Carlos III: Enlightened Despotism and Reforms in Spain

Carlos III and the Practice of Enlightened Despotism

The government of Carlos III (1759-1788) exemplified enlightened despotism. Based on absolutism, it aimed to foster the kingdom's growth, summarized by the axiom "everything for the people, but without the people."

These policies originated in the previous reign of Fernando VI, but there was insufficient time to implement them. Carlos, however, had 25 years of experience applying them in Naples. Consequently, his arrival in the peninsula involved a similar displacement. It was notable that the government placed confidence in a Neapolitan, the Marquis de Esquilache, alongside members of the lower nobility such as Campomanes and the future Count of Floridablanca.

Early Years of Government

The government was prepared to address the kingdom's problems, targeting the accumulation of land in mortmain, the tax privileges of the nobility and the church, and obstacles to trade development. Initial actions included recovering estates for the crown and considering the introduction of a flat tax. In 1765, the freedom of wheat prices was decreed. Unfortunately, a crisis in wheat production and the actions of speculators led to skyrocketing prices due to scarcity.

Opponents of the new government exploited the situation, also using efforts to clean up the capital and combat crime to generate opposition. In 1766, the Esquilache Mutiny erupted in Madrid, triggered by the ban on wearing long coats and wide-brimmed hats, intended to allow for the recognition and prevention of thieves. The mutiny spread to towns and cities throughout the kingdom. It lasted three days and was fueled by scarcity, diminishing as the riots were addressed. The Mutiny resulted in the removal of Esquilache, replaced by the Count of Aranda, and was used to justify the expulsion of the Jesuits, considered a papal fifth column, in 1767. The expulsion policy reflected the king's desire to avoid being constrained by the papacy.

The Conservative Shift

The expulsion of the Jesuits marked a conservative shift in Carlos III's policies.