In 1734, after two centuries of subjection as a province of Spain and Austria, Naples became the capital of an independent kingdom under Charles of Bourbon; A long period tormented by wars of succession that saw Spain favored, bringing Carlo di Borbone Farnese to the Neapolitan throne. A ruler with an enlightened reputation came to live among the Neapolitans and they felt like a nation with a capital N. Carlo had no magic recipes or special projects to change the social system, nor could he make commerce and agriculture flourish in the space of a few years. But armed with a lot of patience and zeal he created works that still speak of him today. The San Carlo Theater, the national library, the Farnese collections brought from Parma, the treasures of Herculaneum and Pompeii, the palaces of Capodimonte, Portici and Caserta, the beautiful squares now called Dante and del Plebiscito, are a splendid memory left by Carlo and his successors. The Two Sicilies achieved a period of notable progress and experienced the happiest time after long centuries of vassalage. The advantages of independence were tangible despite the eruptions of Vesuvius, the earthquakes of 1720-50, famines and epidemics. Agriculture remained in backward conditions, but as B. Croce stated "a century and a half later after the unification of Italy were they much better off?" A long period of peace, the reorganization of public finances, the taxation of ecclesiastical properties favored prosperity.
