The Old Regime and Enlightenment Reforms in 18th Century Spain

Posted on Sep 30, 2025 in History

Society of the Old Regime (18th Century)

Eighteenth-century society was divided into estates, which were closed social groups based on birth.

The Estate System

Privileged Classes

The privileged classes owned the most land, paid no taxes, and bore few public charges. They included:

  • The Clergy (2% of the population): Controlled over 40% of landed property, possessing great economic power due to income from amortized property (the ‘dead hand’). Their function was to educate and uphold religious values.
  • The Nobility (5% of the population): Belonged to the estate either by birth or by royal appointment. They possessed large estates, held numerous lordships, administered justice within their domains, and extracted significant income.

Underprivileged Estates (The Third Estate)

This estate was composed of the rest of the population, bearing most of the state’s economic burdens and marginalized from political decisions.

  • The Peasantry: The vast majority of the population, they continued under the manorial regime and were obliged to surrender most of their farm income, often keeping only enough for survival. This group included paid day laborers (jornaleros) and tenants (arrendatarios).
  • The Urban Population: Included the bourgeoisie (traders and industrialists), artisans (organized in guilds), service sector workers (cleaners, doctors, etc.), and marginalized groups (gypsies, the poor, prostitutes, etc.).

The Culture of the 18th Century: The Enlightenment

Throughout the century, the economic, social, and political model of the Old Regime was harshly criticized by a number of thinkers. In Spain, during the reign of Carlos III, the application of certain enlightened principles by the government established the experience of Enlightened Despotism.

Core Tenets of Enlightenment Thought

The basic characteristic of Enlightenment thought was boundless confidence in reason. Men believed that, guided by their intelligence, they could attain knowledge, which was the basis of happiness. Therefore, they were strong supporters of education and progress (i.e., the enrichment of knowledge and the gradual improvement of human living conditions).

Criticism of the Old Regime

Enlightened ideas led thinkers to criticize the class-based society and assert the right to equality and freedom for all human beings. They criticized:

  • The rigid economic organization and the lack of liberty to buy, sell, settle, or make progress. They defended private ownership and freedom of trade and industry.
  • The Church, due to perceived ignorance.
  • Monarchical absolutism, advocating the need for a contract between rulers and ruled that guarantees the basic rights of the individual.

Enlightened Despotism and Carlos III

The enlightened sought to reform the Old Regime, not destroy it; they were reformers, not revolutionaries. King Carlos III was a supporter and protector of the enlightened. The motto of enlightened kings was: “Everything for the people, but without the people.” This meant that enlightened reforms were implemented, but they did not attack the power of the absolute monarchy or the estate system.

Key Spanish Thinkers

  • Melchor Gaspar de Jovellanos
  • Pedro Rodríguez Campomanes
  • The Count of Aranda
  • Pablo de Olavide
  • Benito Feijoo
  • Gregorio Mayans y Ciscar

Key Reforms Implemented by Enlightened Rulers

The enlightened rulers implemented the following reforms:

  • Land and Agriculture:
    • Promotion of new land cultivation (e.g., rice paddies).
    • Promotion of new land colonization (e.g., Sierra Morena, led by P. Olavide, though the impact was limited).
    • Attempted land reform to distribute land to peasants and allow the sale of amortized lands. Jovellanos was tasked with reporting on this, but the privileged classes refused the land reform decree.
  • Education:
    • Primary education made compulsory.
    • Reform of schools and colleges.
    • Creation of schools of arts and trades.
    • Promotion of the Economic Societies of Friends of the Country (which taught modern agriculture, industry, and commerce).
  • Church and State (Regalism):
    • Defense of Regalism (the predominance of the state over the church).
    • The King appointed ecclesiastical charges and endorsed the foundations of convents and monasteries.
    • In 1767, the King decreed the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain (a clerical order that only obeyed the Pope).
  • Urbanism:
    • Minister Squillace (Italian) decreed urban cleanup (limpieza urbana) in 1766.
    • Street lighting (alumbrado) was introduced.
    • The disappearance of long capes and wide-brimmed hats (sombreros) was mandated.

The Esquilache Riot (1766)

The population revolted against Squillace’s urban reforms. The instigators behind the revolt in Madrid were the privileged classes, who opposed the King’s policy of appointing foreigners to high office. The King subsequently dismissed Squillace and appointed Spaniards to the positions.