Editing Amadeo I of Spain (section)

==== Government of General Serrano: The Failure of "Conciliation" ====
Following Prim's assassination, a “conciliation” government formed at his deathbed request under [[Juan Bautista Topete|Admiral Topete]], soon transitioning to [[Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre|General Serrano]], a [[Liberal Union (Spain)|Unionist]] who had served as regent from 1869 until Amadeo's arrival.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|p=147}} Amadeo proposed Serrano as President of the Council of Ministers to unify the monarchist-democratic coalition backing his throne. Serrano assembled a diverse cabinet: Progressives [[Práxedes Mateo Sagasta|Sagasta]] (Minister of the Interior) and [[Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla|Ruiz Zorrilla]] (Public Works), monarchist Democrat or “''{{Interlanguage link|Cimbrios|es|Cimbrios (política)}}''” [[Cristino Martos y Balbí|Cristino Martos]] (Justice), and Unionist [[Adelardo López de Ayala y Herrera|Adelardo López de Ayala]] (Overseas Territories). This mix aimed to bridge factions supporting the new dynasty.{{Sfn|Bahamonde|1996|pp=74-75}}{{Sfn|López-Cordón|1976|p=41}}

[[File:Virgen y mártir.jpg|left|thumb|Caricature by [[Francisco Ortego]], ¡¡¡¡Virgen y mártir!!!!, published in {{Interlanguage link|Gil Blas (Madrid)|es|Gil Blas}}, May 28, 1871, mocking the fate of the Constitution under Serrano's government.]]

Serrano's administration, viewed by some as transitional, prioritized the [[1871 Spanish general election|first elections]] under Amadeo to secure a strong coalition majority. It enacted an electoral law reverting to district-based voting, abandoning the Progressives’ provincial constituencies from 1869. This shift enabled the government to exert “moral influence” in rural areas, ensuring a victory of 235 seats—approximately 130 Progressives, over 80 “borderline” or “Aostist” Unionists loyal to Amadeo, and about 20 monarchist Democrats. However, opposition forces—52 Republicans advocating a federal republic, 51 Carlists pushing traditional monarchy, and 18 [[Moderate Party (Spain)|Moderates]]—gained significant representation. Dissident Unionists under [[Antonio de los Ríos Rosas|Ríos Rosas]], backing the [[List of counts and dukes of Montpensier|Duke of Montpensier]], and [[Antonio Cánovas del Castillo]], supporting Prince [[Alfonso XII|Alfonso of Bourbon]], secured 7 and 9 seats, respectively. This opposition's strength magnified the governing coalition's internal fragility.{{Sfn|López-Cordón|1976|pp=41-42}}{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|p=152}}

As Serrano's government and the Cortes tackled the Constitution's democratic principles—such as establishing [[Jury|juries]], [[separation of church and state]], abolishing {{Interlanguage link|Quintos (Spain)|es|Quintos}} (military conscription), and addressing the [[Ten Years’ War|war]] and slavery in [[Cuba]]—tensions surfaced. Unionists and Sagasta's Progressives argued that crowning the Constitution with the [[Savoy]] dynasty required preserving order, while Ruiz Zorrilla's Progressives and Democrats insisted on immediate social, economic, and political reforms to consolidate the regime.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|p=153}} Sagasta, likely echoing Prim's vision, sought conciliation with Serrano's Unionists as a dynastic right (conservative party), positioning himself as leader of the dynastic left (liberal party) and opposing Carlists and Republicans outright. Conversely, Ruiz Zorrilla championed an alliance with Democrats (cimbrios) through a reformist agenda, aiming to integrate Republicans into the monarchy by proving their goals were achievable within it. Sagasta saw this as handing the regime to its enemies, rejecting collaboration with Republicans and distrusting Ruiz Zorrilla's loyalty, thus fracturing the coalition and dooming “conciliation.”{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=148-149}}