CHRONOLOGY - Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 429

1746-59
King Ferdinand VI of Spain, the second son
of Philip V, continues both his father's re-
forms and the policy of military support
to France. A relatively weak figure, Fer-
dinand fails to enhance the prestige of
the Bourbons, either in Spain or abroad.

1763
As the result of its participation in the Seven
Years' War, Spain loses Florida to Britain
but takes over the vast Louisiana region
from France.

1767
As part of his program of strengthening des-
potic power over church and state,
Charles III expels the Jesuits from all
Spanish dominions (they had already
been banished from the Portuguese
realms in 1759). The order will subse-
quently be dissolved by the papacy and
not reestablished until 1814.

1750-77
King Joseph I of Portugal, a passive figure,
surrenders the business of government
to his chief minister, Sebastião José de
Carvalho e Mello, marquês de Pombal.
Playing the role of an enlightened des-
pot, Pombal introduces a wide range of
reforms in Portugal and the colonies
that affect everything from administra-
tion and education to trade and agricul-
ture. When challenged by conservative
nobles and clergy he responds with bru-
tal repression.

1777-1816
Maria I is queen of Portugal. Her mother,
the widowed regent, arranged for her to
marry the late king's brother, who rules
jointly as Peter III until his death in 1786.
Pombal's influence is quickly subverted,
and his dismissal follows. 1755

Catastrophic earthquake at Lisbon destroys
much of the city, and thousands perish in
the accompanying fires and tidal wave.
Pombal's energetic response to the disas-
ter and his program of reconstruction
does much to confirm his role as the
strongman of the government.

1779
Spain renews hostilities against Great Brit-
ain by joining in the American Revolu-
tion. As a result Spain regains Florida
(1783).

1788-1808
Charles IV, king of Spain, a pale shadow of
his father, spends his entire reign re-
sponding to the disruptions growing out
of the French Revolution (1789).

1759-88
Charles III, king of Spain, third son of Philip
V, is an able practitioner of enlightened
despotism. He continues the reforms of
administration and economy at home
and in the colonies.

1792
Queen Maria I becomes insane (an infirmity
that also affected her father in his last
years), and her son, Prince John, assumes
the regency of Portugal, a position he will
hold for the next 24 years. John is a

1761
Portuguese support for Britain during the
Seven Years' War leads to a Spanish inva-
sion, repulsed with difficulty.