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Why did England fear a Bourbon king ruling Spain?

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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.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, England feared the accession of a Bourbon king to the Spanish throne primarily because it threatened the balance of power in Europe, potentially establishing French hegemony.1

England’s concerns were driven by several key factors:

Geopolitical Dominance: England feared that Spain would become a political and commercial appendage of France, effectively ruled by Louis XIV from Versailles.1
Economic Interests: The Maritime Powers—England and the United Provinces—were deeply concerned about losing their well-established trade routes with Spain and the West Indies.2
French Aggression: These fears were exacerbated by Louis XIV’s actions, such as his refusal to remove his grandson Philip V from the French line of succession and his decision to grant French merchants exclusive rights to the slave trade in Spanish American colonies.2

Ultimately, these geopolitical and economic anxieties prompted England to join a coalition with Austria to oppose the Bourbon claim and prevent the unification of French and Spanish power.1