What was the name of the Spanish prime minister during the war?

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta was Spain’s prime minister during the Spanish-American War. He returned to office in October 1897 and led the Spanish government through the war of 1898.

Sagasta inherited a rapidly worsening crisis in Cuba, where an independence revolt had resumed in 1895. His government recalled the controversial governor Valeriano Weyler and attempted to offer Cuba and Puerto Rico greater autonomy. These measures failed to prevent U.S. intervention after the destruction of the USS Maine and the escalation of tensions between the United States and Spain.

The war ended with Spain’s defeat and the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Spain relinquished Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, while Cuba moved toward independence after a period of U.S. occupation. Sagasta’s government faced intense criticism for the defeat, and he left office in March 1899. Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was a major Spanish political rival and had been prime minister earlier, but he was assassinated in 1897, before Sagasta led Spain during the war.