This paper examines Spanish and Portuguese liberal political thought in the period after the independence of Ibero-America (c. 1825-50). It argues that while Iberian liberalism undoubtedly emerged from and reflected broader European and Atlantic debates and trends, it was distinguished by its robust engagement with literary romanticism. The paper proceeds to describe and make a case for 'romantic liberalism' through examination of texts by three politically engaged writers: Spanish statesman, poet, and dramatist Francisco Martínez de la Rosa (1787-1862); Portuguese statesman, poet, novelist, and dramatist João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett (1799-1854); and Spanish poet, journalist, and parliamentarian José de Espronceda (1808-42).
Gabriel Paquette is Professor of History at The Johns Hopkins University. He is a past fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, where he completed his doctorate in 2006. His most recent book is Imperial Portugal in the Age of Atlantic Revolutions: The Luso-Brazilian World, c. 1770-1850 (2013).
Sponsored by the Iberian Studies Working Group, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and Instituto Camões.
