Death of Charles III of Spain

Background. Charles III (Carlos Sebastián de Borbón y Farnesio) was born on 20 January 1716 and had been King of Spain from 1759, when he succeeded his childless half-brother Ferdinand VI. Before Spain, he had ruled as Duke of Parma and Piacenza and as King of Naples and Sicily.

The Death and Succession. Charles III died on 14 December 1788, months before the eruption of the French Revolution in July 1789. His son Charles IV succeeded to the throne and ruled for the next two decades, reigning as King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.

Context of the Transition. The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability. His father had pursued an active reform policy seeking to reinvigorate Spain politically and economically and to bind the Spanish Empire more closely to the metropole, a legacy that shaped the monarchy Charles IV received.