fwo_1132895 - ITALY - KINGDOM OF SICILY - CHARLES II OF SPAIN 1 Grano Charles II 1699

ITALY - KINGDOM OF SICILY - CHARLES II OF SPAIN

(1665-1799)

Charles II (November 6, 1661 – November 1, 1700) was the son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria. The last descendant of the Habsburgs of Spain and Austria, he struggled to stand upright and suffered from numerous family defects. He became king at the age of four upon his father's death, under the regency of his mother. He married Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), the daughter of Philip of Orléans and niece of Louis XIV. His reign marked the decline of Spanish power and the loss of numerous provinces, including Franche-Comté and French Flanders. Charles, the \"sick man of Europe,\" died in 1700 without a direct heir and designated Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV, as heir to the Spanish throne. This marked the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession (1700–1713)..