What caused the War of the Spanish Succession?

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was primarily caused by the death of the childless Charles II, the last monarch of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. His passing triggered a major conflict over who would inherit the vast Spanish Empire and its territories.12

The war arose from a struggle to maintain the balance of power in Europe, as both the House of Bourbon and the Austrian Habsburgs held dynastic claims to the throne. Tensions escalated when Louis XIV accepted Charles II’s will, which named his grandson, Philip, duc d’Anjou, as the heir to the undivided Spanish dominions.13

This move threatened to unite French and Spanish power, prompting England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands to intervene. Their opposition was fueled by fears of French hegemony and the potential loss of established trade routes. Louis XIV further provoked these powers by asserting his grandson's continued rights to the French throne and granting French merchants exclusive rights to the slave trade in Spanish colonies.3