Liberty under siege

the Cadiz Parliament of 1812 and Spain's first Constitution

García León, José María

This book, entitled Liberty under siege, derived from of a series of articles which were originally published in Diario de Cádiz. They have been extended and duly revised to form forty chapters which present different and varied aspects of the momentous events which took place within the Cortes as well as outside its walls. It covers questions such as the abolition of the Inquisition, the freedom of the press, the role of Freemasonry, the debate on slavery. There are also descriptions of several leading and sometimes controversial figures such as the Duke of Wellington, the Priest from Algeciras, Luis Felipe de Orleáns, Agustin de Argüelles, and other colourful ones such as the quixotic John Downie. The idea of this book is to offer a new perspective on the Cortes de Cádiz. Factual and informative but using straightforward language which, hopefully, will make it easy and enjoyable to read.