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A peculiar political organization was set up during the war between the Spanish patriots and Napoleon. The deep crisis obliged the patriotic leaders to seek new means to maintain their power. They were, at the same time, representatives of king Ferdinand VII, captive in France, and representatives of the people revolting against the French. The more and more public debates that took place between the summer of 1808 and the spring of 1809 led to the convocation of a national assembly. The question of the objective of this assembly sparked new debates led by a group of patriots resolved to reform the Spanish monarchy. Using various means, like the press and the specialized commissions established by the government, they succeeded to impose the option of a constituent assembly made up of delegates elected through an almost universal suffrage. These delegates, during the first session in September 1810, voted for national sovereignty, the first act of the Spanish Revolution.