DESPOTISM illustrated in SPAIN

Enlightened despotism in Spain - summary

In this lesson from a TEACHER we offer you a brief summary of enlightened despotism in Spain, a form of government that emerged in Europe in the second half of the 18th century in an attempt to reconcile the absolutism with the ideas of the "century of lights" or Illustration. It was about both monarchs and subjects, to be benefited. Carlos III of Spain contributed enormously to the enrichment of the culture of the country, sometimes advised by his delegate Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, to which the Report on the Agrarian Law or the Memory on public education are owed. A detail of Jovellanos is that her sister was the poet Josefa de Jovellanos.

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Index

What is enlightened despotism
What king was the main representative of enlightened despotism in Spain? Carlos III
The reforms of Carlos III of Spain

What is enlightened despotism.

The Enlightened Despotism is a system of government that combines the monarchical absolutism with the new illustrated ideas

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. The phrase "all for the town buts without the town”, Which is attributed to different characters, became the motto of this regime and perfectly sums up the ideas of the enlightened monarchs, who ruled from an obvious paternalism. Thus, they ruled for the good of their subjects, but without counting on them. Carlos III he even said: "my vassals are like children, who cry when they are washed".

Keep in mind that the philosophers of the time, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Voltaire or Rousseau, they demanded a change in society, but in no way supported a revolution. It was about culturalize the people, but in a way directed and controlled by the monarch, who had the help of enlightened thinkers, great promoters of the growthpolitical Y economic of Europe.

But the ideas of the illustration penetrated deep into the plain town (remember that the society in the old regime was class: nobility, clergy and common state), who did not have any type of privilege, victims of an oppressive power and of a system that only favored the difference of lessons. On the other hand, a new wealthy class had emerged that had more and more power, the bourgeoisie. At the end of the century XVIII, the system collapses giving way to a model constitutional.

What king was the main representative of enlightened despotism in Spain? Carlos III.

Carlos III he intends to transform the society of his time by making it more cultured, educating her, but without this entailing any other change at the political or economic level, and above all, without breaking the established social order. To do this, he had the help of enlightened thinkers As theMarqués de Esquilache, Aranda, Campomanes, Floridablanca, Wall Y Grimaldi.

He became interested in art. Being Carlos III of Spain, he founded the Real Laboratory of Mosaics and Hard Stones of Buen Retiro, the Royal Porcelain Factory of Buen Retiro, the Royal Martinez Silver Factory and the Royal Factory of Clocks Being king of Naples he would have founded the Royal Laboratory of Hard Stones of Naples, the Royal Factory of Tapestries of Naples, the Royal Porcelain Factory of Capodimonte and the Royal Majolica Factory of Caserta.

But his most important reform was in teaching. After expel the Jesuits of the country, carries out a great teaching reform, which should be based on science and research. They took advantage of the properties of the religious order to build schools and university residences and with the seized money hospitals and orphanages were created for the most needy.

Below we will tell you what these reforms consisted of.

Enlightened despotism in Spain - summary - What king was the main representative of enlightened despotism in Spain? Carlos III

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The reforms of Carlos III of Spain.

To know how enlightened despotism was in Spain, we have to know the main reforms that the monarch carried out. Carlos III takes control of the universities and creates in Madrid the Real Estudios de San Isidro, a School of Arts and Crafts that was intended to be a model to be followed by all the others and that today would be called Professional Training. His plan of University studies it was rejected by the University of Salamanca, although it was imposed over time.

His minister, Jose de Galvez promotes an agrarian reform with the creation of Friends of the Country Economic Societies. Y Campomanes He is also committed to agriculture, defending in his Treaty of the Amortization Royalty, defending the importance of confiscation for the welfare of the people and a more equitable distribution of the land

Other important reforms were the creation of the Bank of San Carlos, the Imperial Canal of Aragon and a plan of roads which, from Madrid, led to Valencia, Andalusia, Catalonia and Galicia.

Refering to industry, he became interested in luxury items, and thus created the Porcelana del Buen Retiro, Cristales de la Granja and moved the Silver Martínez to the Paseo del Prado. The problem is that it left aside the industry specialized in basic consumer goods, and the people suffered the consequences of its waste.

Finally, highlight the construction of large monuments such as the Cibeles Fountain, the Neptune Fountain, the Puerta de Alcalá, the Alcachofa fountain, the botanical garden, the San Carlos hospital or the Prado Museum.