Royal sites during the Liberal Triennial (1820-1823): the transfer of part of the royal heritage to the nation

The triumph of Colonel Riego's pronunciamiento in Cabezas de San Juan resulted in changes in royal heritage. The liberals regarded the latter as an anachronism that needed to be abolished: the nation was now the new owner of its rights and assets. In accordance with what had been established in the Constitution of 1812, it was the nation that had to determine the space reserved for the king and his family, to ensure decorum and the discharge of their duties. Moreover, in the context of the necessities of the national treasury, these spaces, once nationalised, would constitute an important source of income. This article, through primary sources mainly from the "Archivo Nacional de Palacio", analyses the process of transfer of a significant series of assets and royal spaces from the Crown to the nation, the debate this generated among the liberals and the consequences this cession had for the management of royal heritage. Nevertheless, the end of the Trienio impeded the consolidation of a concrete line of action vis-a-vis royal heritage.