King Carlo of Naples and Sicily
The Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies, as the dynasty later became, traces its origin through several sovereign dynasties. The Bourbon dynasties of France, Spain, the Two Sicilies and Parma all descend from the House of Anjou, a branch of which ruled the Kingdom of Naples in the thirteenth century.

From 1504 until 1707 the ancient kingdom of Naples belonged to Spain and was governed by Spanish viceroys. Having been acquired by Austria during the War of the Spanish Succession, Naples was conquered in 1874 by the eighteen-year-old Prince Carlo of Bourbon, son of King Philip V of Spain by his second wife, Elisabeth Farnese(right). Prince Carlo had come to Italy in 1731 to take procession of the Farnese Duchies of Parma and Piacenza, which his mother, Elisabeth Farnese, had won for him after many years of war and intrigue.

Having conquered Naples, Prince Carlo was obliged to cede Parma and Piacenza to Austria in return for being recognized as King of his new kingdom. King Carlo(below) did not disappoint his subjects. He turned around years of ineffective vice-regal rule and exploitation by its Spanish and Austrian overlords, and within a short time he paid off the national debt, created a surplus, and reduced taxation. His kingdom fortunately did not take up a policy of territorial aggrandizement since as devoted sons of the Catholic Church, the King never dreamt of coveting his only neighbor, the Papal States.

Instead of spending his money on wars, King Carlo spent it beautifying his kingdom and this is much in evidence today. The King ensured during his reign that Naples became a leading European centre for music, science, scholarship and advanced thought.

By 1759, the Neapolitan "Borboni" had become a dynasty in every way sovereign and distinct from their French and Spanish cousins, and Naples quickly became the centre of European industry and commerce surpassed only by London and Paris.

King Carlo’s reign ended in 1759 when he succeeded to the Throne of Spain on the death of his childless half-brother, King Ferdinando IV. As King Carlos III of Spain, Carlo di Borbone(left) went on to be one of the most successful Spanish monarchs since the time of King Philip II.