Charles III of Spain
Charles III. ( Born January 20, 1716 in Madrid, † December 14, 1788 ibid ) was King of Spain. He reigned from 1735 to 1759 as Charles V of Sicily / Carlo VII of Naples and Sicily from 1759 to 1788 as Charles III. of Spain.
Life
Charles III. was born on January 20, 1716 in Madrid as the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife Elisabetta Farnese ( Isabel de Farnesio ), and died on December 14, 1788 in Madrid.
Charles III. reigned in the sense of "enlightened despotism " (Spanish Despotismo Ilustrado ) as an absolutist monarch, the same omnibus ideas of the Enlightenment and among other things, the formation promoted and pushed back the influence of the church. In 1767 he ordered the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain and the Spanish possessions in America.
His administrative reforms of the Spanish colonial empire in Latin America ( " Segunda Conquista ," John Lynch ) should increase the income from the overseas colonies and consolidate political control. Charles III. but contributed by the displeasure thus generated at fundamental to the early 19th century independence wars erupting.
For the reign of Naples and Sicily he made the construction of the Palace of Caserta begin. Also during his reign in Spain, he led a major city construction projects, especially in Madrid, where he public lighting and sewage systems as well as numerous representative buildings (including the Puerta de Alcala, Plaza de Cibeles and the building of the present-day Museo del Prado ) in order gave. These construction activities earned him the nickname of "the best mayor of Madrid ".
Under his rule in Spain, the country experienced an economic boom, which led to a substantial increase in the population of 6 million to 10.5 million.
Marriage and issue
Karl married on June 19, 1738 Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony, a daughter of Frederick Augustus II, with whom he had the following children:
- María Isabel (1740-1742)
- María Josefa (* / † 1742)
- María Isabel (1743-1749)
- María Josefa (1744-1801)
- Maria Ludovica (1745-1792) ∞ 1765 Leopold II Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
- Felipe Antonio (1747-1777) Duke of Calabria
- Charles IV (1748-1819) King of Spain in 1765 ∞ Maria Louise of Bourbon -Parma ( 1751-1819 )
- María Teresa (1749-1750)
- Ferdinand I (1751-1825) King of the Two Sicilies ∞ 1768 Maria Carolina of Austria ( 1752-1814 )
- Gabriel Antonio (1752-1788) ∞ Maria Anna of Portugal (1768-1788)
- María Ana (1754-1755)
- Antonio Pascal (1755-1817) ∞ Maria Amalia de Borbón (1779-1798)
- Francisco Javier (1757-1771)
Maria Amalia honor he donated on the day of marriage, on July 6, 1738 the Januariusorden.