18th Century Spain: Bourbon Dynasty & Enlightenment

18th Century Spain

The Dynastic Change and the War of Succession

• Philip of Anjou (Philip V) was appointed King of Spain. This decision provoked a major conflict:
• International Level: The presence of a Bourbon king consolidated Spain under French hegemony in Europe, which the remaining European powers consistently opposed.
• Domestic Level: A social and territorial division emerged around Philip V. The territories of the Crown of Aragon opposed the new king, while Castile supported him.
• The conflict ended with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714). The implications for international politics were significant: Spain lost its European possessions, and the United Kingdom became the leading maritime power, imposing a European political equilibrium so that no power would stand out above the others.

The New Political Model: The Absolute Monarchy of the Bourbons

Administrative Reform

• Changes in the governance of the monarchy. The appearance of Secretaries of State.
• Decrees of New Plants: Castilian laws were passed to the Crown of Aragon.
• Territorial organization into provinces.

Control of the Church

• The king claimed the right to intervene in religious affairs concerning Spain. His objectives were to control the appointments of bishops and the levy of certain revenues.

Military Policy

• Alterations to create a permanent, professional army.
• Strengthening and modernization of the navy to protect the empire and to gain more weight in international politics.

The Enlightenment and Enlightened Despotism

The Spanish Enlightenment

• The Spanish Enlightenment had its antecedents in the 17th-century novatores and the works of Feijoo and Mayans.
• Since the beginning of the 18th century, there was an intellectual revitalization that created new educational and scientific institutions (academies, schools).
• The main emergence of enlightened thinkers and politicians came under the reign of Charles III (1759-88), including the Count of Aranda, Campomanes, Floridablanca, Jovellanos, and Olavide.
• The Economic Societies of Friends of the Country were the most original instrument of enlightened politics in Spain.

Enlightened Despotism in Spain

• Enlightened despotism was a form of government that combined monarchical absolutism with the spirit of reformist Enlightenment. Some of its premises were accepted by the kings, improving the economy, rationalizing the state, and accepting the model of the "ideal man." However, there was never any attempt to democratize.
• In Spain, this practice had its best representative in Charles III. With the help of the best of the Spanish enlightened generation, he carried out many reforms.
• Enlightened despotism had major limitations. Its reforms could only reach the limits of privileges.