House of Bourbon (1874–1931)
The Restoration (Spanish: Restauración), or Bourbon Restoration (Restauración borbónica), is the name given to the period that began on 29 December 1874 - after a coup d'état by Martínez-Campos ended the First Spanish Republic and restored the monarchy under Alfonso XII - and ended on 14 April 1931 with the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic.
After almost a whole century of political instability and many civil wars, the aim of the Restoration was to create a new political system, which ensured stability by the practice of turnismo. This was the deliberate rotation of the Liberal and Conservative parties in the government, so no sector of the bourgeoisie felt isolated, while all other parties were excluded from the system. This was achieved by electoral fraud. Opposition to the system came from republicans, socialists, anarchists, Basque and Catalan nationalists, and Carlists.
Isabella II's eldest son was restored to the throne as she had abdicated in his favour in 1870. Constitutional King of Spain.
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso XII
the Peacemaker |
28 November 1857 – 25 November 1885 (aged 27) |
29 December 1874 | 25 November 1885 | Son of Isabella II | Bourbon |  |
| Alfonso XIII
the African |
17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941 (aged 54) |
17 May 1886 | 14 April 1931 (abdicated) |
Posthumous son of Alfonso XII | Bourbon |  |
