In 1812 a constitution was drawn up by the Cortes of Cadiz which consecrated the idea of the nation’s sovereignty. This democratic move was not accepted by the king and conservative elements. When the Cortes returned to Madrid in January 1814, conservative deputies petitioned the king to reject the 1812 constitution which he duly did on 4 May.

See Raymond Carr, Spain 1808-1975 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982), p.80.