Charles IV of Spain

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Charles IV of Spain
Portrait of Charles IV, by Francisco de Goya (c. 1789). Oil on canvas, 127 cm × 94 cm, Museo del Prado (Madrid).
King of Spain
ReignDecember 14, 1788 – March 19, 1808 (19 years)
PredecessorCharles III
SuccessorFerdinand VII
BornNovember 11, 1748
Portici, Kingdom of Naples
DiedJanuary 19, 1819 (aged 70)
Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Burial
Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial
SpouseMaria Luisa of Parma (1765–1819)
IssueSee Marriage and children
HouseBourbon
FatherCharles III of Spain
MotherMaria Amalia of Saxony
SignatureCharles IV of Spain's signature
Military career
Conflicts

Charles IV of Spain (in Spanish, Carlos IV), called "the Hunter" (Portici, November 11, 1748 – Naples, January 19, 1819), was King of Spain from December 14, 1788, until March 19, 1808. He was the son and successor of Charles III and of Maria Amalia of Saxony.

He acceded to the throne shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolution, and his lack of character led him to delegate the government of his reign to his wife Maria Luisa of Parma and to his favorite, Manuel Godoy, who was said to be the Queen's lover, a circumstance accepted as true by historians such as Balansó or Zavala[1] and denied by others.[2] These events frustrated the expectations with which he began his reign. Upon the death of Charles III, the worsening of the economy and the disarray of the administration revealed the limits of reformism, while the French Revolution put on the table an alternative to the Ancien Régime.

Early years

Charles IV in his youth (c. 1765), in a portrait by Mengs (Museo del Prado, Madrid).

He was born on November 11, 1748, in Portici, during his father's reign in the Two Sicilies. He was baptized as Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario Serafín Diego.

In 1759, after the death without issue of his uncle, King Ferdinand VI of Spain, his father came to occupy the Spanish Throne. In this way, Charles became heir to the Hispanic Monarchy, being sworn in as Prince of Asturias on July 19, 1760.

He succeeded his father, Charles III, upon the latter's death on December 14, 1788.

Reign

Main article: Reign of Charles IV
2-escudo gold coin, minted in Madrid in 1798 with the legend in Latin: ·CAROL[US]·IIII·D[EI]·G[RATIA]·HISP[PANIARUM]
·ET·IND[IARUM]·R[EX]·

Government of the Count of Floridablanca (1777–1792)

Charles IV's first decisions showed reformist intentions. He confirmed the Count of Floridablanca, an enlightened figure, in his post as first Secretary of State and of the Office; Floridablanca began his administration with measures such as the remission of arrears in taxes, limits on the price of bread, restriction of the accumulation of property in mortmain, suppression of entails and mayorazgos, and the promotion of economic development. The monarch himself took the initiative to repeal the Salic law imposed by his predecessor Philip V, a measure ratified by the Cortes of 1789, which was never promulgated.

The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 radically changed Spanish policy. As news arrived from France, the Crown's nervousness grew, and it ended up closing the Cortes which, controlled by Floridablanca (kept in power on his father's advice), had met to recognize the Prince of Asturias. Isolation seemed to be the recipe for preventing the spread of revolutionary ideas to Spain. Floridablanca, in view of the gravity of events, suspended the Family Compacts, established controls on the border to prevent revolutionary expansion, and exerted strong diplomatic pressure in support of Louis XVI. He also put an end to the reformist projects of the previous reign and replaced them with conservatism and repression (mainly at the hands of the Inquisition, which arrested Cabarrús, banished Jovellanos and stripped Campomanes of his offices).

Government of the Count of Aranda

In 1792, Floridablanca was replaced by the Count of Aranda, a friend of Voltaire and of other French enlightened figures, to whom the King entrusted the difficult task of saving the life of his cousin King Louis XVI at the moment when, after the failure of the flight to Varennes, the latter had accepted the French Constitution of 1791.

However, the revolutionary radicalization from 1792 onward and the dethronement of Louis XVI—the French King was imprisoned and the Republic was proclaimed—precipitated the fall of the Count of Aranda and the rise to power of Manuel Godoy on November 15, 1792.

First Government of Manuel Godoy

Charles IV (1790–1791) by Francisco Bayeu (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid).

Manuel Godoy, a member of the royal bodyguard, rose rapidly at court thanks to the friendship and trust the monarchs bestowed upon him. In a few years he went from being a hidalgo to becoming Duke of Alcudia and of Sueca, Captain General and, from the end of 1792, the "universal minister" of Charles IV with enormous power. Of enlightened thought, he promoted reformist measures such as provisions favoring the teaching of applied sciences, protection of the Economic Societies of Friends of the Country, and the so-called disentailment of Godoy of properties belonging to hospitals, almshouses and hospices run by religious communities.

The French Revolution conditioned his conduct of Spanish policy. His first measures were aimed at saving the life of Louis XVI, who had been tried and sentenced to death. Despite the efforts of all the European courts, the French Monarch was guillotined in January 1793, which led to a general war of the European powers against revolutionary France known as the War of the Convention, in which Spain took part and was defeated by republican France, as a result of disastrous supply, the very poor preparation of the army, and the low morale of the troops in the face of the impassioned French sans-culottes. An army of 25,000 men[citation needed] led by General Ricardos entered Roussillon and achieved some successes. From 1794 onward the Spanish troops were forced to retreat. The French occupied Figueras, Irún, San Sebastián, Bilbao, Vitoria and Miranda de Ebro.

Godoy signed the Peace of Basel with France in 1795. The French Republic returned the occupied towns to Spain, in exchange for the Spanish territory of the island of Hispaniola—the colony of Santo Domingo. In gratitude, King Charles IV granted him the title of Prince of the Peace.

In 1796, with the most radical phase of the Revolution concluded, Godoy signed the Treaty of San Ildefonso and Spain became an ally of France. This change of position sought confrontation with Great Britain, the principal adversary of revolutionary France and a traditional enemy of Spain, with which it disputed maritime hegemony and, specifically, trade with America. The Spanish squadron suffered defeat off Cape St. Vincent in 1797, but Cádiz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife withstood the attacks of Admiral Nelson. In America the British occupied the island of Trinidad, and suffered a defeat at Puerto Rico. This brought about Godoy's fall in May 1798.

Governments of Saavedra and Urquijo

After that, two enlightened figures, Francisco de Saavedra and Mariano Luis de Urquijo, succeeded each other at the head of the government between 1798 and 1800.

Second Government of Manuel Godoy

Manuel de Godoy (1790), by Antonio Carnicero (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid).

The rise to power of Napoleon in 1799 and his proclamation as Emperor in 1804 altered international relations, and the alliance with France was renewed. Napoleon needed, in his struggle against the British, to count on the collaboration of Spain, above all of its squadron. Therefore, he pressured Charles IV to restore his trust in Godoy. Godoy assumed power again in 1800 and signed the Convention of Aranjuez of 1801, by which he placed the Spanish squadron at Napoleon's disposal, which once again implied war against Great Britain.

In 1801 Godoy declared war on Portugal, Britain's principal ally on the continent, before France did. This conflict, known as the War of the Oranges, meant the occupation of Olivenza by Spain, which also obtained Portugal's commitment to prevent British ships from docking in its ports.

In 1805, the defeat of the Franco-Spanish squadron at the Battle of Trafalgar by the British Navy changed the situation radically. In the face of Great Britain's hegemony at sea, Napoleon resorted to the continental blockade, a measure that Spain joined. In 1807 the Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed, which established the partition of Portugal among France, Spain and Godoy himself, and the right of passage through Spain for the French troops charged with its occupation.

Final crisis

Charles IV (1825), by José de Madrazo (Royal Palace of Aranjuez)

With such a succession of wars, the crisis of the Treasury worsened to the extreme; and Charles IV's ministers proved incapable of solving it, since fear of revolution prevented them from introducing the necessary reforms, which would have harmed the interests of the privileged estates, altering the traditional order.[3]

The presence of French soldiers on Spanish territory increased opposition to Godoy, who was at odds with the most traditional sectors because of his reformist policy and his capitulation to Napoleon. At the end of 1807 the Conspiracy of El Escorial took place, which was presented as a conspiracy headed by Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, which sought the replacement of Godoy and the dethronement of his own father.[4] In reality, Ferdinand only intended to negotiate his marriage to a French Princess and, in the event of his father's death, to get rid of Godoy.[4] Both Godoy and the Queen, who distrusted Ferdinand, tried to use his dealings with the French ambassador to discredit him, without success.[4] Nevertheless, Ferdinand himself denounced his collaborators and asked for his parents' forgiveness.[5] The scandal marked the beginning of the end of Charles's reign.[4] In March 1808, faced with the evidence of the French occupation, Godoy advised the monarchs to leave the peninsula and take refuge in America.[6] But the Mutiny of Aranjuez broke out, a popular uprising stirred up by Prince Ferdinand and the nobles opposed to Godoy, against the monarchs, taking advantage of their presence at the palace of Aranjuez.[7] Godoy was taken prisoner by the mutineers.[8] Charles IV, ill and disheartened, abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinand VII in view of the turn of events:[9]

As the ailments from which I suffer do not allow me to bear any longer the heavy weight of the government of my kingdoms, and as it is necessary for me, in order to restore my health, to enjoy in a more temperate climate the tranquility of private life, I have determined, after the most serious deliberation, to abdicate my crown in favor of my heir and my very dear son the Prince of Asturias. Therefore it is my royal will that he be recognized and obeyed as King and natural Lord of all my kingdoms and dominions.

— Gaceta de Madrid, March 25, 1808

Napoleon, wary of the change of monarch, summoned the Spanish royal family to a meeting in the French town of Bayonne.[10] Charles and Maria Luisa left for France on April 22, preceded by Godoy, whom they had asked the French to release.[10] Napoleon encouraged Charles to demand that Ferdinand return the crown and was the arbiter in the dispute that father and son carried on for several days.[11] Ferdinand VII, under pressure from the Emperor and his parents, returned the Crown to Charles IV on May 6, without knowing that the day before Charles IV had agreed to cede his rights to the crown in favor of Napoleon, who finally designated his brother Joseph as the new King of Spain.[12]

Exile and death

Napoleon arranged for Charles to be moved to the Palace of Compiègne, 80 km north of Paris.[13] He never returned to Spain.[13] Shortly afterward, the King asked to be allowed to settle in Nice, since the climate of Picardy aggravated the suffering caused by the gout that had afflicted him for years. The Emperor accepted the move, making clear that it took place "at the King's own expense," failing to keep the promises of financial compensation made to the Monarch. The Spanish monarchs did not find accommodation in Nice and, burdened by debts, settled in Marseille. But it would not be long before Napoleon sent Charles, his wife and his court to the Borghese palace in Rome, where they would settle in the summer of 1812.

When Napoleon fell in 1814, Charles and Maria Luisa moved to the Palazzo Barberini, also in Rome, where they would remain for almost four years, living on the pension sent to them by their son Ferdinand, who, now restored to the throne of Spain, denied his parents their return. Charles traveled to Naples to visit his brother Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and to find relief from the gout that tormented him, leaving his wife in Rome bedridden with both legs broken and in an extremely deteriorated state of health.[14] After receiving extreme unction on January 1, 1819, Maria Luisa of Parma died the following day.[15]

When Charles, informed of his wife's death, was preparing to return to Rome on January 13, he was struck by an attack of gout with fever from which he would not recover, dying on January 19, 1819.[16]

Patronage

Charles was interested in art from his youth. An amateur violinist, in 1775 he purchased for the court the quartet of Stradivarius instruments currently preserved in the Royal Palace of Madrid, and he surrounded himself with a privileged musical circle directed by the violinist and composer Gaetano Brunetti.

He was also interested in painting, commissioning works from Luis Meléndez, Claude Joseph Vernet and Luis Paret and appointing Francisco de Goya court painter in 1789. He also gathered several old paintings of the highest quality, now in the Museo del Prado, such as the two side panels of the Werl Triptych by Robert Campin and two famous works by Raphael: Holy Family with the Lamb and Portrait of a Cardinal.

Noble titles granted

During his reign he granted, between titles of Spain and titles of the Indies, 179 noble titles, of which 33 were Grandees of Spain.

Marriage and children

The Family of Charles IV (1800–1801) by Goya (Museo del Prado).

Charles IV married his first cousin Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma (daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma) in 1765. They had fourteen children from the twenty-four times that Maria Luisa of Parma was pregnant, but only seven reached adulthood:

Ancestors

Filmography

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Zavala, José María. "Bastardos y Borbones" (in español). Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ La Parra López, E. (2002): Manuel Godoy: la aventura del poder; Rúspoli, E. (2004): Godoy: La lealtad de un gobernante ilustrado.
  3. ↑ Biografías y Vidas. "Carlos IV de España" (in español). Retrieved July 4, 2004.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 55.
  5. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 53.
  6. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 58.
  7. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, pp. 58–60.
  8. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 62.
  9. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 63.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 74.
  11. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, pp. 75–76.
  12. ↑ Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 76.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sánchez Mantero 2001, p. 77.
  14. ↑ Granados Loureda, Juan Antonio (2010). Breve Historia de los Borbones españoles (in español). Nowtilus. p. 114 ff. ISBN 8497639421, 9788497639422. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  15. ↑ Susarte Molina, Francisco (2000). Bodas y partos de las reinas de España (in español). Instituto de Cultura Juan Gil Albert. p. 287. ISBN 8477843759, 9788477843757. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  16. ↑ "Gaceta de Madrid" (in español) (16). 1819: 133. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Bibliography

  • Lynch, John, El siglo XVIII, Crítica, Barcelona, 1991 (1989).
  • Sánchez Mantero, Rafael (2001). Fernando VII. Borbones, 6 (in español). Madrid: Arlanza. ISBN 84-95503-23-9.
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