Charles II of Spain

Charles II (Carlos Segundo) of Spain (November 6, 1661 – November 1, 1700) was king of Spain, Naples, and Sicily, nearly all of Italy (except Piedmont, the Papal States and Venice), and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from Mexico to the Philippines. Charles was the only surviving son of his Habsburg predecessor, King Philip IV of Spain and his second Queen (and niece), Mariana of Austria, another Habsburg. His birth was greeted with joy by the Spaniards, who feared the disputed succession which could have ensued if Philip IV had left no male heir.

Reign

The years of Charles II were agonizing for Spain. The economy was stagnant, there was hunger in the land, and the power of the monarchy over the various Spanish provinces was extremely weak.

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Charles' unfitness for rule meant he was often ignored and power during his reign became the subject of court intrigues and foreign, particularly French, influence.

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His mother was his regent during much of his reign. Though she was exiled by the king's illegitimate brother John of Austria the Younger (not the similarly named Don John of Austria), she returned to the regency after John's death in 1679.

Related Topics:
Regent - John of Austria the Younger - Don John of Austria - 1679

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During Charles' reign, the decline of Spanish power and prestige that had begun under his incompetent father and grandfather accelerated. Although a peace treaty with Portugal in 1668 ceded the North African enclave of Ceuta to Spain, it was little solace for the loss of Portugal and the Portuguese colonies by Philip IV to the Duke of Braganza's successful revolt against more than 60 years of Spanish rule.

Related Topics:
Portugal - 1668 - North Africa - Ceuta - Duke of Braganza

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Charles also presided over the greatest Auto de fe in the history of the Spanish Inquisition in 1680, in which one hundred twenty prisoners were judged and twenty-one burnt to death. A large, richly adorned book was published celebrating the event. Toward the end of his life, in one of his few independent acts as King, Charles created a Junta Magna (Great Council) to examine and investigate the Spanish Inquisition. The report was so damning to the "Holy Office" (as the Spanish Inquisition was commonly known) that the Inquisitor General convinced the decrepit monarch to "consign the 'terrible indictment' to the flames" (Durants, 1963). When Philip V took the throne, he called for the report; no copy could be found.

Related Topics:
Auto de fe - Spanish Inquisition - 1680

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