One of the pillars of Floridablanca's beliefs was that friendly relations with Britain were crucial for the general improvement of Spain. It was considered ironic that in 1779 Spain, at the urging of the King, entered the American War of Independence on France's side, declaring war in Britain.
Despite his reluctance, Floriblanca took much of the credit for the war, as a Spanish force took advantage of the overstretched British Navy and took several of their colonies in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. In the peace treaty that followed, Spain was awarded Minorca and Florida which had been lost to the British earlier in the century.
The war strengthened the governments position during the 1780s, and they pressed ahead with many reforms. A new threat to power began to emerge in the form of Manuel Godoy, a royal favourite and a Francophile, who grew increasingly influential. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution the reforming liberalism of Floridablanca and his followers rapidly fell out of fashion, and he was dismissed to make way for Godoy in 1792.
Charles IV was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.
Charles III was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (1735–1759). He was the fourth son of Philip V of Spain and the eldest son of Philip's second wife, Elisabeth Farnese. He was a proponent of enlightened absolutism and regalism.
The War of the Oranges was a brief conflict in 1801 in which Spanish forces, instigated by the government of France, and ultimately supported by the French military, invaded Portugal. It was a precursor to the Peninsular Wars, resulting in the Treaty of Badajoz, the loss of Portuguese territory, in particular Olivenza, as well as ultimately setting the stage for the complete invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by French forces.
José Moñino y Redondo, 1st Count of Floridablanca was a Spanish statesman. He was the reformist chief minister of King Charles III of Spain, and also served briefly under Charles IV. He was arguably Spain's most effective statesman in the eighteenth century. In Spain, he is simply known as Conde de Floridablanca.
The Tumult of Aranjuez, also known as the Mutiny of Aranjuez, was an uprising led against King Charles IV that took place in the town of Aranjuez, Spain, on 17–19 March 1808. The event, which is celebrated annually in the first week of September, commemorates the fall of the monarch and the subsequent accession of his son Ferdinand VII. It is celebrated in September rather than in March as the revived celebrations in Aranjuez that began in 1988 were added on top of pre-existing September festivals.
Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea y Jiménez de Urrea, 10th Count of Aranda, was a Spanish statesman and diplomat.
Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from 17 October 1789 to 11 July 1794. He is known as a great reformer and one of the finest administrators of the Spanish colonial era.
Maria Luisa of Parma was, by marriage to King Charles IV of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1788 to 1808 leading up to the Peninsular War. Her relationship with Manuel Godoy and influence over the King made her unpopular among the people and aristocrats. She was rivals with the Duchess of Alba and the Duchess of Osuna. The death of her daughter-in-law Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, whom she disliked, was said to be the result of poisoning by the Queen.
Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca de Carini y Branciforte, 1st Marquess of Branciforte,, was an Italian military officer of the Spanish Empire, who served as 53rd Viceroy of New Spain from July 12, 1794, to May 31, 1798.
In the Napoleonic era, junta was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders. The juntas were usually formed by adding prominent members of society, such as prelates, to the already-existing ayuntamientos. The juntas of the capitals of the traditional peninsular kingdoms of Spain styled themselves "Supreme Juntas", to differentiate themselves from, and claim authority over, provincial juntas. Juntas were also formed in Spanish America during this period in reaction to the developments in Spain.
Spain, through its alliance with France and as part of its conflict with Britain, played a role in the independence of the United States. Spain declared war on Britain as an ally of France, itself an ally of the American colonies. Most notably, Spanish forces attacked British positions in the south and captured West Florida from Britain in the siege of Pensacola. This secured the southern route for supplies and closed off the possibility of any British offensive through the western frontier of the United States via the Mississippi River. Spain also provided money, supplies, and munitions to the American forces.
Pablo Jerónimo Grimaldi y Pallavicini, 1st Duke of Grimaldi, GE was a Spanish diplomat and politician. After extensive experience as an Ambassador, Grimaldi served as Chief Minister of Spain between 1763 and 1778 helping to rebuild Spanish power following its defeat during the Seven Years' War. For his services as Secretary of State, he was granted the title of Duke of Grimaldi by King Charles III of Spain. Grimaldi was of Genoese descent, and a member of the House of Grimaldi.
The Anglo-Spanish War was fought between 1796 and 1802, and again from 1804 to 1808, as part of the Coalition Wars. The war ended when an unexpected alliance was formed between Great Britain and the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, resulting in the French invasion. The Anglo-Spanish alliance eventually ended in military victory against Napoleonic France, instrumental in ending Napoleon's reign and dominance over Europe.
Mariano Luis de Urquijo y Muga was Secretary of State of Spain from 12 February 1799 to 13 December 1800, during the reign of King Carlos IV of Spain, and between 7 July 1808 and 27 June 1813 under the King Joseph Bonaparte.
The Grimaldi Ministry was a Spanish government headed by Jerónimo Grimaldi which lasted between 9 October 1763 and 19 February 1777. Following Spain's disastrous performance in the Seven Years' War, Grimaldi was tasked with pushing through reforms of the navy, army, public finances and colonial administration system which he did with some success. His government was packed with reforms known as Grillos, many of whom wanted to remodel the Spanish state to closer resemble that of Britain.
The Aranda Ministry was a Spanish government headed by Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, Count of Aranda, which briefly led the country from 28 February to 15 November 1792. It was intended as a stop-gap administration between the outgoing Floridablanca Ministry and the rising star and royal favourite Manuel Godoy.
Napoleonic Spain was the part of Spain loyal to Joseph I during the Peninsular War (1808–1813), forming a Bonapartist client state officially known as the Kingdom of Spain after the country was partially occupied by forces of the First French Empire.
The invasion of Algiers was a massive and disastrous amphibious attempt in July 1775 by a combined Spanish and Tuscan force to capture the city of Algiers, the capital of The Deylik of Algeria. The amphibious assault was led by Spanish general Alexander O'Reilly and Tuscan admiral Sir John Acton, commanding a total of 20,000 men along with 74 warships of various sizes and 230 transport ships carrying the troops for the invasion. The defending Algerian forces were led by Baba Mohammed ben-Osman. The assault was ordered by the King of Spain, Charles III, who was attempting to demonstrate to the Barbary States the power of the revitalized Spanish military after the disastrous Spanish experience in the Seven Years' War. The assault was also meant to demonstrate that Spain would defend its North African exclaves against any Ottoman or Moroccan encroachment, and reduce the influence that the Barbary states held in the Mediterranean.
Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria Ríos, 1st Prince of the Peace, 1st Duke of Alcudia, 1st Duke of Sueca, 1st Baron of Mascalbó, was the First Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and then from 1801 to 1808, and as such, one of the central Spanish political figures during the rise of Napoleon and his invasion of Spain. Godoy came to power at a young age as the favourite of King Charles IV and Queen Maria Luisa. He has been partly blamed for the Anglo-Spanish War of 1796–1808 that brought an end to the Spanish Empire. Godoy's unmatched power ended in 1808 with the Tumult of Aranjuez, which forced him into a long exile. He died in Paris in 1851.
The Kingdom of Spain entered a new era with the death of Charles II, the last Spanish Habsburg monarch, who died childless in 1700. The War of the Spanish Succession was fought between proponents of a Bourbon prince, Philip of Anjou, and the Austrian Habsburg claimant, Archduke Charles. After the wars were ended with the Peace of Utrecht, Philip V's rule began in 1715, although he had to renounce his place in the succession of the French throne.
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