Charles III Of Spain - Spain's Most BELOVED King

The enlightened Charles III of Spain pushed through reformations which caused him to go down in history as the most popular king ever of Spain. Let's find out why. Charles III of Spain was born in Madrid on January 20, 1716. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese. At the time of his birth, Charles was only fourth in line to the Spanish throne. The three half-brothers born from Philip V's marriage to Maria Luisa Gabriela of Savoy came before him. Therefore, Charles's childhood was unremarkable. Charles received an education appropriate to his station. His mother Elisabeth, who was a clever, energetic and power-conscious woman, realized that the best prospects for her son's future were to be found in Italy. She herself came from the Farnese family that ruled Parma. The queen ensured that her son would become intensively acquainted with the history, politics and customs of Italy as part of his education. Although Spain had given up its possessions in Italy to the Habsburgs by signing the Peace of Utrecht after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, Elisabeth Farnese worked hard to revise this. Thus, in the Treaty of Vienna, it was agreed that Charles would be allowed to take over the Duchy of Parma if the reigning Duke Antonio Farnese died without offspring. In 1724, Philip V of Spain abdicated in favor of his eldest son Louis. Sadly though, the young king died of smallpox after only seven months on the throne without leaving any descendants of his own. Philip V's second son had already died in 1719, so Charles now became second in line to the throne after his half-brother Ferdinand. Due to Ferdinand's young age, Philip V was left with no option but to return to the throne despite suffering from depression. In 1731, the Duke of Parma, Antonio Farnese, died exactly on the day of Charles's 15th birthday. Charles, now Duke Charles I, traveled to Parma, supported by his father, who placed several advisors at his son's side. The Spanish expansionist efforts were not at their end yet. In 1733, Spain concluded the First Family Pact with France, and Spain now sided with France against England and Austria in the War of the Polish Succession. Spain mainly targeted the Kingdom of Naples, conquering Naples in a coup d'état on May 10, 1734, and Charles took over the rule of the kingdom in the name of his father. Austria handed over Naples and Sicily to the Spanish Bourbon as a secondary monarchy, and Charles was crowned King of Naples and Sicily as Charles VII. In return, Spain gave Parma to the Habsburgs. Charles undertook numerous reforms in Naples. He compiled the country's legislation in a collection of laws, the privileges of the large landowners were minimalized, and restrictions on trade, both domestic and for export, were lifted. In 1738, Charles married Maria Amalia of Saxony. Although the marriage was arranged for political reasons, Maria Amalia and Charles were very happy together. The Queen took an active part in the politics of the country and was involved in major decisions of the government. During his reign in Naples and Sicily, Charles started with the construction of the Palace of Caserta. The first excavation of Roman buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum also began under his reign. After the death of Philip V of Spain in 1746, Charles' brother Ferdinand became the new King of Spain. Charles was now next in line to the throne, as Ferdinand had no offspring. Charles and Maria Amalia had 13 children, seven of whom reached adulthood. Their eldest son suffered from epilepsy and was therefore excluded from the succession. He was given the title Duke of Calabria and died unmarried and childless. The dynastic line was to be continued with the second born son, Charles. The Crown Prince was of healthy stature but moderately intelligent, and his father kept him away from all state duties. When Ferdinand VI of Spain died on August 10, 1759, Charles inherited the Spanish throne as Charles III. At this point, Charles was 43 years old and had extensive experience ruling Parma and Naples. He immediately started introducing comprehensive reforms and giving Spain a modernization push. In doing so, he could not count on the support of the nobility who wanted to preserve their position and privileges. The middle class, however, welcomed the reforms as an opportunity to achieve better positions through hard work. Upon the start of Charles's reign, Spain crumbled under a large national debt. The state's economy was also in decline. Finances were restructured through increased export revenues and a modern and consistent tax policy. The enlightened Charles also undertook an effort to start up a social policy. Orphanages and hospitals were established and the homeless and beggars were offered jobs in the Spanish navy. The carrying of firearms and gambling in public were prohibited. Under Charles III, the power of the church was massively curtailed and ecclesiastical property was subjected to taxation. The Spanish had a mixed reaction to their king's numerous reform plans. After the country had been frozen in clerical conservatism for 200 years under the Habsburgs, the reform of Charles III were met with little support. Charles's foreign policy was disastrous. His hatred of the English led Spain to become involved in the Seven Years' War, which was not beneficial for Spain. In 1770, he came close to being involved in another war with the English over the Falkland Islands. In 1779, Charles reluctantly became involved in the American War of Independence as he joined France and the American rebels. During his Spanish reign, Charles initiated major urban building projects, especially in Madrid, where he commissioned public lighting, sewage systems and numerous representative buildings. Under his rule in Spain, the country experienced an economic boom that led to a considerable increase in population from 6 million to 10.5 million inhabitants. Charles III died on December 14, 1788, on the eve of the French Revolution. He was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings at the Monastery of El Escorial. Charles was succeeded by his second son, Charles IV. His death was widely mourned in Spain and Charles went down in history as the most popular king ever of Spain.