King of Hearts: the Monarchy and the Political Culture of Carlism (1833-1845)

Abstract

Monarchy was at the center of the political culture of Carlism. This article intends to enquire into the nature of that monarchy. For that purpose, the references to the “heart” are highlighted as especially meaningful. From this language of the heart, some consequences and genealogies are outlined, which link this language with the Romantic moment and with the Catholic understanding of virtue and sin. In that sense, loyalty to the king would be defined by a morality in which conscience and emotion were united, a morality which also committed the king himself.