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• During the 18th century Spanish population increased from 7 to 11 million, higher than the European average for this period
• Ownership types of land in Spain

  • Manos Muertas
  • Mayorazgos
  • Realengos
• Manos Muertas


  Land owned by the church and religious orders that could not be sold
• Mayorazgos


  Land owned by noble families that would be inherited entirely by the firstborn son
• Realengos


  Land owned by the king
• Enlightenment thinkers were influenced by the theory of Physiocracy, which stated that a nation's wealth was derived primarily from its agriculture
• Enlightenment thinkers criticized manos muertas and mayorazgos because they were not very productive, and many had been abandoned
• Carlos III's reforms

  1. Gave realengo land to colonist so that they could farm it

  2. Aimed to create a new class of farm owners concerned about the productivity of their land
• Types of trade

  • Domestic trade
  • Foreign trade
• Domestic trade


  • Although the bourbons invested in civil engineering projects and created the position of intendence to organize the economies of the provinces, it was difficult to really be successful by internal customs and the poor conditions of the roads
• Foreign trade


  • This type of trade was more important, almost all of it was with America
  • Trade was through monopolies of large companies based only in the port of Cadiz
  • This changed with Carlos III, who signed decrees approving free trade in various ports in the Iberian Peninsula and in Spanish colonies in America
• Trade with America was very unequal. Spain exported to America mainly raw materials such as wool and iron, and some foods. From America, Spain imported precious metals -especially silver-, tobacco and foods such as sugar and cocoa
• Spain also exported and imported goods to Europe
• Enlightenment governments promoted the domestic industry, especially in the textile sector, but this sector could not compete with the factories in Catalonia, which in the 19th century began to produce greater quantities of cotton fabric at better prices
• The Bourbons' financial policy

  1. Reorganized the Treasury

  2. Conducted census of the whole population to calculate how much wealth was being produced and how much the government could collect in tax

  3. These calculations were made possible thanks to the catastros
• However, the nobility still did not pay taxes