Second government of Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde

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2nd government of Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde

Government of Spain
1905
Fernández-Villaverde before 1905
Date formed27 January 1905
Date dissolved23 June 1905
People and organisations
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Prime MinisterRaimundo Fernández-Villaverde
No. of ministers8[a]
Total no. of members9[a]
Member party  Conservative (mostly from the Villaverdist faction)
Status in legislatureMinority (single-party)
Opposition party  Liberal Democratic
  Liberal
Opposition leaderEugenio Montero Ríos
Segismundo Moret
History
PredecessorAzcárraga III
SuccessorMontero Ríos I

The second government of Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde was formed on 27 January 1905, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII and his swearing-in on that day,[1] as a result of Marcelo Azcárraga's resignation from the post on 26 January over disagreements within his cabinet on the date of re-opening of the Cortes.[2] It succeeded the third Azcárraga government and was the government of Spain from 27 January to 23 June 1905, a total of 147 days, or 4 months and 27 days.[3]

The cabinet comprised members of the Conservative Party, mostly from its Villaverdist faction, as well as one military officer.[4] As neither Conservative leader Antonio Maura nor the Liberals under Eugenio Montero Ríos and Segismundo Moret were willing to support Villaverde, his government was left in a clear parliamentary minority,[5] surviving only for as long as the parliament remained closed.[3] Once the Cortes were re-opened on 14 June 1905,[6] Villaverde's government suffered a string of parliamentary defeats until it was brought down in a vote of confidence on 20 June.[3][7]

Formation

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Overview

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The Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy during the Restoration period, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the power to appoint government members (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny the decree of dissolution of the Cortes, or the adjournment of legislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of royal decrees; among others.[8][9]

The monarch would play a key role in the turno system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority.[10] As a result, governments during this period were dependent on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.[11][12] In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior to government formation, or when prime ministers raised a matter of confidence to the monarch.[13]

Cabinet crisis

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King Alfonso XIII held a round of consultations on 26 January 1905 to determine a solution to the political crisis arising from Azcárraga's resignation.[14][15][16]

Consultations
King of Spain
Date Consultee Office/position Party
26 January 1905 Francisco Romero Robledo President of the Congress of Deputies Romerist
2nd Marquis of Pidal President of the Senate Conservative
Alejandro Pidal y Mon President of the Congress of Deputies (former) Conservative
Francisco Silvela Prime Minister (former) Conservative
Antonio Maura Leader of the Conservative Party
Prime Minister (former) 		Conservative
Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde Prime Minister (former)
President of the Congress of Deputies (former) 		Villaverdist
Nominations
Outcome → Nomination of Francisco Silvela (Conservative) no Declined
Nomination of Antonio Maura (Conservative) no Declined
Nomination of Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde (Villaverdist) Accepted
Sources[14][15][17]

The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to Francisco Silvela, who declined the nomination due to him "having retired from politics" and not wishing to "get involved in the parties' infighting";[18] then to Antonio Maura, who declined the nomination on the need to re-open the Cortes as soon as possible to deal with the previous government crises (his own and Azcárraga's), among other reasons;[19] then to Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde, who accepted the nomination.[20]

Cabinet changes

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Villaverde's second government saw one cabinet change during its tenure:

Vote of confidence

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Motion of confidence
Congress of Deputies
Confidence in the Government (Joaquín Llorens)
Ballot → 20 June 1905
Required majority → Simple ☒N
Yes
45 / 403
No
204 / 403
Not voting
154 / 403
Sources[25][26]

Council of Ministers

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The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.[4]

← Villaverde II Government →
(27 January – 23 June 1905)
Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Ref.
Prime Minister Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [27]
Minister of State Wenceslao Ramírez de Villa-Urrutia Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of Grace and Justice Javier Ugarte y Pagés Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of War Vicente Martitegui Military 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of the Navy Eduardo Cobián Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of Finance Antonio García Alix Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of Governance Augusto González Besada Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]
Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Juan de la Cierva Conservative 27 January 1905 8 April 1905 [28]
Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Public Works 8th Marquis of Vadillo Villaverdist 27 January 1905 23 June 1905 [28]

Changes April 1905

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Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Ref.
Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Carlos Cortezo Villaverdist 8 April 1905 23 June 1905 [29]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Does not include the prime minister.

References

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  1. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 27–32.
  2. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 22–27.
  3. ^ a b c Comín Comín, Francisco (2022). "Personajes: Raimundo Fernández Villaverde y García del Rivero". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b Soldevilla 1906, pp. 31–32.
  5. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 32–36.
  6. ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 225.
  7. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 234–235 & 257–265.
  8. ^ Calero 1987, p. 275.
  9. ^ Constitution (1876), arts. 32 & 54.
  10. ^ Martorell Linares 1997, pp. 139–143.
  11. ^ Calero 1987, pp. 283–289.
  12. ^ Ferrera Cuesta, Carlos (2022). "Personajes: Segismundo Moret y Prendergast". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 18 August 2025.: "... according to the political practice of the Restoration, since voters did not determine majorities due to electoral manipulation, the requirement demanded of any leader to retain power was to guarantee the unity of the Party. [Spanish: ... según la práctica política de la Restauración, dado que los votantes no determinaban las mayorías a causa de la manipulación electoral, el requisito exigido a cualquier líder para conservar el poder pasaba por garantizar la unidad del Partido.]"
  13. ^ Calero 1987, pp. 289–291.
  14. ^ a b "Las consultas". National Library of Spain (in Spanish). El Imparcial. 27 January 1905. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Dimisión del gobierno. Crisis total". National Library of Spain (in Spanish). El Imparcial. 27 January 1905. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  16. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 27–29.
  17. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 27–30.
  18. ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 28.
  19. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 28 & 30.
  20. ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 29.
  21. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 72–73, 81–83, 87–89, 91–95.
  22. ^ Cuenca Toribio, José Manuel (2022). "Personajes: Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  23. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 96–99.
  24. ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 99.
  25. ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 257–265.
  26. ^ Session Diaries (Congress), 1904–1905 Leg., no. 62, pp. 1980–1995.
  27. ^ "Real decreto nombrando Presidente del Consejo de Ministros a D. Raimundo Fernandez Villaverde" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (28). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 337. 28 January 1905.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h "Reales decretos nombrando Ministro del Estado, a D. Wenceslao Ramírez de Villaurrutia, de Gracia y Justicia, a D. Javier Ugarte y Pagés; de la Guerra, a D. Vicente Martitegui y Pérez de Santa María; de Marina, a D. Eduardo Cobián y Roffigane; de Hacienda, a D. Antonio García Alix; de Gobernación, a D. Augusto González Besada; de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes, a D. Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel; y de Agricultura, Industria, Comercio y Obras Públicas, a D. Francisco Javier González de Castejón y Elío, Marqués del Vadillo" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (28). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 338. 28 January 1905.
  29. ^ "Real decreto nombrando Ministro de Instrucción pública y Bellas Artes a D. Carlos María Cortezo Prieto" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (99). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 113. 9 April 1905.

Bibliography

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