Philip V of Spain
Louis in 1701
succeeded to his father's throne.[90] The signatories, however, omitted to consult the ruler
of these lands, and Charles II was passionately opposed to the dismemberment of his
empire. In 1699, he re-confirmed his 1693 will that named Joseph Ferdinand as his sole
successor.[91]
Six months later, Joseph Ferdinand died. Therefore, in 1700, Louis and William III
concluded a fresh partitioning agreement, the Treaty of London. This allocated Spain, the
Low Countries, and the Spanish colonies to the Archduke. The Dauphin would receive all
of Spain's Italian territories.[92] Charles II acknowledged that his empire could only remain
undivided by bequeathing it entirely to a Frenchman or an Austrian. Under pressure from
his German wife, Maria Anna of Neuburg, Charles II named Archduke Charles as his sole
heir.
On his deathbed in 1700, Charles II of Spain
unexpectedly changed his will. The clear
demonstration of French military superiority for
many decades before this time, the pro-French
faction at the court of Spain, and even Pope
Innocent XII convinced him that France was more likely to preserve his empire intact. He
thus offered the entire empire to the Dauphin's second son Philip, Duke of Anjou, provided
it remained undivided. Anjou was not in the direct line of French succession, thus his
accession would not cause a Franco-Spanish union.[92] If Anjou refused, the throne would
be offered to his younger brother Charles, Duke of Berry. If the Duke of Berry declined it,
it would go to Archduke Charles, then to the distantly related House of Savoy if Charles
declined it.[93]
Louis was confronted with a difficult choice. He could agree to a partition of the Spanish
possessions and avoid a general war, or accept Charles II's will and alienate much of
Europe. He may initially have been inclined to abide by the partition treaties, but the
Dauphin's insistence persuaded him otherwise.[94] Moreover, Louis's foreign minister,Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy, pointed out that war with the Emperor would
almost certainly ensue whether Louis accepted the partition treaties or Charles II's will. He
emphasised that, should it come to war, William III was unlikely to stand by France since
he "made a treaty to avoid war and did not intend to go to war to implement the treaty".[91] Indeed, in the event of war, it might be
preferable to be already in control of the disputed lands. Eventually, therefore, Louis decided to accept Charles II's will. Philip,
Duke of Anjou, thus became Philip V, King of Spain.
Most European rulers accepted Philip as king, some reluctantly. Depending on one's views of the war's inevitability, Louis acted
reasonably or arrogantly.[95] He confirmed that Philip V retained his French rights despite his new Spanish position. Admittedly,
he may only have been hypothesising a theoretical eventuality and not attempting a Franco-Spanish union. But his actions were
certainly not read as disinterested. Moreover, Louis sent troops to the Spanish Netherlands to evict Dutch garrisons and secure
Dutch recognition of Philip V. In 1701, Philip transferred the asiento (the right to supply slaves to Spanish colonies) to France, as
a sign of the two nations' growing connections. As tensions mounted, Louis decided to acknowledge James Stuart, the son of
James II, as King of England, Scotland and Ireland on the latter's death, infuriating William III. These actions enraged Britain and
the Dutch Republic.[96] With the Holy Roman Emperor and the petty German states, they formed another Grand Alliance and
declared war on France in 1702. French diplomacy secured Bavaria, Portugal, and Savoy as Franco-Spanish allies.[97]
Even before war was officially declared, hostilities began with Imperial aggression in Italy. Once finally declared, the War of the
Spanish Succession lasted almost until Louis's death, at great cost to him and France.