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a movement of reform that he would later
introduce into Spain.
Following the death of his half brother,
F ERDINAND VI, in 1759 Charles succeeded to
the Spanish throne (leaving a younger son
to maintain the Neapolitan line of the Bour-
bons). During the early years of his reign,
still under the influence of Italian advisers,
he aroused opposition from various inter-
ests in Spain including the Jesuits and had
to put down a number of conspiracies. Dur-
ing the latter part of his reign, however, he
enjoyed growing popularity and was given
credit for increased national prosperity.
The least successful of this king's policies
lay in the area of foreign relations, for he
allowed his personal antagonism toward
Britain (dating back to experiences in
Naples) to draw him into the final stages of
the Seven Years' War, 1761-63, which cost
him F LORIDA . He also supported the Ameri-
can revolutionaries between 1779 and
1783. Although this intervention regained
Florida for Spain, it created a dangerous
new neighbor in the Western Hemisphere
who would play a major role in the ulti-
mate downfall of the Spanish Empire.
The domestic policy of Charles III was far
more positive both in its inspiration and exe-
cution. Applying the tactics of enlightened
despotism, he forced an often-reluctant pop-
ulation to modernize the management of
national resources, improve transportation
and communications, and accept a more
rigorous government supervision of local
administration and taxes. Foreign experts
were brought in to assist progressive minis-
ters such as A RANDA and F LORIDABLANCA in
guiding Spain's development. Critics of
backward traditions, such as J OVELLANOS
and the count of Campomanes, were given
scope for their recommendations. Educa-
tion was improved, public works under-
taken, and commerce both on land and sea
supported. Agriculture and, to a lesser
degree, industry were transformed from
their neglected state.
The mentality of Charles III was that of a
practical rather than an intellectual sover-
eign. He had few interests other than hunt-
ing and was not a patron of literature or the
arts. Simple and sober in his private life, he
was a devout Catholic. Nevertheless, he
retained his mistrust of the Jesuits from
what he believed was their involvement in
opposition during the first days of his reign
and continued to harass them, banning the
order from his European and overseas pos-
sessions in 1767 and joining with other rul-
ers a few years later to procure the papal
dissolution of the Society of Jesus around
the world. Charles III was also generally
suspicious of the church's overall influence
in Spanish affairs, which he tried to limit,
and he greatly curtailed the influence of the
S PANISH I NQUISITION .
The record of Charles III in management
of Spain's New World colonies is mixed.
Inspectors and investigators were required
to send him copious reports on everything
from the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) in
the Atlantic to the California coast on the
Pacific (first settled during his reign). Forti-
fications and garrisons were increased in the
islands of the Caribbean, and trade in that
region, developed. The structure of govern-
ment was reorganized both by increasing
the number of viceroyalties and by enhanc-
ing the effectiveness of local government.
Spanish America remained plagued, how-
ever, by two serious problems. The old
inability to transform decrees issued in
Madrid into practical results on the ground
continued regardless of reform efforts. But
 
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