Demography: Subsistence crises and high infant mortality led to very slow population growth in Spain in the last half of the 17th century. Spain experienced rapid growth in the first half of the 18th century, then slower growth again after 1750.
Economy and Society: The Spanish economy was characterized by diversity in agriculture but dominated by textiles in manufacturing. In most of Spain, land was owned by nobles and clergy who continued to use traditional farming methods. In some areas, dominated by sheep and pasturage, enclosure came late. In other areas, such as Andalucia, landowners controlled huge estates—latafundia—creating a large rural proletariat of day laborers. In most cases, Spanish agriculture lagged behind that of much of western Europe. Industry also developed slowly, hampered by lack of investment, strong guilds, and poor transport. Spain characteristically concentrated on foreign trade, which suffered with decline of Spanish colonies. In this setting, society remained split into peasants and nobles throughout much of the countryside, while guilds dominated the cities.
Culture: The French Enlightenment had only limited impact in Spain because the Spanish Inquisition tried to suppress it. Nonetheless, some Spanish intellectuals did try to spread Enlightenment ideas. They were led by Benito Jerónimo Feijóo, whose Teatro Crítico Universal (1726–39) began the compilation of information on a wide variety of works, which he continued with other, later works. Luis Can¯uelo's El Censor provided Spain with an organ of social criticism, while Pedro Rodríguez theorized on government.
CHARLES II, the four-year-old son of Philip IV and the last of the Spanish Habsburgs. Until 1676 his mother, Mariana of Austria, headed the council of regency. She appointed her personal confessor, John Everard Nithard, inquisitor general, but he was uniformly disliked.
