The Spanish Crown 1808-1931

A very useful and comprehensive historical review of Spanish royalty between the Napoleonic Wars and the cusp of the Spanish Civil War.

“Mr. Sencourt's interesting volume is a welcome addition to the all too meager literature in English on the modern history of Spain. Although addressed to the general reader and apparently inspired by the recent revolution, the book is not simply a "tract for the times" but is an attempt to explain the development of the Spanish monarchy from the fall of Charles IV to the deposition of Alphonso XIII. One regrets that the author limited himself to the personal history of kings and queens, with their scandals and intrigues, and did not tell us more of the political, economic, and social life of the Spanish people in these eventful years.

The work is divided into three equal parts: the Napoleonic era and the reign of Ferdinand VII, the troublous times of Queen Isabel II and her son, and the reign of Alphonso XIII. Mr. Sencourt is at his best in the earlier period, and it is gratifying to find Godoy pictured as an enlightened and patriotic ruler. Perhaps the second part of the book will prove of most value, as the Carlist war and the intrigues and revolutions of the years 1833-75 have hitherto received little attention in this country. For Spain, at least, the author believes in monarchy, and he pays a final tribute to Alphonso XIII which is hardly in keeping with the facts of his reign.”-Journal of Modern History