kingdom · Iberia

Bourbon Spain

1700 CE – 1868 CE · capital Madrid

Spain under the Bourbon dynasty from Philip V to Isabella II, a time of centralising reform, Napoleonic invasion and the loss of most of its American empire.

Origins

Charles II, last of Habsburg Spain, left the throne to Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV, who became Philip V in 1700. The War of the Spanish Succession confirmed him as king but cost Spain its European possessions at Utrecht in 1713, while the Nueva Planta decrees abolished the separate institutions of the Crown of Aragon.

Rule and society

The Bourbons built a more centralised state on the French model, with intendants, new academies and royal factories. Charles III (1759-1788) promoted roads, trade reform and enlightened ministers and expelled the Jesuits. The monarchy was shattered by the 1808 French invasion; Ferdinand VII then restored absolutism, and the American colonies won independence in the 1810s and 1820s.

Decline and legacy

Isabella II's reign was dominated by Carlist Wars, generals and court scandal. The Glorious Revolution of September 1868 drove her into exile, opening the Sexenio Democrático.

Lineage

Kingdom of Aragon 1035 CE – 1707 CE Principality of Catalonia 1162 CE – 1716 CE Crown of Aragon 1162 CE – 1716 CE Crown of Castile 1230 CE – 1715 CE Kingdom of Majorca 1231 CE – 1715 CE Kingdom of Valencia 1238 CE – 1707 CEBourbon SpainSexenio Democrático 1868 CE – 1874 CE

Connections (7)

Bourbon Spain was part of Spanish Empire1700 CE – 1868 CE
Spanish Florida was a colony of Bourbon Spain1700 CE – 1821 CE
Kingdom of Galicia was part of Bourbon Spain1715 CE – 1833 CE
Spanish Louisiana was a colony of Bourbon Spain1762 CE – 1800 CE
Province of West Florida was conquered by Bourbon Spain1781 CE
Bourbon Spain was conquered by Bonapartist Spain1808 CE – 1813 CE
Bonapartist Spain split from Bourbon Spain1808 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bourbon Spain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bourbon-spain
MLA: “Bourbon Spain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bourbon-spain. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Bourbon Spain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bourbon-spain.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bourbon Spain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bourbon-spain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻