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| 1740–48 |
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| War of the Austrian Succession (See 1740–48). Spain took part in the war as the ally of France against Austria. | 1 |
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| 1749 |
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| The marquis of Ensenada, minister of Finance, introduced a tax plan that consolidated all Spanish taxes. His plan was never implemented, because Spanish officials would not follow it. These sorts of difficulties hampered any major reforms in the first half of the 18th century. | 2 |
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| 1754 |
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| Concordat with the Vatican. Thereby the Spanish church became practically independent of Rome and was placed under the control of the government. | 3 |
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| 1754 |
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| Ferdinand VI made all Viscayans nobles. This demonstrated the gradual erosion of privilege in Spanish society. | 4 |
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| 1756–63 |
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| The Seven Years' War (See 1756–63). Spain at first remained neutral, though Spanish troops recovered Minorca (1756). | 5 |
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| 1759–88 |
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| CHARLES III, son of Elizabeth Farnese and hitherto king of the Two Sicilies, which he now passed on to his son Ferdinand. Charles adopted a policy of vigorous reform in an attempt to strengthen the monarchy along absolutist lines. He built an extensive road system outward from Madrid and founded a hospital, an observatory, and the Prado, a natural history museum. | 6 |
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| 1761, Aug. 15 |
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| Second pacte de famille with France, against Britain. In this generally defensive arrangement the Bourbon states of Italy were included. | 7 |
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| 1762 |
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| Spain joined in the war against Britain. The British seized Cuba and the Philippines. By the Treaty of Paris (Feb. 10, 1763), Spain recovered these possessions but lost Minorca and Florida. In return for the loss of Florida, France ceded Louisiana to Spain. | 8 |
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| 1765 |
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| Charles III established free trade in grain and prohibited any monopolies or guilds from restricting such trade. While designed to provide better trade, this law and the subsequent poor harvest resulted in hoarding. | 9 |
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| 1766 |
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| Riots and hoarding throughout Spain. | 10 |
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| 1767 |
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| Jesuits secretly expelled from Spain. | 11 |
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| 1769 |
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| Charles began nominating the directors to all universities and submitted them to inspection. | 12 |
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