The relationship between science and university by the Cádiz liberalists: the origins of the Central University of Madrid

The new social imaginary of science in the 18th century led to the funding of science and its teaching by the state. The Cádiz liberals took on the project of the Spanish Enlightment to introduce the new mathematical and natural sciences, considered as “useful sciences”, into education, in particular, in the universities. The Report written by Quintana in 1813 for the Cortes of Cádiz to organize the public education system envisioned to found a scientifically elitist university in Madrid, the “Central University”, which would contain the teaching of all the sciences and would serve to train the teaching staff of the other universities. The idea, however, came from Narganes de Posada. This Report waslegally embodied in 1814 in a draft decree, which was approved in 1821during de Three Liberal Years. In 1822, the Central University was created, but it lasted only a few months, until the idea was developed by the Isabelliane liberals when they took over the goverment again in 1833.