Royal Palace of Madrid

The current civil wars (the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of Independence) excluded Spain on a second order in the international scene; that was why it should be reformed in order to compete with the main international powers. It is the Age of Enlightenment. In Spain, the development of an enlightened thought was favoured by the arrival of the Borbón dynasty to the throne and the contact with intellectuals from other European countries.

If the main person to start the reform was the King, the rest of the authorities should support him. In this way, a new critic conscience appeared as a way of patriotism among a minority of Spaniards. The foreign policy should be revised, the power should be centralized, the administration should be reformed, the economy should experience an increase, and in the social field it was necessary to favour an attitude towards the work and renew the culture and the scientific thought. A great part of reformist and political intellectuals took part in this project. This new cultural and intellectual mentality will be spread to the rest of the people by the intellectuals.

The policy of the reform was more developed during Fernando VI´ s reign, and it achieved its fullness during Carlos III´ s reign, thanks to Campomanes´ s intellect and activity.

The first members of the Borbón dynasty, who made Madrid a perfect place for the political, social and cultural life, made a series of modifications in the palace when the city became the capital city of the Empire. In 1561, they carried out a series of internal and decorative reforms based on the French style.