Floridablanca Ministry

One of the pillars of Floridablanca's beliefs was that friendly relations with Britain were crucial for the general improvement of Spain.

Despite his reluctance, Floriblanca took much of the credit for the war, as a Spanish force took advantage of the overstretched British Navy and took several of their colonies in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

In the peace treaty that followed, Spain was awarded Minorca and Florida which had been lost to the British earlier in the century.

The war strengthened the governments position during the 1780s, and they pressed ahead with many reforms.

A new threat to power began to emerge in the form of Manuel Godoy, a royal favourite and a Francophile, who grew increasingly influential.