How did Philip V centralize the government of Spain?

Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, centralized the Spanish government by implementing administrative reforms designed to create a more efficient, unitary state and extract resources for the War of the Spanish Succession.1

His efforts were driven by French civil servants and financial experts, such as Jean-Henri-Louis Orry, who sought to replace the cumbersome, inefficient council system with a more direct royal administration. Key aspects of this centralization included:1

• Abolition of Local Privileges: Following the defeat of regional opposition during the war, Philip V abolished the fueros (local privileges) of the kingdoms of Valencia, Aragon, and Catalonia.1
• Decree of Nueva Planta: By the Decree of Nueva Planta (1716), Catalonia was integrated into the Spanish state, effectively ending its separate administrative status and bringing it under direct royal rule.1
• Regalism: His administration pursued a policy of "regalism," which aimed to subject independent jurisdictions—including the church and the Inquisition—to the authority of the absolute monarch.1

These reforms transformed Spain into a unitary state, with the notable exception of the Basque provinces and Navarre.1