Charles II of Spain, also known as The Bewitched, was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. He is now best remembered for his physical disabilities, and the European war that followed his death.
Charles suffered ill health throughout his life, for reasons that are still debated. From the moment he became king at the age of three in 1665, the succession was a prominent consideration in European politics. Historian John Langdon-Davies summarised his life as follows: "Of no man is it more true to say that in his beginning was his end; from the day of his birth, they were waiting for his death".
Although Charles married twice, neither union produced children. This meant that when he died in November 1700, he was succeeded by his 16-year-old half-nephew Philip of Anjou, a younger son of his elder half-sister Maria Theresa of Spain and Louis XIV of France. However, the question of who inherited the crown was less important than the division of his territories, and failure to resolve the issue through diplomacy led to the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701.