History UsefulNotes / TheKingdomOfSpain

Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlos was a soundly healthy, charismatic and peaceful fellow of many talents, if also ugly and a bit weird. Several points of his life mirror interestingly those of Carlos I, including his devotion to his wife (and posterior grief over her death), his passage by different thrones, his initiative and political ability, his unusual looks, and his stints as a military leader whenever he needed it. Also, just like Carlos I is seen as the greatest of the Spanish Habsburgs, Carlos III is regarded as the greatest of the Spanish Bourbons.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as like most Habsburgs, Charles was a devout Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood Protestantism wouldn't be going away anytime soon, he let them be and conceded some religious freedom to prevent future wars, but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either.

The Spanish Empire could be considered the public enemy of the Early Modern Age, having been in pretty much unending wars against France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and itself, which expanded to Portugal and the Netherlands after those seceded from Spain. France became an ally with the rise of the Bourbons, so the longest and most regarded archnemesis was ultimately UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, which in its beginnings also meant to try to divest Spain of its American gold and later expanded to multiple attempts to snatch land of their overseas territories. Spain was mostly capable to defend its global territories during those conflicts, but a mix of inner and outer troubles shattered the empire during the Napoleonic Wars.

Charles arrived in Spain in 1517 without a grasp of the local culture, society or language, and faced quite a few rebellions for it, which he crushed promptly. He eventually adapted quite well and gained the support of the people, helped by his powerful presence and chameleonic charisma (he spoke a long list of languages and was convincing in all of them). Spaniards revered him as a sort of new Roman emperor, which was exactly what he wanted to be.

An unprecedentedly powerful king in European history, thanks to his Mediterranean, Germanic and Amerindian inheritances, Charles wished to unify Europe against Islam as in the good old times, but failed because he was actually about the only European ruler who wanted that (even the Popes were comfortable with the status quo). His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, the second most powerful person in Europe, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the necessity to join forces; Francis would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as Charles was a strong Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood Protestants had arrived to stay, he let them be and conceded some religious freedom so future wars would not happen, but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either.

[[SerialEscalation As the religious wars escalated into political wars]], Philip was married off to UsefulNotes/MaryTudor as a prince to attempt an alliance with England, but it [[AbhorrentAdmirer went]] [[DerailingLoveInterests very badly]].

Highly cultured and ambitious, he saw himself as a reformer and dreamed of giving Spain back the status it had lost with his his grandfather's wars and father's mismanagement. For the better part of his reign, he was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Under Olivares' advice, he re-initiated several wars and tried to extend the war effort from Castile to the whole realm, which prompted rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia that led to the former's independence and the latter's [[FateWorseThanDeath annexation to France]]. Catalonia was re-taken, albeit cut to a size, but Portugal wasn't. As a result, and with the premature death of his military genius brother UsefulNotes/CardinalInfanteFerdinand, Spain lost its eminent seat to the emergent France of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV, Philip's son-in-law.

You would be hard-pressed to find any reference to him in general history books, as he didn't last a year as a king, died at the tender age of 17, and little is known about him personally. He seems to have been a pleasant, charming but subdued fellow, and some have speculated he was bisexual.

His queen Louise Élisabeth was much more memorable for being batshit insane, to the point a dusturbed Luis arranged for her to be institutionalized. She later begged for his forgiveness and started behaving a bit better upon her return. When Luis fell ill with smallpox, she went out of her way to care for him. He still died, though.

Terribly depressive due to an imprisoned early life, he also died ([[OverlyLongGag guess what]]) completely insane when his beloved Portuguese wife passed away, but up to that point he was a mostly flawless ruler, as seen in his nickname. He was obsessed with making the Spanish Empire strong and modern but neutral to every other nation or conflict, and for the most part succeeded.

Duke of Parma turned King of Naples turned King of Spain. Competent and pragmatical, he continued Ferdinand's work and revitalized the empire in the style of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment. He also followed a policy of defensive neutrality, if less strenously, and endured a couple of failed war enterprises he was forced to wage, although he managed to bounce back every time.

Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlos was a soundly healthy, charismatic and peaceful fellow of many talents, if also ugly and a bit weird. Several points of his life mirror interestingly those of Carlos I, including his devotion to his wife (and posterior grief over her death), his passage by different thrones, his initiative and political ability, his unusual looks, and his stints as a military leader whenever he needed it. Also, just like Carlos I is seen as the greatest of the Spanish Austrias, Carlos III is regarded as the greatest of the Spanish Bourbons.

Among his interests, he had a keen one in urbanism, which led to him rebuilding most of UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} into the neo-Classical style for which it is known. He built much of current Spain in other ways, including its current flag and anthem.

Despite his prestige, or perhaps due to it, he doesn't have much presence in media. Spaniards from TheEighties might know him better due to a certain song of folk rock band Suburbano.

Went into history under the derisive nickname of Pepe Botella ("[[TheAlcoholic Joe Bottle]]") despite he didn't really have a drinking problem. This reputation probably came from a royal decree liberalizing alcoholic beverages, which, coupled with his unpopularity, caused many to assume he was a hard drinker himself.

By the end of Fernando's reign, the remnants of Spain's empire were falling apart, its prestige was in tatters, a civil war was brewing, and the country never quite recovered (and it could be accurately said Latin America never recovered either). Not surprisingly, most consider Fernando VII to be Spain's worst king, if not the worst in western history.

With all this happening, he understandably decided that Spain was ungovernable, and promptly [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere abdicated and fled back to Italy]]. Chaos ensued.

Sadly for him, the two-party system was steadily falling apart once their masterminds had passed on and their successors lacked both charisma and political skills to keep it. The impact the defeat against the United States had on the population further eroded the establishment. There was also a bizarre plan to invade and annex Portugal, hoping to capitalize on Iberist movements that had emerged with both countries' sorry state, but it also fell through (the liberals only wanted to do it peacefully). [[FromBadToWorse And it got worse]].

'''Nicknames:''' ''the Enlightened''; ''el Mejor Alcalde de Madrid'' ("the Best Mayor of Madrid"); ''el Político'' ("the Politician")

The Spanish Empire could be considered the public enemy of the Early Modern Age, having been in pretty much unending wars against France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and itself, which expanded to Portugal and the Netherlands after those seceded from Spain. France became an ally with the rise of the Bourbons, so the longest and most regarded archnemesis was ultimately UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, which in its beginnings also meant to try to divest Spain of its American gold and later expanded to multiple attempts to snatch land of their overseas territories.

Charles arrived in Spain in 1517 without a grasp of the local culture, society or language, and faced quite a few rebellions for it, which he crushed promptly.

An unprecedentedly powerful king, thanks to his dual Mediterranean and Germanic inheritances, Charles wanted to unify Europe against Islam as in the good old times, but failed because he was actually about the only European ruler who wanted that (even the Popes were comfortable with the status quo). His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, the second most powerful person in Europe, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the necessity to join forces; Francis would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood Protestants had arrived to stay, he let them be and conceded some religious freedom so future wars would not happen, but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either.

At the end of his life, burned out and tired of watching dreams shatter, he abdicated his (many) thrones to his son and brother and retired to a monastery.

[[SerialEscalation As the religious wars escalated into political wars]], he was married off to UsefulNotes/MaryTudor as a prince to attempt an alliance with England, but it [[AbhorrentAdmirer went]] [[DerailingLoveInterests very badly]].

After becoming king, he turned out to be even more of a Catholic zealot than his father, only without his diplomatic abilities, and involved himself in multiple wars of various levels of avoidability against the Dutch, the English and the French. In the process, he made Habsburg Spain a pariah state, resulting in the stigma of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Legend_(Spain) the Spanish Black Legend]], and initiated a national decline whose effects similarly lasted centuries.

He still won the Italian wars, annexed the Portuguese Empire (forming what some academics call the Iberian Union), fought off successfully the Turks, was kind of a humanist who ruled fairly his overseas territories, and gave a big push to culture and science all around the Spanish Empire, thanks to which he is not completely remembered as a hack in Spain. Rather on the opposite, many Spaniards have recently romanticized him as a timeless symbol of the empire, as strongly as media from Protestant countries pictures him as an evil, ignorant tyrant.

[[UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} An archipelago in the Western Pacific]] was named in his honor and [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines conquered]] under his orders, becoming a point of contact and trade with China and Japan. War enterprises were also considered around the zone, among them a plan to ally with the Japanese to conquer China and expand throughout Asia, but it never realized.

Highly cultured and ambitious, he saw himself as a reformer and dreamed of giving Spain back the status it had lost with his his father's disastrous management. For the better part of his reign, he was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Under Olivares' advice, he re-initiated several wars and tried to extend the war effort from Castile to the whole realm, which prompted rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia that led to the former's independence and the latter's [[FateWorseThanDeath annexation to France]]. Catalonia was re-taken, albeit cut to a size, but Portugal wasn't. As a result, Spain lost its eminent seat to the emergent France of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV.

A king of many contrasts. He cultivated a stoic image for himself, although it backfired and gained him the derisive nickname ''el Rey Pasmado'' (roughly "the Stunned King"). He was also famous for being a lover of the arts, befriending writers and painters, and not any less of women, having about 40 lovers. He was also somehow a fervent Catholic, and towards the end of his life suffered a existential crisis for having failed in his enterprise.

Born with [[BodyHorror serious deformities]] both physically and maybe mentally, he was sterile and not very able to reign. Apparently, he was tragically aware of how much of a failure he was regarded as, to the point he believed himself to be cursed. Spain only lost wars under him, although in turn he and his ministers managed to hold it all together and pull an impressive economical refloating, which gets often overlooked in history due to his, well, conditions.

You would be hard-pressed to find any reference to him in general history books, as he didn't last a year as a king, and little is known about his personality. His queen Louise Élisabeth was much more memorable for being batshit insane, to the point Luis begged for her to be institutionalized, without success.

After his death at the age of 17, his father took the crown again, insane as he was.

Terribly depressive due to an imprisoned early life, he also died ([[OverlyLongGag guess what]]) completely insane when his beloved Portuguese wife passed away, but up to that point he was a mostly flawless ruler, as seen in his nickname.

'''Nicknames:''' ''the Enlightened''; ''el Mejor Alcalde de Madrid'' ("the Best Mayor of Madrid")

Duke of Parma-turned King of Naples-turned King of Spain. Competent and pragmatical, he modernized and revitalized the empire in the style of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment, although also had a couple of failed war enterprises he was forced to wage. Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlos was a soundly healthy, charismatic and peaceful fellow of many talents, if also ugly and a bit weird.

Best remembered for his interest in urbanism, which led to him rebuilding most of UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} into the neo-Classical style for which it is known. He built much of current Spain in other ways, including its flag and anthem.

He is often seen as the greatest of the Spanish Bourbons, although doesn't have much presence in media. Spaniards from TheEighties might know him better due to a certain song of folk rock band Suburbano.

Possibly best remembered for authorizing UsefulNotes/TheBalmisExpedition to vaccinate all of his empire against the pox.

'''Nicknames:''' ''the Intruder''; ''Pepe Botella'' ("[[TheAlcoholic Joe Bottle]]")[[note]]actually a slur assigned by his enemies – he didn't really have a drinking problem[[/note]]

By the end of Fernando's reign, Spain's empire was falling apart, its prestige was in tatters, a civil war was brewing, and the country never quite recovered. Not surprisingly, most consider Fernando VII to be Spain's worst king, if not the worst in western history.

With all this happening, he decided that Spain was ungovernable, and promptly [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere abdicated and fled back to Italy]]. Chaos ensued.

Sadly for him, the two-party system was steadily falling apart once their masterminds had passed on and their successors lacked both charisma and political skills to keep it. The impact the defeat against the United States had on the population further eroded the establishment. There was also a bizarre plan to invade and annex Portugal, but it also fell through. [[FromBadToWorse And it got worse]].

On the subject of lines of succession, at points of its history (as mentioned under Isabel II), Spain had to contend with the traditionalist '''Carlists''', who believed that when Fernando VII died in 1833, the throne should have gone to his brother, Infante Carlos María Isidro and his descendants, instead of Isabel II and hers. Isabel II's unpopularity helped their cause, and the Carlists fought three wars to try and get it done, but they were never quite successful. The movement would last for so long that Carlists would play a role in the Franco regime – albeit a small one. These days, they [[WeAreStrugglingTogether suffer a bit from internal squabbles]] as now there are currently no less than ''four'' Carlist pretenders to the throne, based on differing interpretations of the Carlist claim (even Felipe VI has backing from a small group of Carlists – not that he's acknowledged it).

After becoming king, he turned out to be even more of a Catholic zealot than his father, only without his diplomatic abilities, and involved himself in multiple wars of various levels of avoidability against the Dutch, the English and the French. In the process, he soured Habsburg Spain to almost every other faction in the Old World, causing much of the Spanish Black Legend, and initiated a national decline whose effects similarly lasted centuries.

Highly cultured and ambitious, he saw himself as a reformator and dreamed with giving Spain back the momentum it had lost with his his father's disastrous management. For the greatest part of his reign, he was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Due to their crushing of the opposition and their coordination, the Catholic Monarchs were able to wield a great amount power in practice, not just in title. Their general UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba cemented their influence by the sword, setting the blueprint for the first early modern armies; Spain thus became a prime power that not only was strong economically, but also militarily.

The monarchs then decided to choose good marriages for their children, deciding to marry their daughter, Juana, to Felipe "the Handsome", a noble of the House of Habsburg whose heritage included the territories once held by the duchy of Burgundy (from which the Spanish used their flags) and the Habsburg possessions. Another of their children was UsefulNotes/CatherineOfAragon, who was married off to Prince Arthur, eldest son of [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor King Henry VII of England]]. When Arthur died, Catherine married Arthur's brother, who later ascended the English throne as UsefulNotes/HenryVIII… which didn't turn out so well.

Brief as he was, and never getting to reign alone, is just remembered for being a jerk and totally disregarding the queen in his endless affairs. Also, much to Fernando's dismay, he made a friendly turn to France, their traditional enemies.

An unprecedentedly powerful king, thanks to his dual Spanish and German inheritance, Charles wanted to unify Europe against Islam as in the good old times, but failed because he was actually about the only European ruler who wanted that (even the Popes were comfortable with the status quo). His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, the second most powerful person in Europe, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the necessity to join forces; Francis would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood Protestants had arrived to stay, he let them be and conceded some religious freedom so future wars would not happen, but it didn't work.

At the end of his life, burned out and tired of watching dreams break, he abdicated his (many) thrones to his son and brother and retired to a monastery.

[[SerialEscalation As the religious wars escalated into political wars]], he was married off to UsefulNotes/MaryTudor as a prince to attempt an alliance with England, but it [[DerailingLoveInterests ended]] [[WeatherOfWar very badly]]. After becoming king, he turned out to be even more of a Catholic zealot than his father, involving himself in wars of various levels of avoidability against the Dutch, the English and the French. In the process, he caused a national meltdown whose effects lasted centuries.

He still drowned the Italian wars, annexed Portugal, fought off successfully the Turks, was kind of a humanist who ruled fairly his overseas territories, and gave a big push to culture and science all around the Spanish Empire, thanks to which he is not completely remembered as a hack in Spain. In fact, many Spaniards have recently romanticized him as a timeless symbol of the empire, as strongly as Anglophone media pictures him as an evil, ignorant tyrant.

A profoundly brainy individual, as well as a sort of amateur religious mystic, he had the biggest private library in Europe, practiced alchemy, and allegedly built his massive Escorial Palace to seal a {{hellgate}}, filling it with Catholic art and relics (incidentally, all kings of Spain after him are buried there).

Not the son Felipe II would have desired. Being weak-willed, slow in decision-making and with little interest in governing affairs, he re-popularized the custom of the ''valido'', in which command was delegated in a (badly) handpicked minister while the king went around partying. Might have been a ludomaniac.

He expelled ''moriscos'' or Christianized descendants of Muslims, which was sort of an overreaction against secret collaborators of the Ottomans that hid among them.

In his final years he did some real effective ruling on his own, although too little and too late. He is generally considered a terrible if well-meaning ruler.

'''Nicknames:''' ''the Great''; ''Rey Planeta'' ("the Planet King")

Cultured and ambitious, he was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Under Olivares' advice, he re-initiated several wars and tried to extend the war effort from Castile to the whole realm, which prompted rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia that led to the former's independence and the latter's [[FateWorseThanDeath annexation to France]]. Catalonia was re-taken, albeit cut to a size, but Portugal wasn't. As a result, Spain lost its eminent seat to an emergent France.

Historical opinions of his skill are all over the place. Some consider him a better-disguised ersatz of his father, while others view him as a decently competent ruler in circumstances way beyond his control. He is also famous for being a lover of the arts and not any less of women, having about 40 lovers.

Born with [[BodyHorror serious deformities]] both physically and maybe mentally, he was sterile and not very able to reign. Apparently, he was tragically aware of how much of a failure he was regarded as, to the point he believed himself to be cursed, although. Spain only lost wars under him, although in turn he managed to pull an impressive economical refloating.

Best remembered for his interest in urbanism, which led to him rebuilding most of UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} into the neo-Classical style for which it is known.

He is often considered the greatest of the Spanish Bourbons.

Her reign was marked by a succession of civil wars known as the Carlist Wars, which were waged the supporters of her father's brother Infante Carlos. These wars forced her mother, and then herself, to rely on the liberals her father so fiercely hated to stand on the throne as [[SleazyPolitician sleazy politicians]] turned into the office - and, allegedly, her bed.

Under Olivares' advice, he re-initiated several wars and tried to extend the war effort from Castile to the whole realm, which prompted rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia that led to the former's independence and the latter's [[FateWorseThanDeath annexation to France]]. Catalonia was re-taken, albeit cut to a size, but Portugal didn't. As a consequence, Spain lost his eminent seat to an eemergent France.

You would be hard-pressed to find any reference to him in general history books, as he didn't last a year as a king, and little is known about his personality. His queen Louise Élisabeth was much more memorable for being batshit insane, to the point Luis begged for her to be Institutionalized, without success.

[[caption-width-right:275:''UsefulNotes/TheCatholicMonarchs'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) Each other (1469–1504); (2 [for Fernando]) Germaine of Foix (1506–1516)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Mad'']]

'''Consort:''' Felipe I of Castile

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Handsome'']]

'''Consort:''' Joanna of Castile

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Emperor'']]

'''Consort:''' Isabella of Portugal

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Prudent'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) ''Queen'' [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor Mary I of England]] (1554–1558); (2) Elisabeth of Valois (1559–1568); (3) Anna of Austria (1570–1580)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Pious'']]

'''Consort:''' Margaret of Austria

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Great'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) Elisabeth of France (1615–1644); (2) Mariana of Austria (1649–1665)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Bewitched'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) Marie Louise d'Orléans (1679–1689); (2) Maria Anna of Neuburg (1689–1700)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Spirited'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (1701–1714); (2) Elisabeth Farnese ​(1714–1746)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Beloved'', or\\
''the Liberal'']]

'''Consort:''' Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Fair'']]

'''Consort:''' Barbara of Portugal

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Enlightened'',\\
or ''the King-Mayor'']]

'''Consort:''' Maria Amalia of Saxony

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Hunter'']]

'''Consort:''' Maria Luisa of Parma

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Intruder'',\\
or ''[[TheAlcoholic Joe Bottle]]''[[note]]actually a slur assigned by his enemies – he didn't really have a drinking problem[[/note]]]]

'''Consort:''' Marie Julie Clary

[[caption-width-right:200:First ''the Desired''\\
Later ''the Felon King'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) Maria Isabel of Portugal (1816-1818); (2) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1819–1829); (3) Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (1829–1833)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Traditional Queen'', or\\
''the Queen of Sad Fate'']]

'''Consort:''' Francisco de Asís, ''Duke of Cádiz''

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Knight-King'', or\\
''the Elected'']]

'''Spouse:''' Maria Letizia Bonaparte[[note]]a great-niece of UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte and of José I[[/note]] (1888–1890)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The Peacemaker'']]

'''Consorts:''' (1) María de las Mercedes of Orléans (1878–1878); (2) Maria Christina of Austria (1879–1885)

[[caption-width-right:200:''The African''[[note]]so named for his support for Spanish colonial presence in Africa[[/note]]]]

'''Consort:''' Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

On his deathbed, he changed his last will so his daughter could reign (a very liberal standpoint, for a king that fiercely clung to authoritarian, medieval-like monarchy) instead of his even-more-authoritarian brother, Don Carlos. It's widely assumed that he did this out of pure spite toward his brother for having coveted the throne long before Ferdinand vacated it, which would be in keeping with [[ItsAllAboutMe his general pettiness]]. This gesture would result in supporters of Don Carlos becoming the Carlists and advocating for him and his descendants being placed on the throne (more on that later).

Just before Leonor was born in 2005, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's PSOE election manifesto called for a constitutional amendment to institute absolute primogeniture for Spanish sucession, with the other mainstream party, the People's Party, voicing its support for the proposal. The idea received more attention in 2006–2007, when then-Princess Letizia had a second pregnancy. But the resulting child, Infanta Sophia, wound up being another daughter, and it became clear that Felipe and Letizia wouldn't have any more children, so the question became less urgent. As of 2023, plans for such a constitutional amendment have advanced no further.

Spanish succession follows male-preference primogeniture, so [[HeirClubForMen sons of dynasts (and their descendants) come before daughters of dynasts (and ''their'' descendants) in the line of succession]]. Since the UK switched to absolute primogeniture in 2013, Spain and [[UsefulNotes/TheMonegasqueRoyalFamily Monaco]] are now the only monarchies to use male-preference primogeniture. As a result, Princess Leonor is currently the world's only female heir presumptive, meaning that in the event Felipe and Letizia give birth to a boy, she would be knocked down a place in the line of succession.

Spanish succession follows male-preference primogeniture, so sons of dynasts (and their descendants) come before daughters of dynasts (and ''their'' descendants) in the line of succession. Since the UK switched to absolute primogeniture in 2013, Spain and [[UsefulNotes/TheMonegasqueRoyalFamily Monaco]] are now the only monarchies to use male-preference primogeniture. As a result, Princess Leonor is currently the world's only female heir presumptive, meaning that in the event Felipe and Letizia give birth to a boy, she would be knocked down a place in the line of succession.

Best remembered for his interest in urbanism, which led to him rebuilding most of UsefulNotes/Madrid into the neo-Classical style for which it is known.

Best remembered for his interest in urbanism, which led to him rebuilding most of Madrid into the neo-Classical style for which it is known.

Having had to renounce his and his descendants' place in the French royal line of succession to assume the Spanish throne, he arrived in a Spain ruined by the War of Succession, and never seemed to get what exactly he had to do to fix it. Famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting the other guy in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his sister's grandson, Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Philippe of Anjou, who became…

But...

Her reign saw the roots of an ill-fated alliance with England and the HRE, but is best remembered for her going [[LoveMakesYouCrazy apeshit crazy]] and getting imprisoned in a tower afterwards by her late husband, who is...

After Felipe died, Fernando II made himself Castile's regent and, before dying, left the kingdom of Aragon and Naples as inheritance to the kingdom of Castile, thereby joining the two countries into a single power under a single person who would act as Juana's regent and later co-monarch and heir to the throne...

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his sister's grandson, Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Philippe of Anjou, who became...

Under pressure from Napoleon, he abdicated in 1808, and the Spanish throne briefly went to his son, Fernando VII, but just a few months into Fernando's reign, Napoleon ousted him too, giving Spain to...

By the end of Fernando's reign, Spain's empire was falling apart, its prestige was in tatters, political instability ruled the day, and the country never quite recovered. Not surprisingly, most consider Fernando VII to be Spain's worst king, if not the worst in western history.

By the latter half of the fifteenth century, the then Queen Isabel chose to marry King Fernando, which was reported to be a love match between the two, and with it, the crowns of the kingdom of Castile, largest in Hispania, and the kingdom of Aragon, joint with the kingdom of Naples; Spain thus became a prime power that not only was strong militarily, but economically.

This union, while it suffered a rebellion, was able to finish the Reconquista once and for all, annexing the territory of Granada, today southern Spain. A major factor is that, due to their crushing of the opposition and their coordination, the Catholic Monarchs were able to wield a great amount power in practice, not just in title.

After the fall of Constantinople, the Catholic Kings financed the expedition of UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus, who was rejected by the Portuguese, to find land that would become a part of the crown and that which he would become a direct Viceroy.

Her reign saw the roots of an ill-fated alliance with England and the HRE, but is best remembered for her going [[LoveMakesYouCrazy apeshit crazy]] and getting imprisoned in a tower afterwards by her late husband, who is…

Brief as he was, and never getting to reign alone, is just remembered for being a jerk and totally disregarding the queen in his endless affairs. Also, much to Fernando's dismay, he did a friendly turn to France, their traditional enemies.

After Felipe died, Fernando II made himself Castile's regent and, before dying, left the kingdom of Aragon and Naples as inheritance to the kingdom of Castile, thereby joining the two countries into a single power under a single person who would act as Juana's regent and later co-monarch and heir to the throne…

That person was Charles, Archduke of Austria, and the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope himself. At the moment of his ascension, the Spanish conquistadores began to enter into the territories held by the Aztec Empire and the Inca Empire. They then took advantage of the fragmentary state of the two empires and managed, by turning the very native population against their overlords, to conquer most of modern México and Perú in [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire two long]] [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire campaigns]].

An unprecedentedly powerful king thanks to his dual Spanish and German inheritance, Charles wanted to unify Europe against Islam as in the good old times, but failed because he was actually about the only European ruler who wanted that. His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the need to join forces; Francis would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants were even tougher on him when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose. Cue the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish empire]].

When he understood he couldn't win against everybody, he abdicated his (many) thrones to his sons and retired to a monastery.

[[SerialEscalation As the religious wars escalated into political wars]], he was married off to UsefulNotes/MaryTudor as a prince to attempt an alliance with England, but it [[DerailingLoveInterests ended]] [[WeatherOfWar very badly]]. After becoming king, he turned out to be even more of a zealot than his father, involving himself in wars of various levels of avoidability against the Dutch, the English and the French.

He still drowned the Italian wars, annexed Portugal, fought off successfully the Turks and gave a big push to culture and science in the Spanish Empire, thanks to which he is not completely remembered as a hack in Spain. In fact, many Spaniards have recently romanticized him as a timeless symbol of the empire, as strongly as Anglophone media pictures him as an evil, ignorant tyrant.

A profoundly brainy individual, as well as a sort of amateur religious mystic, he had the biggest private library in Europe, practiced alchemy, and allegedly built his Escorial Palace to seal a {{hellgate}}, filling it with Catholic art and relics. Incidentally, all kings of Spain after him are buried there.

[[UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} An archipelago in the Western Pacific]] was named in his honor and [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines conquered]] under his orders, becoming a point of contact and trade with China and Japan. Minor war enterprises were also considered around the zone, among them a plan to ally with the Japanese to conquer China, but never realized.

Not the son Philip II would have desired. Being weak-willed, slow in decision-making and with little interest in governing affairs, he re-popularized the custom of the ''valido'', in which command was delegated in a (badly) handpicked minister while the king went around partying. Might have been a ludomaniac.

Was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Under Olivares' advice, he re-initiated several wars and tried to extend the war effort from Castile to the whole realm, which prompted rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia that led to the former's independence and the latter's [[FateWorseThanDeath annexation to France]]. Catalonia was re-taken, albeit cut to a size, but Portugal didn't. As a consequence, Spain lost his eminent seat to a reemergent France.

Historical opinions of his skill are all over the place, some considering him an ersatz of his father and some a decently competent but greatly unlucky ruler. He is also famous for probably being a sex addict with about 40 lovers.

Born with [[BodyHorror serious deformities]] both physically and maybe psychologically, he was not very able to reign, and was also sterile. Apparently, he was tragically aware of how much of a failure he was regarded as. Spain only lost wars under him, although in turn he managed to pull an impressive economical refloating.

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his sister's grandson, Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Philippe of Anjou, who became…

Having had to renounce his and his descendants' place in the French royal line of succession to assume the Spanish throne, he arrived in a Spain that was ruined from the War of Succession, and never seemed to get what he had to do to fix it. Famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting the other guy in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

At the end of his life, he went completely insane.

His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

Duke of Parma-turned King of Naples-turned King of Spain. Competent and pragmatical, modernized and revitalized the empire in the style of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment, although also had a couple of failed war enterprises. Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlos was a soundly healthy, charismatic and peaceful fellow of many talents, if also ugly and a bit weird.

Under pressure from Napoleon, he abdicated in 1808, and the Spanish throne briefly went to his son, Fernando VII, but just a few months into Fernando's reign, Napoleon ousted him too, giving Spain to…

By the end of Fernando's reign, Spain's empire was falling apart, its prestige was in tatters, political instability ruled the day, and the country never quite recovered. Not surprisingly, most consider Fernando VII to be Spain's worst king.

Primo de Rivera accomplished most of his stated goals by cutting crime, striking seriously Abd-el-Krim rebels in the Moroccan campaign and patching social welfare issues, as well as implementing progressive measures that nobody remembers (such as putting women in political charges for the first time), but in the way he made enemies of the PSOE (Socialist Party), the PCE (Communist Party) and the whole of the elites in both Catalonia and the Basque Country, who turned to nationalism. And then, in 1929, TheGreatDepression finished him.

Having had to renounce his and his descendants' claims to the French throne to assume the Spanish throne, he arrived in a Spain that was ruined from the War of Succession, and never seemed to get what he had to do to fix it. Famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting the other guy in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his sister's grandson Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Philippe of Anjou, who became…

Was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, that we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

Having had to renounce his place in the French line of succession to assume the Spanish throne, he arrived in a Spain that was ruined from the War of Succession, and never seemed to get what he had to do to fix it. Famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting the other guy in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

->'''Lived:''' 22 April 1451 -- 26 November 1504 (Isabella); 10 March 1452 23 January 1516 (Fernando)\\

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his sister's grandson Philippe, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Carlos II's choice…

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he tried to leave his throne to his half-grandnephew Philippe, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France and great-grandson of Felipe VI. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Carlos II's choice…

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he had tried to make his half-grandnephew Philippe, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France and great-grandson of Felipe VI, the next king of Spain. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Carlos II's choice…

'''Parents:''' Louis, ''Grand Dauphin'',[[note]] and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria\\

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as he had tried to make his brother-in-law, France's prince heir, the next king of Spain. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Carlos II's choice...

'''Parents:''' Louis, ''Grand Dauphin'', and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria\\