Defense policy in Spain during the reign of Isabel II

The administration is updated and an attempt is made to modernize the Army and the Navy with objective criteria, but the scarcity of a budgets makes it difficult. Expenses in personnel exceed investments in material and research. Spain, in constant internal and external wars, maintains an enormous Army that it can´t afford.

Without naval hegemony, lost and not recovered since Trafalgar, Spain finds itself incapable of retaining under its sovereignty a huge empire abroad that, despite the heroic action of its Armies with hardly any resources and often left to its own devices, is beginning to fall apart.

The Navy and War ministries are reorganized and the General Directorates of each Corps are created. In addition to the traditional Infantry and Cavalry, the so-called “Optional Corps” Artillery and Engineers are strengthened, the cradle of an intelligentsia that leaves its mark felt in the enormous studies and technical developments carried out. A reflection of this is the creation and publication of the Artillery and Engineers Memorials in 1844 and 1846 respectively, true tribunes through which the best of scientific and technical officers went through and learnt.

From the mid-19th century, there are technical advances that represent a total transformation in artillery:

– Rifled and pointed rounds improve range and accuracy.

– The optics applied to the aiming elements.

– The elastic organ that absorbs the recoil and the breechload print faster in the shot.

– New alloys and casting methods make barrels lighter and harder.

– Improved ammunition and smokeless powder.

All these modern artillery improvements render obsolete both the existing fortification systems to date and the protections of the old wooden ships.

New ships armored with steam and artillery with large caliber cannons mounted on revolving turrets, force land mounts of large cannons capable of dealing with them.