As Charles II of Spain was nearing death and the French,
English, Dutch, and
Austria were bidding for the throne of Spain. Charles
II bequeathed all of his
possessions to Philip of Anjou so then in a
letter to Tallard Louis wrote "With a league formed before the death of
the king of Spain it would be impossible for me to assert the legitimate rights
of my son to this succession . . . without causing a new war as great as
the last one." (Dunlop 353). “On I6 November I700, Louis XIV
publicly announced that his second grandson, Philip, duke of Anjou, was to
succeed Charles II of Spain as the ruler of all the latter's dominions. On 15
May I702, England, the Dutch republic, and the emperor all declared war on
France" (Thomson 111) after their declaration of war on France the England
and the Dutch republic then also declared war on Spain. Although they had recognized
Philip as king; the emperor declared war on the duke of Anjou and his
adherents. Louis XIV was up against major armies and if he wasn't careful
he could lose everything so when war was declared on France “the chance of
Philip keeping the French throne seemed far more theoretical than real.” (Lynn
269). With the forces against France a lot of Europeans counted on a
French victory. The question was if Louis XIV wanted to unite the crowns
of France and Spain but “This was not an attempt on Louis's part to unite the
crowns. In fact Carlos's will stipulated that
the new Spanish king must reside
in Madrid, and this alone made it impossible for
one Bourbon to rule both
countries." (Lynn 269).
