Why did he pick some random French dude to succeed him? Why not

>>3378113
>Your Majesty, I am afraid you might be unable to sire a child before your death. You must choose a successor to ensure stability. Who will it be?P
>PHLPPLPRRRPRPRPRPRPLRPRPRPLPRLRLPRL
>Phillip, your Majesty? Your grand-nephew Phillip?
>HMNUUUUUHH
>It shall be done, my lord.

>>3378162
>>PHLPPLPRRRPRPRPRPRPLRPRPRPLPRLRLPRL
>HMNUUUUUHH
I think he spoke Spanish not Dutch.

>>3378113
The French guy was the legitimate heir to the throne.

>>3378113
You are gravely mistaken if you think aristocracy had any sense of nationalism. The peasants are the same everywhere and nobles as well. As long as the successor is related and if noble birth who cares where they come from.

>>3378177

It would have been better to pick somebody from Spain.

>>3378182
Why? Literally who cared?

>>3378182
That's not how it works. The throne would go to the legitimate descendant, not to someone chosen for nationalistic reasons.

>>3378187

Lots of people, apparently, because there was a war about it.

>>3378194
Yeah, but it's not like the pretender was any more Spanish, if anything Philippe probably was.

>>3378212

I just think he could have made a better decision.

>>3378188

The king can pick whoever he wants. He doesn't have follow some stupid rule book.

>>3378194
For geopolitical reasons.

The Habsburgs and the Bourbons intermarried so much that they were pretty much the same family.

>>3378219
You imagine war is avoided if you just skip the legitimate heir and appoint some rando as your successor?
Are you retarded?

>>3378219
>implying this literal retard could even decide what to wear

>>3378221

Bringing "fresh blood" into the monarchy seems like a great way to combat inbreeding.

>>3378234
Yes, I'm sure Louis XIV or Leopold I would care about this.

>>3378241

There must have been at least 1 guy in spain who was reasonably qualified.

>>3378246
You are trolling, right?
The two strongest monarchs in Europe were Louis XIV and Leopold. The heirs of both of them were the strongest claimants to the Spanish throne, which while decadent was still enormous.
Why do you think they would accept anyone that is not their heir on the throne?

>>3378246
It's not about being qualified, ya dink

>>3378255
>>3378257

Look. all I'm saying is, this was the one really important decision that he ever really got to make in his entire reign as King of Spain. He really should have put a lot of thought into it for that reason. You know, thoroughly consider every possible option before making a final decision.

>>3378219
>The king can pick whoever he wants.
No, he can't.
>He doesn't have follow some stupid rule book.
Yes, he does.
By this time, in 1700 and the precedent eras, absolutism as you imagine is a french thing (and even Louis XIV couldn't literally do whatever he wants). Spanish Habsburgs were never absolutist in this sense and in fact they were forced to follow all the retarded medieval rules of the different states and kingdoms. Charles' father lost Portugal and almost Catalonia, Andalusia and Naples for thinking that he could try to change the rule book. Obviously he pussied out.

>>3378290
Right, and he chose his grand-nephew Philippe, which was retrospectively the best decision he could have made given that he's the one who won out.

Tsst

>>3378290
You're retarded and therefore you imagine options that don't exist. Are you american or from some other meme republic that lost any monarchic memory if it ever had one?

>>3378290
And all I'm saying is that you're retarded, it's not just that you can't appoint whoever you feel like to succeed you, but that even if you did how on earth do you imagine it would work out? The claimants would just shrug and say "oh ok", the powers that would benefit from their claimant succeeding would just shrug and say "I guess that's that, too bad"
Whether it's the french or austrian crown or just the actual spanish magnates themselves everybody has something to gain from "their guy" gaining the crown, nobody would accept someone without a legitimate claim unless they were in that someone's camp

>>3378290
His decision didn't matter.
The inheritance would be decided by Louis and Leopold no matter what.

>>3378297
>and even Louis XIV couldn't literally do whatever he wants
People tend to underestimate this. Louis XIV did have constraints on his power.

>>3378312
>Louis XIV did have constraints on his power.
Precisely what I said, although he was probably one of the monarchs with weaker constraints of his time. Or at least his team was great at masking the constraints.

>>3378319
Yes, I know, anon. I was agreeing with you.

If Charlie had actually cared about competence and what's best for the empire over blood ties and legal claims, he'd have started by abdicating in favor of a less retarded relative. He didn't and continued to rule in spite of his infirmity and incompetence, so the entire scenario of him picking some meritorious nobody is completely absurd before even getting into the geopolitical considerations.

>>3378298

>Right, and he chose his grand-nephew Philippe, which was retrospectively the best decision he could have made given that he's the one who won out.

So you're saying that Philip was probably the best choice because he was the guy who ultimately ended up winning the war? I suppose that makes sense.

>>3378356
I'm saying it's smarter than choosing some other guy who ends up losing.

>>3378366

I'm inclined to agree that that. But how did Charlie know that Philip would end up winning?

>>3378182

From Spain? Why? This was before nationalism. There wasn't a Spain other than the lands the monarch of Spain presided over.

>>3378371
Are you really this daft?

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>>3378378

Was there something about him that made him more likely to win the war than the other guy?

>>3378391
Charles had the power to see the future just a little bit
Some say he's the first mutant, a forefather to the X-men you could say

>>3378395
>>3378395

>Charles had the power to see the future just a little bit

I don't think that's true. But I do feel better now, knowing that he (probably) made the right choice after all.

>>3378219
The Crown is an institution and it is represented by the body of the royal person. To choose someone not of the royal blood would cause the Crown to lose legitimacy.

>>3378342
Political stability IS whats best for the Empire.

>>3378290

He was retarded and didn't govern at all. Phillip II was a stateman leader and a mega bureaucrat in addition, but all Habsburgs after him had a number of people running the government, usually presided by a 'valido', a sort of unofficial prime minister while they dedicated their time to hunting and shit. Sometimes they would intervene in matters of state and remove one valido from another, usually at the insistance of this or that courtisan lobby group.

But since Carlos was retarded he was simply the kind of figurehead that signed papers as he's told. Matter of succesion was decided by the statemen and the councils, particularly the Council of Castille, according to state interests while keeping legitimate bloodline going, which at that point was either Philippe D'Anjou (and geopolitical connection with France) or the Austrian Assburger (same old shit 'Imperial' connection).

Both candidates were as legitimate by blood, but Philippe D'Anjou made way more geopolitical sense and that's why the state apparatus and the Council of Castille made Charlie sign on the dots for Philippe. He was also fond of him though.

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>>3378113
He did and it triggered a war.