Charles III of Spain - Birth of A Nation

Birth of A Nation

It was under Charles' reign that Spain began to be recognised a nation rather than a collection of kingdoms and territories. His efforts resulted in creation of a National Anthem, a flag, and a capital city worthy of the name, and the construction of a network of coherent roads converging on Madrid. On 3 September 1770 Charles III declared that the Marcha Real was to be used in official ceremonies. It was also Charles who chose the colours of the present flag of Spain; red and yellow. The flag of the military navy introduced by the king on 28 May 1785. Until that date, Spanish vessels had sported the white flag of the Bourbons with the arms of the sovereign. This was replaced by Charles due to his concern that it looked too similar to the flags of other nations.

The arms that Charles sported while King of Spain were used till 1931 when his great great great grandson Alphonso XIII lost the crown, and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed (there was also a brief interruption from 1873–5). Juan Carlos I of Spain, Spain's current ruler, is a direct male line descendant of the "rey alcalde". Juan Carlos is a descendant of Charles by four of his great grandparents, and is also a descendent of Maria Theresa of Austria.