page_title: Third Carlist War
section_title: Outbreak of the hostilities
hierarchical_section_title: Third Carlist War / War / Outbreak of the hostilities
caption_attribution_description: Español: Los Borbones italianos en la guerra carlista de 1874 De pie, de izquierda a derecha: S.A.R. Alfonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Austria, conde de Caserta. S.A.R. Enrique de Borbón-Parma, Conde de Bardi; S.A.R. el duque Roberto I de Parma; Sentado: Su Majestad Católica el Rey Carlos VII.Italiano: I Borboni italiani alla guerra carlista nel 1874 In piedi, da sinistra a destra: S.A.R. Alfonso di Borbone-Due Sicilie, Conte di Caserta (Re Alfonso I delle Due Sicilie) S.A.R. Enrico di Borbone-Parma, Conte di Bardi; Sua Altezza Reale il Duca Roberto I di Parma; Seduto: Sua Maestà Cattolica Re Carlo VII.
context_page_description: The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier "Second" War was smaller in scale and relatively trivial in political consequence.
  Leading up to the war, Queen Isabella II abdicated the throne in 1868, and the unpopular Amadeo I, son of the King of Italy, was proclaimed King of Spain in 1870. In response, the Carlist pretender, Carlos VII, tried to earn the support of various Spanish regions by promising to reintroduce various area-specific customs and laws. The Carlists proclaimed the restoration of Catalan, Valencian and Aragonese fueros which had been abolished at the beginning of the 18th century by King Philip V in his unilateral Nueva Planta decrees.
  The call for rebellion made by the Carlists was echoed in Catalonia and especially in the Basque region, where the Carlists managed to design a temporary state. During the war, Carlist forces occupied several inland Spanish towns, the most important ones being La Seu d'Urgell and Estella in Navarre. They also laid siege to the cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián, but failed to seize them.
context_section_description: The Carlists' plans called for a general uprising across Spain, hoping to gain recruits among the least content groups of the Spanish population. On April 20 Carlos VII, the Carlist pretender, appointed General Rada as the commander-in-chief of what would become the Carlist army. After this, plans for a general uprising were established, and April 21 was set as the opening day of the uprising.
  In response to the uprising, thousands of sympathetic volunteers, most without training and some without weapons, gathered in Orokieta-Erbiti (Oroquieta-Erbiti), north of Navarre, awaiting Carlos's arrival. As in Navarre, groups in Biscay also rose in arms against the government on the same day. Several raiding parties carried out guerrilla activities across Catalonia (under the command of generals Tristany, Savalls and Castells), Castile, Galicia, Aragon, Navarre, Gipuzkoa,... Arriving from France on May 2, Carlos VII himself crossed the Bidasoa River from France into Spain, and took command of his forces in Orokieta. However, a quick counterattack of 1,000 government troops led by General Moriones assaulted the Carlist camp in Orokieta during the night of May 4, forcing Carlos VII to retreat to France. 50 Carlists were killed and over 700 were taken prisoner. As a result, the Carlists in the Basque Provinces were left disorganized for nearly the rest of the year. The Battle of Orokieta threatened to end the Third Carlist war almost as soon as it began.
  The government's victory at Orokieta was a huge setback for the Carlists, but the war was not yet ended. Following their defeat at Orokieta, Carlists from Biscay, under the leadership of Fausto de Urquizu, Juan E. de Orúe and Antonio de Arguinzóniz, laid down their arms and surrendered, signing the Conveno de Amorebieta with General Serrano in exchange for a general indult and the possibility of escaping to France or of being incorporated into the national army.
  However, in other areas of Spain, such as in Castile, Navarre, Catalonia, Aragon and Gipuzkoa, Carlist parties remained active, engaging government forces in heavy fighting across the area. Though the Carlists suffered a setback in the Basque Provinces, they were far from beaten and still posed a serious threat to the government. Furthermore, the arrangement signed in Amorebieta was rejected by both sides; Serrano was forced to leave his post, while Carlists denounced those who surrendered as traitors.
  Meanwhile, in Catalonia, the uprising started earlier than Carlos VII had expected. 70 men led by Joan Castell revolted and started raising supporters to form new war parties. The command post was assumed by Rafael Tristany until Carlos VII replaced him with the infant Alfonso, Carlos's own brother. Several efforts were made to form a common military structure during the summer of 1872 but were unsuccessful until the arrival of the infant Alfonso in December 1872. At the same time, Carlist Pascual Cucala gained popular support in the Maestrat. With the arrival of the infant Alfonso and the reactivation of the war parties, Carlists were able to muster 3,000 men in Catalonia, 2,000 in Valencia, and 850 in Alicante.
caption: The Italian Bourbons in the Carlist War. Standing, left to right: Robert I of Parma, Prince Henry, Count of Bardi, Alfonso, Count of Caserta. Seated: Charles VII of Spain.
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