HISTORICAL DICTIONARY A–Z - Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 243

Joseph I (José I) (1714-1777)
king of Portugal
Soon after succeeding his father, J OHN V, i n
1750, Joseph turned over most of the busi-
ness of government to his chief minister,
P OMBAL . Credited with being an enlightened
despot, the monarch merely acquiesced for
the most part in his adviser's decisions. The
notable events and initiatives of his reign
were, therefore, actually more truly associ-
ated with Pombal than his master. They
included the great L ISBON earthquake of
1755, the ruthless repression of a plot
against the king's life in 1758, and a series of
measures aimed at curbing the power of the
church. The enlightened reforms associated
with this reign affected both Portugal and
B RAZIL . Many of them were short lived due
to the opposition of entrenched interests.
Joseph also proved unfortunate in foreign
policy, being pressured into joining Spain
and France in the Seven Years' War (1756-
63) against his country's traditional ally,
Great Britain. The king's deteriorating health
during his later years raised questions about
the stability of the succession, which were
further complicated by the growing unpop-
ularity of the chief minister. The death of
Joseph, soon followed by the fall of Pombal,
ushered in a period of decline for the Portu-
guese monarchy.

King Joseph I of Spain (Library of Congress)

diplomatic assignments and was rewarded
with the Kingdom of Naples when that
country's Bourbon dynasty was over-
thrown. Within two years King Giuseppe
was transformed into King José when the
emperor removed the Spanish Bourbons
and placed his brother on the throne in
Madrid. The new king and his Neapolitan
subjects apparently had been happy with
each other. Such was not the case in Spain.
Joseph I had little knowledge or apprecia-
tion for his new realm, and only a minority
of Spaniards had the least respect for him,
preferring instead to circulate diatribes and
mocking nicknames (the epithet “Pepe
Botella,” “Joe Bottles,” was a reference to
his alleged heavy drinking, which seems to
have been inaccurate). Some Spaniards,
known as afrancesados, supported his regime

Joseph I (José I, Joseph Bonaparte)
(1768-1844)
king of Spain
Joseph Bonaparte, elder brother and close
collaborator of the French military dictator
Napoléon Bonaparte (Emperor Napoléon
I), was born in Corsica and had a political
career paralleling that of his soldier brother.
By 1806 he had served in various important