The war of Succession (1701-1714)

Carlos II was the last Spanish king of the Hapsburg line. He was childless, so he designed the Bourbon Philip of Anjou as his heir. However, when Carlos II died in 1700, there was a dispute that resulted in the War of Spanish Succesion (1701-1714)

It was a war with a double component, since it was a civil war within Spain and an international war in the rest of Europe:

• The new king Philip V was supported by Castile, France, and Bavaria.
• The claimant Archduke Charles of Austria was supported by the Crown of Aragon, Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, and Savoy. They thought that the union of France and Spain under one monarch would upset the balance of power in Europe.

The war finally ended with the Treaties of Utrech and Rastatt. Philip became King of Spain as Felipe V. England benefited significantly from the treaty. It gained Gibraltar and Menorca. Meanwhile, Austria gained the Duchy of Milan and the kingdom of Naples, Sardinia and Naples.