Were the España-class ships really coastal-defense dreadnoughts?

Could the España class have been intended as coastal-defense dreadnoughts?

Possibly, but calling them dreadnoughts meant they would be judged against full-size contemporary battleships that markedly outclassed them.

The ships' small size, low speed, and limited protection may fit a coastal-defense logic, yet Spain still presented them as dreadnought battleships. That classification exposed them to unfavorable comparison with contemporary British ships and left their likely opponent and operational purpose unclear.