support from France’s Louis-Philippe and attempted agreements with Carlos María Isidro—just as Fernando VII had earlier looked abroad for military aid.

  “Cada vez que hay un golpe de Estado hay un Borbón cerca. Sobre todo porque los dan ellos.” (Nieves, 11:00)

• Neither intervention succeeded: Louis-Philippe refused to intervene, and Carlos María Isidro demanded nothing less than Isabel’s abdication.

6. Political Crisis: Revolts, Dismissals, and the Birth of Modern Citizenship (12:08–13:55)

• The military itself was divided; some isabelinos in the army quietly favored absolutism.
• Mendizábal sacked suspect generals—María Cristina retaliated by dismissing Mendizábal, sparking liberal outrage.
• Absolutists pressured María Cristina to dissolve parliament—she did, trusting (wrongly) in public apathy. Instead, society revolted, demanding restoration of the 1812 Constitution.
• This era marked the shift “de súbditos a ciudadanos” (from subjects to citizens), laying groundwork for post-monarchical Spain.

  “Es el momento en el que la política empezó a ocupar su lugar y los súbditos tomaron el camino que les llevaría a ser ciudadanos.” (Nieves, 13:38)

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On the inherent sexism of monarchy:
  “Tenemos una monarquía tan moderna... que todavía hoy eso sigue vigente.” (Nieves, 01:27)
• On dynastic self-interest:
  “Los españoles otra vez iban a la guerra, no por intereses de España, sino por los intereses de los reyes.” (Nieves, 02:16)
• On María Cristina’s hypocritical reforms:
  “Formó alianza con esa pandilla de impresentables que eran los liberales...” (Nieves, 04:13)
• On the pendulum of political progress:
  “El Borbón nuevo es el guay y el chungo el anterior. Y siempre ha sido mentira, todavía hoy es mentira.” (Nieves, 06:58)
• On the perennial fallback on monarchy:
  “Cada vez que hay un golpe de Estado hay un Borbón cerca.” (Nieves, 11:00)
• On the emergence of citizenship:
  “Es el momento en el que la política empezó a ocupar su lugar y los súbditos tomaron el camino que les llevaría a ser ciudadanos. Ciudadanos que sin reyes pueden progresar, pero nunca sin políticos.” (Nieves, 13:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:44 – The death of Fernando VII and proclamation of Isabel II
• 03:18 – The regency of María Cristina and her uneasy alliance with liberals
• 05:33 – The emergence of political bargaining and constitutional debates
• 07:33 – Illusion of progress and scandals of the regent
• 09:56 – The continuing absolute power of María Cristina
• 11:00 – Attempts to secure foreign support; Borbón meddling
• 12:08 – Liberal backlash, parliament dissolved, and the seeds of revolution
• 13:38 – The transition to modern political identity in Spain

Conclusion

With sharp humor and an eye for irony, Nieves Concostrina paints a vivid, critical picture of an epoch marked by dynastic self-dealing, political hypocrisy, and the slow, brutal birth of constitutional citizenship in Spain. The episode deftly shows how much, and how little, truly changed with the arrival of the “reina de tres añitos”—and how the entanglements and contradictions of monarchy still echo into today.