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Charles II (Spain)

Type Figure Region Spain Time 1661–1700 Also known as Charles II

Charles II (1661–1700) was the last Spanish Habsburg king, born in Madrid in 1661 and acceding at age four after his father Philip IV died in 1665.…

Timeline

  1. 1661–1665Madrid · SpainBorn in the Royal Palace of Madrid in 1661, son of Philip IV and his second queen, Mariana. From birth he was expected to continue the Habsburg Spanish royal line, but was frail from childhood.
  2. 1665–1670Madrid · SpainHe acceded at age four in 1665; his mother Mariana served as regent and Cardinal Marazza dominated foreign policy. Spain lost territory in the War of Devolution of 1667–1668, further weakening the state, while the court factions of Mariana of Austria and Juan José de Austria clashed constantly.
  3. 1671–1700Madrid · SpainAfter 1675 he nominally ruled in his own right but had limited real power, with poor physical and mental health, and neither of his two marriages produced an heir. Before dying in 1700 he designated Philip of the House of Bourbon as his successor, triggering the War of the Spanish Succession and ending Habsburg rule in Spain.

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