When Charles II of Spain died in 1700, his infertility – “he had a single testicle,” his autopsy reported, “black as coal” – left no heir to the throne. A dispute between the great nations of Europe then ensued. Charles had named the teenage Philip of Anjou as his successor, handing the crown to the House of Bourbon and strengthening the bonds between Spain and France. Such closer ties were met with deep concern in other quarters of Europe – in particular Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire – where the preferred choice was
