Editing Charles IV of Spain

{{short description|King of Spain from 1788 to 1808}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Charles IV
| succession   = [[King of Spain]]
| image        = Carlos IV de rojo.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Francisco Goya]], 1789
| image_size   = 
| moretext     = ([[List of titles and honours of the Spanish Crown|more...]])
| reign        = 14 December 1788 – {{avoid wrap| 19 March 1808}}
| predecessor  = [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]]
| successor    = [[Ferdinand VII]]
| reg-type1    = {{nowrap|[[Chief minister]]s}}
| regent1      = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|''See list''}}|[[José Moñino, 1st Count of Floridablanca|The Count of Floridablanca]]<br>(1788-1792)|[[Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, 10th Count of Aranda|The Count of Aranda]]<br>(1792-1792)|[[Manuel Godoy|The Prince of the Peace]]<br>(1792-1798)|[[Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis]]<br>(1798-1799)|[[Mariano Luis de Urquijo]]<br>(1799-1799)|[[Pedro Cevallos]]<br>(1799-1808)|[[Gonzalo O'Farrill]]<br>(1808-1808)}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Maria Luisa of Parma]]|1765|1819|end=d.}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal and Brazil]]
* [[Infanta María Amalia of Spain (1779–1798)|Infanta María Amalia]]
* [[María Luisa, Queen of Etruria]]
* [[Ferdinand VII, King of Spain]]
* [[Infante Carlos, Count of Molina]]
* [[María Isabella of Spain|María Isabel, Queen of the Two Sicilies]]
* [[Infante Francisco de Paula]]}}
| full name    = {{langx|es|link=no|Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario Serafín Diego de Borbón y Sajonia}}
| house        = [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]]
| father       = [[Charles III of Spain]]
| mother       = [[Maria Amalia of Saxony]]
| birth_date   = 11 November 1748
| birth_place  = [[Palace of Portici]], Portici, [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1819|1|19|1748|11|11|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Naples]], [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]]
| burial_place = [[El Escorial]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church in Spain|Catholic Church]]
| signature    = Charles IV of Spain signature.svg
}}

'''Charles IV''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario Serafín Diego de Borbón y Sajonia}}; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was [[King of Spain]] and ruler of the [[Spanish Empire]] from 1788 to 1808.

The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability,<ref>Lynch, John. ''Bourbon Spain, 1700–1808''. Basil Blackwell 1989, p. 375</ref> but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disadvantageous alliances and his regime constantly sought cash to deal with the exigencies of war. He detested his son and heir [[Ferdinand VII|Ferdinand]], who led the unsuccessful [[El Escorial Conspiracy]] and later forced Charles's abdication after the [[Tumult of Aranjuez]] in March 1808, along with ousting Charles's widely hated first minister [[Manuel Godoy]]. Summoned to [[Bayonne]] by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], who forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate, Charles IV also abdicated, paving the way for Napoleon to place his older brother [[Joseph Bonaparte]] on the throne of Spain. The reign of Charles IV turned out to be a major negative turning point in Spanish history.<ref>Lynch, "Charles IV and the Crisis of Bourbon Spain", Chapter 10, ''Bourbon Spain''.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Charles IV of Spain and His Family hides a rulers caricature |url=https://hypercritic.org/collection/francisco-goya-charles-of-spain-and-his-family-painting/ |access-date=2023-03-19 |website=Hypercritic}}</ref>

==Early life==
Charles was the second son of [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]] and his wife, [[Maria Amalia of Saxony]]. He was born in [[Naples]] (11 November 1748), while his father was [[Kingdom of Naples|King of Naples]] and [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]]. His elder brother [[Infante Philip, Duke of Calabria|Don Felipe]] was passed over for both thrones, due to his learning disabilities and [[epilepsy]]. In Naples and Sicily, Charles was referred to as the ''[[Prince of Taranto]]''.<ref>Almanach royal, p 34</ref> He was called {{lang|es|El Cazador}} (meaning "the Hunter"), due to his preference for sport and hunting, rather than dealing with affairs of the state. Charles is considered by historian [[Stanley G. Payne]] as "good-hearted but weak and simple-minded".<ref name="Payne">[[Stanley G. Payne]], ''History of Spain of Portugal'', Vol 2, University of Wisconsin Press, 1973, {{ISBN|978-0-299-06284-2}}, page 415</ref>

==Reign==
[[File:La familia de Carlos IV.jpg|thumb|left|The Family of Charles IV]]
[[File:8 reales Carolus IV 1808 Chopmark.png|thumb|8 reales Carolus IV 1808 Chopmark]]
In 1788, Charles III died and Charles IV succeeded to the throne and ruled for the next two decades. Even though he had a profound belief in the sanctity of the monarchy and kept up the appearance of an absolute, powerful king, Charles never took more than a passive part in his own government. The affairs of government were left to his wife, [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Maria Luisa]], and the man he appointed first minister, [[Manuel de Godoy]]. Charles occupied himself with [[hunting]] in the period that saw the outbreak of the [[French Revolution]], the executions of his Bourbon relative [[Louis XVI]] of France and his queen, [[Marie Antoinette]], and the rise of [[Napoleon]] Bonaparte. Ideas of the [[Age of Enlightenment]] had come to [[Enlightenment in Spain|Spain]] with the accession of the first Spanish Bourbon, [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]]. Charles' father, Charles III, had pursued an active policy of [[Bourbon Reforms|reform]] that sought to reinvigorate Spain politically and economically and make the Spanish Empire more closely an appendage of the metropole. Charles III was an active, working monarch with experienced first ministers to help reach decisions.  Charles IV, by contrast, was a [[roi fainéant|do-nothing king]], with a domineering wife and an inexperienced but ambitious first minister, Godoy. The combination of a king not up to the task of governance, the queen widely perceived to take lovers (including Godoy) and the first minister with an agenda of his own earned the monarchy increased alienation from its subjects.<ref>Lynch, ''Bourbon Spain'', 376-77</ref>

Upon ascending to the throne, Charles IV intended to maintain the policies of his father and, accordingly, retained his prime minister, [[José Moñino, 1st Count of Floridablanca|the Count of Floridablanca]].<ref name="Payne" /> Floridablanca avoided war with Great Britain in the [[Nootka Crisis|Nootka Sound crisis]], where a minor trade and navigation dispute off the west coast of [[Vancouver Island]] in 1789 could have blown up into a major conflict. Spain could have drawn on its French ally in support against Britain but they refused. In a humiliating move Floridablanca had no choice but to capitulate to British terms and thereby [[Nootka Convention|negotiated with them]].  In 1792, political and personal enemies ousted Floridablanca from office, replacing him with the [[Count of Aranda]]. However, in the wake of the war against [[French Revolution|Republican France]], the liberal-leaning Count of Aranda was himself replaced by [[Manuel de Godoy]], a favorite of the Queen and widely believed to be her lover, who enjoyed the lasting favor of the King.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Under Charles IV, [[Enlightenment in Spain|scientific expeditions]] continued to be sent by the crown, some of which were initially authorized by [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]]. The [[Royal Botanical Expedition to New Granada]] (1783–1816),<ref>{{cite book |first=Enrique |last=Pérez Arbeláez |title=José Celestino Mutis y la real expedición botánica del Nuevo Reyno de Granada |language=es |location=Bogotá |orig-year=1967 |edition= 2nd. |publisher=Instituto Colombiano de Cultura Hispánica |year=1983}}</ref> and the [[Royal Botanical Expedition to New Spain]] (1787–1803),<ref>{{cite journal |first=Harold W. |last=Rickett |title=The Royal Botanical Expedition to New Spain |journal=Chronica Botanica |volume=11 |number=1 |year=1947 |pages=1–81}}</ref> were funded by the crown. The [[Malaspina Expedition]] (1789–94) was an important scientific expedition headed by Spanish naval commander [[Alejandro Malaspina]], with naturalists and botanical illustrators gathering information for the Spanish crown.<ref>Bleichmar, ''Visible Empire'', pp. 16–18.</ref><ref>''La expedición Malaspina 1789–1794''. 9 vols. Madrid: Lunwerg Editores 1987–96.</ref><ref>Andrés Galera Gómez, ''La ilustración española y el conocimiento del nuevo mundo. La ciencias naturales en la expedición Malaspina (1789–1994): La labor científica de Antonio Pineda''. Madrid: CSIC 1988.</ref><ref>Dolores Higueras Rodríguez (ed.) ''La Botánica en la Expedición Malaspina 1789–1794''. Madrid: Turner Libros 1989.</ref><ref>Juan Pimentel, ''La física de la monarquía. Ciencia y política en el pensamiento colonial de Alejandro Malaspina (1754–1810). Madrid: Doce Calles 1998.</ref><ref>María Pilar de San Pío Aladrén and María Dolores Higueras Rodríguez (eds.) ''La armonía natural. La naturaleza en la expedición marítima de Malaspina y Bustamante (1789–1794)''. Madrid: Lunverg Editores 2001.</ref> 
In 1803, he authorized the [[Balmis Expedition]], aimed at [[vaccinating]] Spain's overseas territories against [[smallpox]].<ref>{{cite journal  |author1=Carlos Franco-Paredes |author2=Lorena Lammoglia |author3=José Ignacio Santos-Preciado |title=The Spanish Royal Philanthropic Expedition to bring Smallpox vaccination to the New World and Asia in the 19th Century |publisher=Oxford Journals |volume=41 |issue=9 |pages=1285–1289 |year=2005 |journal=Clinical Infectious Diseases |doi= 10.1086/496930 |pmid=16206103|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1799, Charles IV authorized Prussian aristocrat and scientist [[Alexander von Humboldt]] to travel freely in Spanish America, with royal officials encouraged to aid him in his investigation of key areas of Spain's empire. Humboldt's ''Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain'' was a key publication from his five-year travels.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
[[File:SpanishEmpire1790.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Apex of [[Spanish Empire]] in 1790]]
Spain's economic problems were of long standing, but deteriorated further when Spain was ensnared in wars that its ally France pursued. Financial needs drove his domestic and foreign policy. Godoy's economic policies increased discontent with Charles's regime.<ref>Burkholder, Suzanne Hiles. "Charles IV of Spain" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture''. Vol. 2, p. 82. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.</ref> In an attempt to implement major economic changes, [[Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos]], a reformist, [[Jansenist]] conservative proposed major structural reform of land tenure to promote the revival of agriculture.  His 1795 work, ''Informe en el expediente de ley agraria'' argued that Spain needed thriving agriculture to allow its population to grow and prosper. In his analysis, the concentration of land ownership and traditions and institutional barriers were at the heart of agriculture's problems.  He called for division and sale of public lands, which were held by villages, as well as the swaths of Spanish territory controlled by the [[Mesta]], the organization of livestock owners who had kept grazing lands as an asset for their use. Jovellanos also argued for the abolition of entailed properties (''mayorazgos''), which allowed landed estates to pass undivided through generations of aristocrats, as well as sale of lands held by the Catholic Church. The aim of these policies was to create in Spain yeoman farmers, who would pursue their self-interest and make agricultural land more productive. The cost would be to undermine the power of the Church and the aristocracy.<ref>[[David Brading|Brading, D.A.]] ''The First America: The Spanish monarchy, Creole patriots, and the Liberal state, 1492-1867''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1991, pp. 510-11.</ref>

As the situation with immediate revenue became more fraught, the crown in 1804 imposed measures in its overseas empire forcing the church to call in immediately the mortgages it had extended on a long-term by the Catholic Church. Although aimed at undermining the wealth and power of the church, the wealthy landowning elites were faced with financial ruin, since they had no way to make full payment on their mortgaged properties.<ref>Hamnett, Brian R. "The Appropriation of Mexican Church Wealth by the Spanish Bourbon Government--The Consolidación de Vales Reales', 1805-1809." Journal of Latin American Studies 1.2 (1969): 85-113.</ref> This ill-considered royal decree has been seen as a major factor in the independence movement in [[New Spain]] (Mexico).<ref>Von Wobeser, Gisela. "La consolidación de vales reales como factor determinante de la lucha de independencia en México, 1804-1808." Historia mexicana (2006): 373-425.</ref> The decree was in abeyance once Charles and Ferdinand abdicated, but it undermined elite support while in force.

In foreign policy Godoy continued Abarca de Bolea's policy of neutrality toward as France, but after Spain protested the execution of [[Louis XVI]] of France in 1793, France declared war on Spain. After the declaration, Portugal and Spain signed a treaty of mutual protection against France.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y9VVAAAAYAAJ&q=Collec%C3%A7%C3%A3o+dos+tratados,+conven%C3%A7%C3%B5es,+contratos+e+actos+publicos+1610&pg=PA3|title=Supplemeto á Collecção dos tratados, convenções, contratos e actos publicos celebrados entre a corôa de Portugal e as mais potencias desde 1640|last1=Portugal|first2=José Ferreira Borges de Castro (Visconde|last2=de)|first3=Julio Firmino Judice|last3=Biker|first4=Portugal Ministério dos Negócios|last4=Estrangeiros|date=19 June 2018|publisher=Imprensa nacional}}</ref> In 1796 France forced Godoy to [[Second Treaty of San Ildefonso|enter into an alliance]], and declare war on the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. As a consequence, [[Spanish Empire#The Spanish Bourbons: reform and recovery .281700.E2.80.931808.29|Spain]] became one of the [[colonialism|maritime empires]] to have been allied with Republican France in the [[French Revolutionary War]], and for a considerable duration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8_kRVkCDBs&t=2m16s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/x8_kRVkCDBs| archive-date=13 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=The French Revolutionary Wars: Every Other Day|last=Ollie Bye|date=3 February 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Spain remained an ally of France for a while, lost against the British in the [[battle of Trafalgar]], and supported the [[Continental Blockade]]. After [[Napoleon]]'s victory over [[Prussia]] in 1807, Godoy kept Spain with the French side.

But the switching of alliances devalued Charles's position as a trustworthy ally, increasing Godoy's unpopularity, and strengthening the ''fernandistas'' (supporters of [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Crown Prince Ferdinand]]), who favoured an alliance with the [[United Kingdom]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Economic troubles, rumors about a sexual relationship between the Queen and Godoy, and the King's ineptitude, caused the monarchy to decline in prestige among the population. Anxious to take over from his father, and jealous of the prime minister, Crown Prince Ferdinand attempted to overthrow the King in an aborted coup in 1807.<ref name="Payne 2">Payne, page 420</ref> He was successful in 1808, forcing his father's abdication following the [[Tumult of Aranjuez]].

<gallery>
File:2 escudos en or à l'effigie de Charles IV, 1798.jpg|Coins with image of Charles IV of Spain, 1798
File:Charles IV of Spain 1794 Colombia 8 Escudos.jpg|Coin of Charles IV of Spain Colombia 8 Escudos, 1794
File:José Moñino y Redondo, conde de Floridablanca.jpg|Count de Floridablanca, painting by [[Goya]] ca. 1783
File:Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, Count of Aranda.jpg|Count of Aranda
File:Francisco de Goya - Godoy como general - Google Art Project.jpg|Manuel de Godoy, as general. Painting by Goya 1801
File:Francisco de Goya y Lucientes - Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.jpg|Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos. Painting by Goya 1798
File:Ferdinand VII (1784–1833), When Prince of Asturias MET DT236256.jpg|Crown Prince Ferdinand, Painting by Goya 1800
</gallery>

=== Abdications of Bayonne ===
{{Main|Abdications of Bayonne}}

Riots, and a popular revolt at [[Mutiny of Aranjuez|the winter palace Aranjuez]], in 1808 forced the king to abdicate on 19 March, in favor of his son.<ref name="Payne 2" /> Ferdinand took the throne as [[Ferdinand VII]], but was mistrusted by Napoleon, who had 100,000 soldiers stationed in Spain by that time due to the ongoing [[War of the Third Coalition]].

The ousted King, having appealed to Napoleon for help in regaining his throne, was summoned before Napoleon in [[Bayonne]], along with his son, in April 1808. Napoleon forced both Charles and his son to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother, [[Joseph Bonaparte]], as King Joseph I of Spain, which began the [[Peninsular War]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griffin |first1=Julia Ortiz |last2=Griffin |first2=William D. |publisher=Facts on File|year=2007 |title=''Spain and Portugal:A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present''|url=https://archive.org/details/spainportugalref00grif_367 |url-access=limited |isbn=978-0-8160-4592-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/spainportugalref00grif_367/page/n157 151]}}</ref>

==Later life and death==

[[File:Carlo IV di Spagna.jpg|thumb|The ex-king in 1818]]

Following Napoleon's deposing of the Bourbon dynasty, the ex-King, his wife, and former Prime Minister Godoy were held captive in France first at the [[château de Compiègne]]<ref>Alain Raisonnier, Claudie Ressort (2009) Le séjour de Charles IV et de la Cour d'Espagne au Palais de Compiègne en 1808-1809, Annales Historiques compiégnoises, n° 113-114, pp. 14-24</ref> and three years in [[Marseille]] (where a neighborhood was named after him).<ref>Paul Gaffarel (1919) Le séjour de Charles IV d'Espagne à Marseille, Revue des Etudes Napoléoniennes, t. XVI, pp. 40-57</ref> After the collapse of the regime installed by Napoleon, [[Ferdinand VII]] was restored to the throne. The former Charles IV drifted about Europe<ref name="Griffin">Griffin, page 152</ref> until 1812, when he finally settled in [[Rome]], in the [[Palazzo Barberini]].<ref name="WP-fr">[[:fr:Charles IV d'Espagne]]</ref><ref>[[Manuel de Godoy#Exile]]</ref><ref>[http://worldroots.com/brigitte/royal/bio/carlos4spainbio1748.html Worldroots.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20040511050717/http://worldroots.com/brigitte/royal/bio/carlos4spainbio1748.html |date=11 May 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/Spain/c_Godoy.html|title=The Royal Favorite: Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy, Prince of the Peace|website=napoleon-series.org}}</ref> His wife died on 2 January 1819, followed shortly by Charles, who died on 19 January of the same year. At the time of his death Charles was visiting his brother [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies]] in Naples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seco Serrano |first=Carlos |title=Historia Hispánica - Carlos IV |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/9673-carlos-iv |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=Real Academia de la Historia |language=es}}</ref> Sir [[Francis Ronalds]] included a detailed description of the funeral in his travel journal.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sir Francis Ronalds: Father of the Electric Telegraph|last=Ronalds|first=B.F.|publisher=Imperial College Press|year=2016|isbn=978-1-78326-917-4|location=London|pages=188}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sirfrancisronalds.co.uk/naples1.html|title=Sir Francis Ronalds' Travel Journal: Naples and Pompeii|website=Sir Francis Ronalds and his Family|access-date=23 February 2018}}</ref>

==Character==
Well-meaning and pious, Charles IV floundered in a series of international crises beyond his capacity to handle.<ref name="Griffin" /> He was said to be 'despotic, sluggish and stupid'. He was also noted as a former wrestler who spent many a time hunting.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4G_Cz9TF88C |title=Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-196048-7 |publication-date=2011 |pages=522}}</ref> He was painted by [[Francisco Goya]] in a number of official court portraits, which numerous art critics have seen as satires on the King's stout vacuity.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Edward J. Olszewski |year=1999 |title=Exorcising Goya's "The Family of Charles IV" |journal=Artibus et Historiae |volume=20 |issue=40 |pages=169–185 |doi=10.2307/1483673 |jstor=1483673}}</ref>

==Marriage and children==

Charles IV married his first cousin [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Maria Louisa]], the daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma, in 1765. The couple had fourteen children, seven of whom survived into adulthood:
{|class="wikitable collapsible" style="text-align:center; width:100%;" 
! colspan=4 style="background:#ccddcc;border:1px solid #667766" | Children of King Charles IV
|-
! width=20% | Name !! width=100px | Portrait !! width=20% | Lifespan !! Notes
|-
| ''Carlos Clemente''<br />Infante of Spain
|| [[File:Mengs - Portrait of a grandchild of Charles III of Spain.jpg|100px]]
|| 19 September 1771 – 7 March 1774
|| Born and died at [[El Escorial]]; baptized on the same day he was born, with Charles III representing "the Holy Father" at the christening. [[Pope Clement XIV]] celebrated Carlos' birth and sent the infant consecrated swaddling clothes. Died young however.<ref>{{cite book |author=von Pastor, Ludwig Freiherr |title=The History of the Popes, from the Close of the Middle Ages |publisher=Kegan Paul |location=Michigan |year=1952 |page=201}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Carlota Joaquina]]''<br />Queen of Portugal and the Algarves
|| [[File:Carlota Joaquina.jpg|100px]]
|| 25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830
|| Born at the [[Royal Palace of Aranjuez]], she married her first cousin [[John VI of Portugal]] in 1785 and became Queen consort of Portugal in 1816. Had issue, including the future [[Pedro I of Brazil]]. She died at [[Queluz National Palace]].
|-
| ''Maria Luisa''<br />Infanta of Spain
|| [[File:Royal Greater Coat of Arms of Spain (1761-1868 and 1874-1931) Version with Golden Fleece and Order of Charles III Collars.svg|100px]]
||  11 September 1777 – 2 July 1782
|| Born and died at the [[Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso]] died young.<ref name="es">{{cite book | title=Anales de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía. Vol. X. | publisher=RAMHG | author=Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía | year=2007 | location=Madrid | page=330|language=es}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Infanta María Amalia of Spain (1779-1798)|María Amalia]]''<br />Infanta of Spain
|| [[File:Infanta María Amalia of Spain (1779-1798).jpg|100px]]
|| 9 January 1779 – 22 July 1798
|| Born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, she married her uncle [[Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain]] in 1795. She gave birth to a stillborn son in 1798 and died shortly thereafter.
|-
| ''Carlos Domingo''<br />Infante of Spain
|| [[File:Carnicero - Infante Carlos Domingo.jpg|100px]]
|| 5 March 1780 – 11 June 1783
|| Born at the [[Royal Palace of El Pardo]] and died at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.<ref name="es" /> After his birth, his father pardoned all of the convicts from [[Puerto San Julián]] as a sign of celebration. Died in childhood.<ref>{{cite book | title=Arqueolog'a e historia en la colonia espa–ola de Floridablanca, Patagonia, siglo XVIII | publisher=Teseo | author=Senatore, Mar'a Ximena | year=2007 | location=Madrid | page=149 | isbn=978-987-1354-08-5|language=es}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Maria Luisa of Spain, Duchess of Lucca|Maria Luisa]]''<br />Queen of Etruria<br />Duchess of Lucca
|| [[File:Maria Luisa of Spain, queen of Etruria and duchess of Lucca.jpg|100px]]
|| 6 July 1782 – 13 March 1824
|| Born at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, she married her first cousin [[Louis, King of Etruria]] in 1795 and had issue, including [[Charles II, Duke of Parma]]. Became Duchess of Lucca in her own right in 1817 and died in [[Rome]] in 1824 of cancer.
|-
| ''Carlos Francisco de Paula''<br />Infante of Spain
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Infantes Felipe and Carlos.jpg|100px]]
|| 5 September 1783 – 11 November 1784
| rowspan="2" | Twins, born and died at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.<ref>{{cite book | title=Anales de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía. Vol. X. | publisher=RAMHG | author=Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía | year=2007 | location=Madrid | page=332|language=es}}</ref> Their birth was an important event for the people of Spain and provided security for the succession, a security which was truncated with the early deaths of Carlos and Felipe. Both died in childhood.<ref>{{cite book | title=José Vargas Ponce (1760–1821) en la Real Academia de la Historia | publisher=Real Academia de la Historia | author=Palazón, Juan Manuel Abascal | year=2010 | location=Madrid | page=54 | isbn=978-84-15069-00-3|language=es}}</ref>
|-
| ''Felipe Francisco de Paula''<br />Infante of Spain
|| 5 September 1783 – 18 October 1784
|-
| ''[[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Fernando (VII)]]''<br />King of Spain
|| [[File:Fernando VII, by López.jpg|100px]]
|| 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833
|| Born and died at El Escorial, he succeeded his father as King in 1808, but was deposed by [[Joseph Bonaparte]] one month later. Married his first cousin [[Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily]] in 1802, no issue. Re-instated as King in 1813. Married his niece [[Maria Isabel of Portugal]] in 1816, had issue. Married [[Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony]] in 1819, no issue. Married his niece [[Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies]] in 1829 and had issue, including the future [[Isabella II of Spain]]. Died in 1833.
|-
| ''[[Infante Carlos, Count of Molina|Carlos María Isidro Benito]]''<br />Count of Molina
|| [[File:Retrato del infante Carlos María Isidro de Borbón (Vicente López).JPG|100px]]
|| 29 March 1788 – 10 March 1855
|| Born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Married his niece [[Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal]] in 1816 and had issue. Married his niece [[Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira]] in 1838, no issue. First [[Carlist]] pretender to the throne of Spain as "Carlos V". Used the title "Count of Molina" between 1845 and his death in 1855.
|-
| ''[[María Isabella of Spain|María Isabel]]''<br />Queen of the Two Sicilies
|| [[File:1819 portrait of the Duchess of Calabria (Maria Isabel of Spain, future Queen of the Two Sicilies) by Giuseppe Cammarano (Palace of Caserta).jpg|100px]]
|| 6 July 1789 – 13 September 1848
|| Born at the [[Royal Palace of Madrid]], she married her first cousin [[Francis I of the Two Sicilies]] in 1802 and had issue, including the future [[Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies]]. Queen consort between 1825 and 1830, her husband's death. Died at the [[Palace of Portici]] in 1848.
|-
| ''Maria Teresa''<br />Infanta of Spain
|| [[File:Carnicero - Infanta Maria Theresa.jpg|100px]]
|| 16 February 1791 – 2 November 1794
|| Born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and died at El Escorial. Died in Childhood<ref name="trinity">{{cite book | title=The Troubled Trinity: Godoy and the Spanish Monarchs | publisher=University of Alabama Press | author=Hilt, Douglas | year=1987 | location=Alabama | page=292 | isbn=978-0-8173-0320-4}}</ref> of [[smallpox]].<ref>{{cite book | title=La maldición de los Borbones | publisher=Random House Mondadori | author=Zavala, José María | year=2013 | location=Mexico | page=16 | isbn=978-84-01-34667-5|language=es}}</ref>
|-
| ''Felipe Maria''<br />Infante of Spain
|| [[File:Carnicero - Infante Felipe Maria.jpg|100px]]
|| 28 March 1792 – 1 March 1794
|| Born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and died at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Died in childhood.<ref name="trinity" />
|-
| ''[[Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain|Francisco de Paula]]''
|| [[File:Francisco de Paula de Borbón.jpg|100px]]
|| 10 March 1794 – 13 August 1865
|| Born at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, he married his niece [[Princess Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily]] in 1819 and had issue. Died in Madrid in 1865.
|}

==Ancestors==
{{Ahnentafel
|align=center|collapsed=yes |ref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans| trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA9|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=9}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Charles IV of Spain'''
|2= 2. [[Charles III of Spain]]
|3= 3. [[Maria Amalia of Saxony]]
|4= 4. [[Philip V of Spain]]
|5= 5. [[Elisabeth Farnese]]
|6= 6. [[Augustus III of Poland]]
|7= 7. [[Maria Josepha of Austria]]
|8= 8. [[Louis, Dauphin of France (1661–1711)|Louis, Dauphin of France]]
|9= 9. [[Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria]]
|10= 10. [[Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma]]
|11= 11. [[Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg]]
|12= 12. [[Augustus II of Poland]]
|13= 13. [[Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]]
|14= 14. [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|15= 15. [[Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick]]
}}

==See also==
*[[History of Spain (1700-1810)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Barbier, Jacques A. "Peninsular finance and colonial trade: The dilemma of Charles IV's Spain." Journal of Latin American Studies 12.1 (1980): 21–37.
* Gómez de Arteche. ''Historia del Reinado de Carlos IV'', (5 vols.), in the ''Historia General de España de la Real Academia de la Historia'' (Madrid, 1892).
* Hamilton, Earl J. "Monetary problems in Spain and Spanish America 1751–1800." The Journal of Economic History 4.1 (1944): 21–48.
* Paquette, Gabriel B. ''Enlightenment, governance, and reform in Spain and its empire, 1759–1808''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
* Russell, Craig H. "Spain in the Enlightenment." ''The Classical Era''. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1989. 350–367.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Charles IV. (King of Spain)|display=Charles IV., king of Spain |short=x}}
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Charles IV. (Spain)|display=Charles IV., king of Spain |short=x}}
* [http://historiaantiqua.byethost8.com/paginas/Borbones.htm#CarlosIV Historiaantiqua.] ''Isabel II; (Spanish)'' (2008)

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Bourbon]]|11 November|1748|20 January|1819|[[Capetian dynasty]]}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Spanish monarchs|King of Spain]]|years=1788–1808}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Ferdinand VII]]}}
{{s-roy|es}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-vac|last=[[Ferdinand VI of Spain|Ferdinand (VI)]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Prince of Asturias]]|years=1759–1788}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand (VII)]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Infantes of Spain}}
{{Princes of Asturias}}
{{Monarchs of Spain}}
{{Navarrese monarchs}}
{{The Bourbons of Naples and Sicily (1735–1816)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 04 of Spain}}
[[Category:Charles IV of Spain| ]]
[[Category:1748 births]]
[[Category:1819 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Spanish monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Spanish monarchs]]
[[Category:18th-century Navarrese monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Navarrese monarchs]]
[[Category:Princes of Asturias]]
[[Category:House of Bourbon (Spain)]]
[[Category:People from Portici]]
[[Category:Knights of Santiago]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword|3]]
[[Category:Neapolitan princes]]
[[Category:Sicilian princes]]
[[Category:Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial]]
[[Category:18th-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:19th-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Spanish captain generals]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]
[[Category:People of the War of the First Coalition]]
[[Category:Children of Charles III of Spain]]
[[Category:Sons of dukes]]