Juan Donoso Cortés (Marquis of Valdegamas)

(Valle de la Serena, Badajoz, 1809-París, 1853)

Abstract

The text provides a profile of Juan Donoso Cortés (1809-1853), highlighting his role as a 19th-century Spanish politician, jurist, and thinker. Initially a supporter of bourgeois liberalism and constitutionalism, his ideas evolved towards a political theology grounded in providentialism and the justification of dictatorship. His works, such as the Lessons on Political Law and the Essay on "Ensayo sobre el catolicismo, el liberalismo y el socialismo", reflect this transformation. While his early ideas advocated for a liberal monarchy, his later stage opposed both liberalism and socialism, promoting an absolute power sanctioned by God.