Death of Charles II of Spain

November 1, 1700

The last Habsburg king of Spain died childless in Madrid, his body so disfigured by inbreeding that courtiers whispered of curses. His will bequeathed the empire to a French Bourbon prince. Europe's chancelleries read the parchment and reached, almost in unison, for their swords. The War of the Spanish Succession that followed would consume the continent for thirteen years.