Charles II of Spain

Charles II of Spain (1661-1700) was king of Spain, Naples, and Sicily, reigning 1665-1700. He was the son of his predecessor Philip IV of Spain and of Mariana of Austria.

He was the last of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, physically disabled and mentally retarded. His mother was his regent during much of his reign. Though exiled by the king's illegitimate brother John of Austria, she returned to the regency after his death.

During his reign Spain continued its decline that had begun under his increasingly incompetent Habsburg ancestors. However, a peace treaty with Portugal in 1668 ceded Ceuta to Spain.

Charles produced no heir and named Philip Bourbon of Anjou as his successor, provoking the War of the Spanish Succession.