Summary - TST 43

TRANSPORTES, SERVICIOS Y TELECOMUNICACIONES


TST 42
Vittoria FERRANDINO and Amedeo LEPORE
Between Economy and Markets: Charles of Bourbon and his reforms

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Key Words: Charles of Bourbon and Modern Age, Reforms and reformism, Neapolitan public banks, Economic and Financial History, and the history of the service sector.


[ Abstract ]

Carlos Sebastián de Borbón y Farnesio represented, during his reign (1734-1759), the protagonist of an enlightened riformism, in the Naples innovative framework of Antonio Genovesi, Giambattista Vico, Ferdinando Galiani, Pietro Giannone, Antonio Broggia and others. His action led to the construction of many public works and he was able to elevate the city of Naples to the great European capital, a key destination for travelers on the Gran Tour. The work of Charles of Bourbon was very intense also for legal and judicial reforms. However, the economic sector was the one in which – thanks to the contribution of Bernardo Tanucci – the most significant results were observed, linking the Kingdom of Naples to the general movement of European renewal.
Most of the Kingdom numerary was used in luxury expenses, in “arrendamenti” (the parts of the public debt of the time), or it was deposited in public banks. Private bankers, public administrations, monasteries, churches, the great houses of the nobility and commerce, lawyers and even the most modest people opened accounts with them. The counters did not correspond any interest to depositors, but, despite this, the deposit operation was particularly common for the dual function of constituting a useful means of money case for those who poured and, in particular, to facilitate payments by the fedi (deposit certificates) and polizze (checks). Furthermore, in times of financial need, the city administration and the Royal Court made requests for loans and abundantly used the deposits of public banks. Whether and in which measures the Charles reforms have achieved their aims, finally, it is still the subject of analysis and discussion, although the overall extent of the changes undertaken in a limited timeframe seems undeniable.