Soberanía, nación, Estado. Las Monarquías en el desarrollo de los Estados nacionales en Europa:

Abstract

Most historians of the European “long 19th century” assume the common alternative between the power of kings and the power of the people. Accordingly, the development of this time tends to be seen as a loss of kings’ legitimacy to rule and the increase of people’s government. On the contrary, this article highlights the importance of the “constitutional monarchies” as the dominant form adopted by the emerging figure of national States in Europe between the Napoleonic Wars and the First World War. Summarizing the studies of the last decades, the author looks into the implications of the new idea of political sovereignty, and the signification of the experience of both the French Revolution and the influential Spanish Constitution of Cádiz on a European scale. Against this background, the article shows the main roles some ruling dynasties could deploy as leaders of the national State in an “age of civilization”.