Carlist Wars

The Carlist Wars (Spanish: guerras carlistas, Basque: karlistadak, Catalan: guerres carlines) were a series of civil wars that took place in Spain during the 19th century. The contenders fought over claims to the throne, although some political differences also existed. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists—followers of Don Carlos (1788–1855), an infante, and of his descendants—rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and fought for the cause of Spanish tradition (Legitimism and Catholicism) against liberalism, and later the republicanism, of the Spanish governments of the day. The Carlist Wars had a strong regional component (Basque region, Catalonia, etc.), given that the new order called into question region-specific law arrangements and customs kept for centuries.

While some historians count three wars, other authors and popular usage refer to the existence of two major engagements, the First (1833–1840) and the Second (1872–1876) Carlist Wars, treating the 1846–1849 events as a minor episode.