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Why did Charles II name Philip, duc d’Anjou, as heir to the Spanish throne?

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Illustration of the Battle of Blenheim showing cavalry and infantry in combat, fallen soldiers, and smoke rising from cannon fire across a hilly battlefield. — War of the Spanish Succession The Battle of Blenheim (August 13, 1704), was the most famous victory of John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, and Eugene of Savoy during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Charles II of Spain named Philip, duc d’Anjou, as his sole heir in his final will of October 1700 primarily to prevent the partition of the Spanish Empire.12

Throughout his reign, Charles II viewed any division of his territories—which had been proposed by international powers in various partition treaties—as a profound humiliation to Spain. Following the death of the original heir presumptive, Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria, in 1699, the European powers sought to divide the Spanish inheritance between the Bourbon and Habsburg claimants to maintain the balance of power.12

Determined to keep his dominions undivided and separate from any other crown, Charles II bypassed the Habsburg claim in favor of Philip, the second son of the French dauphin. By naming a Bourbon prince, Charles II hoped to secure the support of France, the only power he believed capable of maintaining the integrity of the Spanish Empire against foreign encroachment.12