Charles II of Spain - Definition and Overview

Charles II of Spain.

Charles II of Spain (November 6, 1661 - November 1, 1700) was king of Spain, Naples, and Sicily, reigning 1665-1700. He was the son of his predecessor Philip IV of Spain and of Mariana of Austria.

He was the last of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, physically disabled and mentally retarded and disfigured (partly through possession of mandibular prognathism). His mother was his regent during much of his reign. Though exiled by the king's illegitimate brother John of Austria (not the similarly named Don John of Austria), she returned to the regency after his death.

During his reign Spain continued its decline that had begun under his increasingly incompetent Habsburg ancestors. However, a peace treaty with Portugal in 1668 ceded Ceuta to Spain.

In 1679, Charles married Marie Louise (1662-1689), daughter of Philippe I of Orléans, the only brother of Louis XIV. He had a second marriage to Maria Anna of Bavaria, Princess of Neuborg and sister of the Empress. However, neither marriage produced any heirs. Charles named Philip Bourbon of Anjou as his successor, provoking the War of the Spanish Succession.