public aspirations for the reduction and control of the excessive number of orders and religious orders, without impairing their independence in spiritual matters," and in introducing a bill for the amendment of the law of 1887 Señor Canalejas declared that the government, “inspired by the universal spirit of liberty of conscience,” had given to article xi. of the constitution “the full sense of its text.”¹

“Liberty of conscience,” a principle condemned by the Syllabus of 1864 and sneered at in the encyclical Pascendi gregis of 1905, was hardly a phrase calculated to conciliate the Spanish clergy, still less the Vatican. A cry went up that to allow dissident churches to announce their presence was to insult and persecute the Catholic Church;² at Rome the decree was attacked as unconstitutional, and a breach of diplomatic propriety all the more reprehensible as negotiations for a revision of the concordat were actually pending. A violent clerical agitation, encouraged by the Vatican, was started, 72 Spanish archbishops and bishops presenting a joint protest to the government. Fuel was added to the fire by the introduction of a bill—known as the Cadenas bill—forbidding the settlement of further congregations in Spain until the negotiations with the Vatican should have been completed. This was denounced at Rome as a unilateral assertion on the part of the Spanish government of an authority which, under the concordat, belonged to the Holy See as well. As a preliminary to negotiation, the government was required to rescind all the obnoxious measures. This demand broke the patience of the prime minister, and on the 30th of July Serior de Ojeda, Spanish ambassador at the Vatican, was instructed to hand in his papers. In Vatican circles dark hints began to be dropped of a possible rapproche- ment with Don Jaime, who had succeeded his father Don Carlos, on the 18th of July 1909, as the representative of Spanish legitimacy and Catholic orthodoxy. The pretender, indeed, disclaimed any intention of stirring up civil war in Spain; his mission would be to restore order when the country should have wearied of the republican regime whose speedy advent he foresaw. The fulfilment of the first part of this prophecy seemed to some to be brought a step nearer by the overthrow of the monarchy in Portugal on the 5th of October 1910. For Spain its immediate effect was to threaten a great increase of the difficulties of the government, by the immigration of the whole mass of religious congregations expelled from Portugal by one of the first acts of the new regime.  (W. A. P.) 

Kings of the Visigoths, having relations with Spain, but not established within it:—

Ataulf	410–415		Entered the north-east of Spain, murdered at Barcelona.
Sigeric	415		His murderer, promptly murdered in turn.
Wallia	415–419		Elected king, was the ally (foederatus) of the empire. Defeated the Vandals and Alans. Migrated to south-west of France with all his people.
Theodoric I.	419–451		Made inroads into Spain, as ally of the empire. Killed in the battle with Attila.
Thorismund	451–453	${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}}$	All these kings had the seat of their government north of the Pyrenees. They made inroads in Spain and had a stronghold on the north-east. Alaric was killed by the Frankish king, Clovis, at Vouillé, 507.
Theodoric II.	453–466
Euric	466–485
Alaric II.	485–507
Gesalic	507–511		Bastard son of Alaric, was murdered.
Amalaric	507–531		Reigned in south and south-east of France under protection of Theodoric, the Ostrogothic king in Italy. Fled before Franks to Barcelona at end of reign, and was murdered at Barcelona.

Kings of the Visigoths established in Spain:—

Theudis	531–548		An Ostrogoth, general of Theodoric. Murdered Amalaric, and was murdered in turn at Seville by Theudigesil.
Theudigisel	548–549		Murdered by Agila.
Agila	549–554		Murdered at Merida.
Athanagild	554–567		Rebelled against Agila, evacuated Andalusia to secure aid of Imperial officers. Established the capital at Toledo.
Liuva I.	567–572		Elected at Narbonne. Associated his brother Leovigild with himself.
Leovigild	567–586		The first Visigoth king who assumed the diadem and purple, struck coins in his own name, and enforced recognition of his supremacy in all parts of Spain, except the south coast.
Reccared	586–601		Son. Associated with his father. The first Visigoth king who was a Catholic.
Liuva II.	601–603		Son. Soon murdered.
Witteric	603–610		Leader of Arian reaction.
Gunthemar	610–612	${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}}$	Obscure kings.
Sisebut	612–620
Reccared II.	620–621
Swintella	621–631	${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}}$	Associated his family with him on the throne. They were all deposed by the nobles.
Reccimer	621–631
Sisinand	631–636	${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}}$	These kings were mainly supported by the clergy, and were engaged in endeavouring to make the crown hereditary, by associating their kinsmen with themselves.
Chintila	636–640
Tulga	640–641
Chindaswinth	641–652
Recceswinth	649–672
Wamba	672–680		Unrelated to his predecessor and elected by the nobles—was deposed and tonsured.
Erwic	680–687	${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}}$	The most obscure of the Visigoth kings. Egica and Witiza appear to have continued the struggle with the nobles, by whom Roderic was tumultuously elected, in opposition to Witiza’s son Actula.
Egica	687–701
Witiza	697–710
Roderic	710–711

Early kings of the Christian north-west of Spain, of uncertain chronology and relationship:—

Pelayo	718–737⁠	Elected as “king of the Goths.”
Favila	737–739	Brother of Pelayo.
Alphonso I.	739–757	Son-in-law of Pelayo.
Froila . .	757–768	Son of Alphonso I. Murdered by his brother.
Aurelio .	768–774	Brother or cousin.
Silon	774–785	Brother-in-law of Aurelio.
Maurecat	785–789	Bastard son of Alphonso I.
Bermudo	789–792	Called the Deacon, descendant of Alphonso I., reigned for a very short time, and retired to a religious house.
Alphonso II.	792–842	Called the Chaste, son of Froila. Was perhaps chosen in opposition to Bermudo.
Ramiro I.	842–850	Son of Bermudo the Deacon.
Ordono I.	850–866	Son of Ramiro.
Alphonso III.⁠	866–914	Son of Ordono.