Birth of Charles IV
Birth of Charles IV, 2nd son of Charles III
Role range: 1788-1808
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Charles IV Biography and Timeline
Follow Charles IV through 12 dated historical records for Spain.
Charles IV, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
12Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1748–1808Years on this page
1748
1767
Birth of Ferdinand
Birth of Ferdinand, son of Charles IV & Maria Luisa
Role range: 1788-1708
1788
Succession
Charles IV leaves the Government in the hands of his wife & her lover, Manuel de Godoy
Role range: 1788-1708
Succession
Succeeds as King of Spain
Role range: 1788-1808
1800
Rule of Louisiana
Cedes Louisiana to France
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
1805
Battle of Trafalgar
Spain loses heavily in the combined fleet defeat.
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
1807
Invasion of Spain
Napoleon sends an army into Spain under Jean-Andoche Junot to invade Portugal, after the refusal of Prince Regent John VI to join the Continental System
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
Plot
Accuses his son Ferdinand of sedition & seeking to usurp the royal title
Role range: 1788-1808
Treaty Negotiations
Makes a secret Treaty with Napoleon
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
Treaty of Spain
Makes a secret Treaty with Napoleon
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
1808
Abdication
Abdicates in favour of Joseph Bonaparte
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
Abdication
Charles IV is forced to abdicate
Role range: 1800-1815 – 1788-1808
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.