Charles III of Spain

Charles III was the quintessential 'enlightened despot' of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, celebrated as the best mayor Madrid ever had (el mejor alcalde de Madrid). Before ascending the Spanish throne in 1759, Charles had ruled the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily for twenty-five years, where he patronized the historic archaeological excavations that uncovered Pompeii and Herculaneum and built the majestic Royal Palace of Caserta.

Assuming the crown of Spain, Charles transformed the backward capital of Madrid into a clean, modern European metropolis: establishing street lighting, sewers, paved avenues, the Puerta de Alcalá, the Cibeles fountain, and the Royal Botanical Garden. Advised by brilliant reformist ministers like the Count of Floridablanca and Campomanes, Charles curtailed the power of the Inquisition, expelled the Jesuits in 1767, promoted free trade, built highways, and established scientific academies. During the American Revolutionary War, Charles allied with France to supply gunpowder, arms, and Spanish naval support under Bernardo de Gálvez to help George Washington secure American independence.