The Bourbon Dynasty in Spain: 18th Century Politics and Conflicts
The War of Succession and the Treaty of Utrecht
In 1700, Charles II, the last king of the Habsburg dynasty, died childless. The two candidates with the most rights to the throne were Archduke Charles of Austria and Philip of Anjou of the House of Bourbon (grandson of Louis XIV of France), whom Charles II had appointed heir. In 1701, Philip V became king, opposed by the Austrian Empire, England, Holland, and Portugal, who supported Archduke Charles, fearing the union of France and Spain under a single crown, as Philip V had not renounced his inheritance rights to the French throne.
The War of Succession (1701-1714) was simultaneously a European conflict and a Spanish civil war. As a European war, it pitted the Franco-Bourbon alliance against the alliance of England, Austria, Holland, and Portugal, to which Savoy later joined. As a Spanish civil war, the Crown of Aragon (Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia) favored Archduke Charles of Austria, while the Crown of Castile supported Philip V. The war ended following the election of Archduke Charles of Austria as emperor of Germany in 1711, after the death of his brother. This change of situation posed a new threat to Europe, as if Charles were proclaimed King of Spain, a large Hispano-German bloc would form, as in the days of Charles I. Given this possibility, England pressed for peace.
The Peace of Utrecht (1713) was actually a series of treaties between the belligerents of the War of Succession. England was the big winner and obtained commercial advantages, such as the asiento de negros (a monopoly on the trade in black slaves in Spanish America for 30 years) and the navío de permiso (permission to send one ship to America a year with 500 tons of goods for sale), and territorial concessions: Spain ceded Gibraltar and Menorca to England, and France ceded Newfoundland.
Spain was the big loser because, in exchange for recognition of Philip V as king, it lost all its European territories: Sicily, the Netherlands, the Duchy of Milan, Naples, and Sardinia, in favor of Austria and Savoy. Spain was also relegated to a power of the second rank, as an ally of France and a rival of England and Austria. The Peace of Utrecht inaugurated a new international order based on the balance between three rival powers: France, which lost its hegemony; Austria, a very large area but lacking in unity; and England, which became the great commercial and maritime power. Around them, the other nations were grouped.
Dynastic Change: The Early Bourbons
In 1700, the Bourbon dynasty took the Spanish throne, with four kings succeeding each other (not counting Louis I or Joseph Bonaparte) throughout the 18th century.
Philip V (1700-1746)
Philip V, Duke of Anjou, also known as the Bold. His grandfather was the French King Louis XIV, and his parents were the Dauphin of France, Louis, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. With him began the Bourbon dynasty in Spain. He was famous for centralizing the administration and removing the privileges of the Crown of Aragon. He first married Maria Louisa of Savoy, with whom he had four children (including two kings of Spain, Louis I and Ferdinand VI), and after her death, he married Elizabeth Farnese, who gave him seven children, among them the future Charles III and Philip, Duke of Parma. This second marriage resulted in a change from French influence to Italian, thereafter conducting a policy that called for a review of the agreement in Utrecht and the recovery of the Italian territories. In 1724, he abdicated in favor of his son Louis I, but upon Louis’s death a few months later, Philip V returned to power. In the first stage of his reign, he had foreign ministers like Orry and Alberoni, but later he chose the Spaniard José Patiño, who reorganized the Army, Navy, and Treasury.
Ferdinand VI (1746-1759)
Ferdinand VI, the Wise, was the third son of Philip V and his first wife, Maria Luisa of Savoy. He was an educated, intelligent, and peaceful king, but of brittle health. His main objective was the modernization of the state. He inherited from his father the Marquis of Ensenada, who carried out tax reform, modernized the navy, and reformed the colonies. He reorganized the kingdom and laid the groundwork for the government of his brother Charles III when he died childless.
Charles III (1759-1788)
Charles III was the fruit of the marriage of Philip V and his second wife, Elizabeth Farnese of Parma. He was the century’s most important king for his enlightened and reformist work. He married Maria Amalia of Saxony, with whom he had 13 children. He was king of Naples, and when Ferdinand VI died childless, his brother became king of Spain. In the first stage of his reign, he brought ministers from Naples: Esquilache and Grimaldi, who carried out a comprehensive reform program. In a second stage, he had Spanish ministers: Aranda, Floridablanca, and Campomanes, who undertook more moderate reforms and increased royal authority.
Charles IV (1788-1808)
Charles IV was the son of Charles III and Maria Amalia of Saxony. He inherited the crown of Spain upon the death of his father and was king from 1788 to 1808. The first years of his reign were marked by the policies of ministers like the Count of Floridablanca and Aranda, but since 1793, the country’s direction was taken by the king’s favorite, Godoy. He was a weak king without character, who was not at the level of the requirements that the country needed in such a delicate stage. During his reign occurred the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon. The government included reformist intellectuals like Cabarrús and Jovellanos. In a second stage, he left power in the hands of Godoy, his favorite. These were years in which Spanish policy was submitted to the French, leading to the Napoleonic occupation and the War of Independence.