Monarch of Spain. He was designated the King of Spain on November 1, 1700 after the consolidation of his government following a long dispute over the succession to the throne, which degenerated into a war involving the Bourbons, Habsburgs, the Netherlands and England. In fact, his predecessor Charles II of Habsburg, the last of this dynasty to reign in Spain, died without any direct descendants but had named him as King of Spain. Philip V's royal ancestry was proven as he was the son of Charles II of Halsbury's half-sister, a grandson of Louis XIV of France and a great grandson of Philip IV, the King of Spain. He left France in 1701 and never returned to France. However, his definitive ascent to the throne was conditioned by Spain's abandonment of the domains of Menorca, Gibraltar, the southern Netherlands, Naples, Milan and Sardinia in 1714. Philip V was a legitimate descendant of the declining Louis XIV of France, but simultaneously, he was not allowed to be both the king of Spain and France. In January of 1724, he abdicated from the Spanish throne in favor of his oldest son, Louis, but was persuaded to become king again after Louis died of smallpox in August of 1724 and his second son was not yet of age. In spite of everything, Philip V again tried repeatedly to regain the lost territories by venturing into another war against England and his ally Prussia, which ended with a series of defeats in the Caribbean and Gibraltar, and with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution and giving Spain land in North America. Toward the end of his life, his mental and physical health decline even more, leaving his second wife often to manage affairs acting as a regent. By the 1740s he had become bedridden, dying on July 9, 1746 of apoplexy or a stroke. He was succeeded by Ferdinand VI, the only surviving son of his first marriage.

Monarch of Spain. He was designated the King of Spain on November 1, 1700 after the consolidation of his government following a long dispute over the succession to the throne, which degenerated into a war involving the Bourbons, Habsburgs, the Netherlands and England. In fact, his predecessor Charles II of Habsburg, the last of this dynasty to reign in Spain, died without any direct descendants but had named him as King of Spain. Philip V's royal ancestry was proven as he was the son of Charles II of Halsbury's half-sister, a grandson of Louis XIV of France and a great grandson of Philip IV, the King of Spain. He left France in 1701 and never returned to France. However, his definitive ascent to the throne was conditioned by Spain's abandonment of the domains of Menorca, Gibraltar, the southern Netherlands, Naples, Milan and Sardinia in 1714. Philip V was a legitimate descendant of the declining Louis XIV of France, but simultaneously, he was not allowed to be both the king of Spain and France. In January of 1724, he abdicated from the Spanish throne in favor of his oldest son, Louis, but was persuaded to become king again after Louis died of smallpox in August of 1724 and his second son was not yet of age. In spite of everything, Philip V again tried repeatedly to regain the lost territories by venturing into another war against England and his ally Prussia, which ended with a series of defeats in the Caribbean and Gibraltar, and with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution and giving Spain land in North America. Toward the end of his life, his mental and physical health decline even more, leaving his second wife often to manage affairs acting as a regent. By the 1740s he had become bedridden, dying on July 9, 1746 of apoplexy or a stroke. He was succeeded by Ferdinand VI, the only surviving son of his first marriage.

Bio by: Linda Davis