Spain's Bourbon Reforms After the War of Succession

War of Succession

In 1700, King Charles II died without heirs. In his will, he named Philip of Anjou as his successor in exchange for Philip rejecting the French crown. When he did not comply, the major European powers supported Archduke Charles of Austria. Thus, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out. This was also a civil war, which pitted Castile (supporting Philip of Anjou) against the Crown of Aragon (supporting Archduke Charles). The solution to the conflict came after the death of the Emperor of Germany and his eldest son, which made Archduke Charles the new emperor. In the Peace of Utrecht and Rastatt, Philip V renounced his claim to the throne of France, and Spain lost its European possessions.

Political and Administrative Reforms

The political and administrative centralization transformed the former organization, in which each of the peninsular kingdoms had its own laws and institutions. Philip V promulgated the Nueva Planta decrees. These new laws suppressed the laws and institutions of Aragon, Valencia, Catalonia, and Majorca and implemented the Castilian administrative model. For this purpose, the territory was divided into provinces ruled by a Captain General. Audiencias (high courts) were established in each province, and representatives of the central government were appointed.

• Treasury Reform: This forced the territories of the Crown of Aragon to contribute to the costs of the monarchy in a manner equivalent to that of Castile.
• Army Reform: The army was improved with the creation of regiments, made up of soldiers from the same branch of service.

Economic Reforms

Land Reforms

Agriculture suffered from problems that were addressed through land reforms. These included:

• The diffusion of new crops, such as potatoes, and new techniques, such as using fertilizers and new crop rotations.
• The limitation of the privileges of the Mesta, the powerful association of Castilian cattle ranchers.
• The sale of some properties of the clergy by order of the State.
• The repopulation of large tracts of land in Sierra Morena.

Trade Reforms

Trade was revitalized through several measures:

• Domestic trade benefited from progress in transportation; roads were widened and paved, and bridges were built.
• Trade with Latin America was also revitalized. The Castilian monopoly was initially attempted, and then chartered companies were created.

Social Reforms

• The nobility was criticized for enjoying wealth and privilege without performing useful roles in society.
• The clergy were criticized for their high number, the lack of training of a large portion of the lower clergy, and their great ideological influence.
• The bourgeoisie benefited from some enlightened reforms, such as decrees that considered all professions honorable.

Educational and Cultural Reforms

In education, it was thought that only education could redress social ills and change society. Therefore, primary schools and vocational schools were created, and secondary education programs were changed. The major cultural effort was focused on useful sciences like mathematics, physics, and geology.