Person
Calatrava Peinado, José María (1781-1846)Other forms
Mérida (Badajoz, España) 1781-02-26 - Madrid (España) 1846-01-16
Spanish President of the Council of Ministers, and Minister of State.
He studied Law in the Universidad de Sevilla, and started to work as a lawyer in Badajoz. He was the spokesperson of the Junta Suprema and represented Extremadura in the Cortes of Cádiz, being in favor of abolishing absolutism's structure. For that reason, when Ferdinand VII returned, he was imprisoned and taken to Melilla. In the Trienio Liberal (Liberal Triennium) (1820-1823), he was advisor of the Supreme Court, government representative for Badajoz in the Cortes, and, on several occasions, Minister of the Government and Minister of Grace and Justice, playing an important role in the legal consolidation of the principles of liberalism. He belonged to Freemasonry and his nickname was Tiberio Graco.
At the end of the Trienio Liberal he had to emigrate, and only returned to Spain when Ferdinand VII died. He was advisor of the Supreme Court, and one of the leaders of the Partido Progresista. In 1836, he was the president of the Council of Ministers. The reforms that his government carried out led to problems with the Carlists and hostilities between the clergy and the aristocrats, which was what finally made him resign. Nevertheless, he did not leave his political career and had other important positions such as Senator for Albacete, government representative of Castellón and Madrid in the Cortes, President of the Supreme Court and government representative of Badajoz. He was a member of the National Academy in the Section of Politics and Moral Sciences.
Date of the event: 1820 - 1823
Date of the event: 1810 - 1813
Gil Novales, Alberto. Diccionario biográfico de España (1808-1833) : de los orígenes del liberalismo a la reacción absolutista. Alberto Gil Novales. Madrid: Fundación Mapfre. 3 v. (3406 p.). 978-84-9844-236-6 (Vol. 3).