C849 War for the throne (1/2)
The 1868 crisis of succession to the throne of Spain actually dates back to 1700, 168 years ago, when Charles II inherited it.
On November 1, 1700, Charles II of the King of Spain passed away, without a heir to the throne. According to the relationship, it could be inherited by either the Habsburg of the Austria or the Bourbon dynasty of France.
But he was also the brother-in-law of the Emperor of France's Louis XIV. On the other hand, Europe was different from China, without those so-called bloodline restrictions, women could all be queens, and it was common for wives and families to inherit the throne.
At that time, the Emperor of France, Louis XIV, continued this relationship and actively engaged in diplomacy with Spain. In the end, Charles II's will decided to pass the throne on to the grandson of Louis XIV, Anjou Philip.
How could the other kingdoms not know that Charles II ruled not only Spain, but also a small duchy of Italy, part of the modern Belgium, including the vast colonies of America, Asia, and Africa?
Once the grandson of Louis XIV ascended the throne, she would naturally reap the most benefits from these territories, at a time when France was in its heyday, when India, Madagascar, Canada, and the colonies along the Mississippi River all began.
It was because of such a strong nation that Louis XIV dared to build the magnificent Versailles.
Now he put his black hand in the pocket of Spain, and if he took control of the Spanish colonies, there would be no end to the strength of France.
Because of this, Britain, the Netherlands, the Austria and the Prussians within the borders of the Germany all opposed it. They formed an alliance and decided to fight against France. Thus, from 1701 onwards, the Spanish War of Succession broke out.
The war lasted from 1701 to 1713, both sides winning and losing, but in general it was the British, the Austria, and the Prussian armies that held the upper hand. If the Northern Russia had not been on the move, perhaps neither side would have been able to conclude a ceasefire by 1713.
On April 11, 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed with France and Spain on one side and Britain, the Netherlands, Brandenburg, Savoy and the Portugal on the other. In 1714, Offa signed the Rushtat Peace.
After this war, the momentum of France's rapid expansion of its national power was severely defeated, and many colonies, including territories, were ceded. In fact, the North America lost the most of the colonies, and even some of the territories in Italy and the Southern Germany were taken.
But France kept Philip's throne and the Bourbon dynasty finally took control of Spain. In order to prevent France and Spain from unifying into a single country, the British made it clear in the treaty that Philip and his descendants would never inherit the throne of France and that Spain and France would never merge.
This was the root of Spain's chaotic inheritance rights. Europe had a very complex lineage of nobility, and they even needed to train special officials to spend their entire lives researching them. Sometimes, kings couldn't figure out the relationship between themselves and other kings, and had to rely on professional calculations from thick files.
Why did European aristocracy have such a long name? It was not meaningless, every word of the name represented a person's identity, and those who were truly knowledgeable could easily understand a person's family background just by looking at their name.