Pedro José Pidal

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The Most Excellent Pedro José Pidal 1st Marquis of Pidal
Official portrait by Dióscoro Puebla (1877). Congress of Deputies.[1]
99th President of the Congress of Deputies
In office 27 November 1843 – 4 July 1844
Preceded by	Salustiano de Olózaga y Almandoz
Succeeded by	Francisco Castro y Orozco [es]
Ministry of Governance
In office 3 May 1844 – 12 February 1846
Preceded by	José Justiniani Ramírez de Arellano [es]
Succeeded by	Francisco Javier de Istúriz
In office 5 April 1846 – 28 January 1847
Preceded by	Javier de Burgos
Succeeded by	Manuel Seijas Lozano [es]
Minister of State
In office 29 July 1848 – 19 October 1849
Preceded by	Carlos Martínez de Irujo
Succeeded by	Salvador Cea Bermúdez [es]
In office 20 October 1849 – 14 January 1851
Preceded by	Salvador Cea Bermúdez [es]
Succeeded by	Manuel Bertrán de Lis y Ribes
In office 12 October 1856 – 15 October 1857
Preceded by	Nicomedes Pastor Díaz y Corbelle
Succeeded by	Leopoldo Augusto de Cueto
Seat g of the Real Academia Española
In office 25 February 1847 – 28 December 1865
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	Antonio Aparisi Guijarro[note 1]
Personal details
Born	Pedro José Pidal y Carniado (1799-11-25)25 November 1799 Villaviciosa, Spain
Died	28 December 1865(1865-12-28) (aged 66) Madrid, Spain

Pedro José Pidal y Carniado, 1st Marquis of Pidal (25 November 1799 – 28 December 1865) was a Spanish lawyer, writer, politician (alcalde,^{[2][note 2]} deputy and senator) and academician who served important political offices in the reign of Isabella II of Spain, including those of Ministry of Governance,^[3] Minister of State,^[2] Minister of Justice^[4] and speaker of the Congress of Deputies.^[4][2]

Pedro José Pidal y Carniado was born in Villaviciosa, Asturias. On finishing his Law studies, he moved to Madrid in 1822 and started working for a prestigious law firm^[2] and collaborated with the short-lived daily El Espectador (1821-3), founded by his fellow Asturian liberal, Evaristo San Miguel.^[5]

Before becoming increasingly involved in politics, he briefly (c. 1841) held the Chair of History of Government and Legislation in Spain at the Ateneo de Madrid.^[2] He became an academician of the Real Academia Española in 1844,^[2] of the Real Academia de la Historia in 1847, and director of this institution in 1852.^[2]

Among the many other reforms carried out by Pidal as Minister of the Interior, the so-called Pidal Plan (1845) —the most important of a series of reforms in Spain's education system that would eventually lead to the so-called Ley Moyano (1857), which would remain in effect until 1970^[6]—, implemented the first major overhaul of Spain's education system. Actually drawn up by his friend Antonio Gil y Zárate,^[2] the plan called for state-run institutos to be created in each provincial capital^[7] and among the many aspects the plan introduced were modifications to the syllabus, with the subjects of Spanish literature introduced at secondary level^[8] and geography and Spanish history introduced for both secondary and university students.^{[note 3]}

The plan also created the first chair in International Law, a post first held, albeit briefly, by Lorenzo Arrazola y García, a former Minister of Justice, future Prime Minister of Spain and President of the Supreme Court.^[10]

His son, Alejandro Pidal y Mon (1846–1913) would also become a deputy^[11] (as well as Speaker of Congress)^[12] and academician (also being appointed director of the Real Academia Española). His grandson, Pedro Pidal Bernaldo de Quirós (1870–1941) would likewise enter politics, becoming both deputy^[13] and senador.^[14]