Editing Charles III of Spain (section)

== Early years ==
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[[File: Elisabeth Farnese with her eldest son Infante Carlos (future Carlos III of Spain) in 1716 by Melendez.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Elisabeth with her eldest son Charles.]]
The birth of Charles encouraged Prime Minister Alberoni to start laying out grand plans for Europe. In 1717 he ordered the Spanish invasion of [[Kingdom of Sardinia|Sardinia]]. In 1718, Alberoni also ordered the invasion of [[Sicily]], which was also ruled by the [[House of Savoy]]. In the same year Charles's first sister, Infanta [[Mariana Victoria of Spain|Mariana Victoria]] was born on 31 March. In reaction to the [[Quadruple Alliance (1718)|Quadruple Alliance of 1718]], the [[Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia|Duke of Savoy]] then joined the Alliance and [[War of the Quadruple Alliance|went to war]] with Spain. This war led to the dismissal of Alberoni by Philip in 1719. The [[Treaty of The Hague (1720)|Treaty of The Hague of 1720]] included the recognition of Charles as heir to the Italian Duchies of Parma and Piacenza.

Charles's half-brother, Infante Philip Peter, died on 29 December 1719, putting Charles third in line to the throne after Luis and Ferdinand. He would retain his position behind these two until they died and he succeeded to the Spanish throne. His second full brother, Infante [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip of Spain]], was born on 15 March 1720.
[[File: Charles de Bourbon, futur Carlos III.jpg|thumb|Charles at 9 years old]]
Beginning in 1721, King Philip had been negotiating with the [[Philippe II, Duke of Orléans|Duke of Orléans]], the French regent, to arrange three Franco-Spanish marriages that could potentially ease tense relations. The young [[Louis XV]] of France would marry the three-year-old Infanta Mariana Victoria and thus she would become Queen of France; Charles's half-brother Louis would marry the fourth surviving daughter of the regent, [[Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans]]. Charles himself would be engaged to [[Philippine Élisabeth d'Orléans]], who was the fifth surviving daughter of the Duke of Orléans.

In 1726 Charles met Philippine Élisabeth for the first time; [[Elisabeth Farnese]] later wrote to the regent and his wife regarding their meeting:

{{quote|"I believe, that you will not be displeased to learn of her first interview with her little husband. They embraced very affectionately and kissed one another, and it appears to me that he does not displease her. Thus, since this evening they do not like to leave one another. She says a hundred pretty things; one would not credit the things that she says unless one heard them. She has the mind of an angel, and my son is only too happy to possess her . . . She has charged me to tell you that she loves you with all her heart and that she is quite content with her husband."}}

And to the [[Françoise-Marie de Bourbon|duchesse d'Orléans]] she writes:

{{quote|"I find her the most beautiful and most lovable child in the world. It is the most pleasing thing imaginable to see her with her little husband: how they caress one another and how they love one another already. They have a thousand little secrets to tell one another, and they cannot part for an instant."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/unrulydaughtersr00willrich/unrulydaughtersr00willrich_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Unruly daughters; a romance of the house of Orléans" |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref>}}

[[File:Carlos III, niño.jpg|thumb|Charles at 11 years old]]

Out of these proposed marriages, only Louis and Louise Élisabeth would wed. Elisabeth Farnese looked for other potential brides for her eldest son. For this, she looked to Austria, Spain's principal opponent for influence on the [[Italian Peninsula]]. She proposed to [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor]], that the Infante Charles marry the eight-year-old Archduchess [[Maria Theresa]] and that her second surviving son, the Infante [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip]], marry the seven-year-old Archduchess [[Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1718–1744)|Maria Anna]].

The alliance of Spain and Austria was signed on 30 April 1725 and included Spanish support for the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713|Pragmatic Sanction]], a document drafted by Emperor Charles in 1713 to assure support for Maria Theresa in the succession to the throne of the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]]. The emperor also relinquished all claims to the Spanish throne and promised to support Spain in its attempts to regain [[Gibraltar]]. The ensuing [[Anglo-Spanish War (1727)|Anglo-Spanish War]] stopped the ambitions of Elisabeth Farnese, and the marriage plans were abandoned with the signing of the [[Treaty of Seville (1729)|Treaty of Seville]] on 9 November 1729. Provisions of the treaty did allow the Infante Charles the right to occupy Parma, Piacenza, and Tuscany by force if necessary.

After the Treaty of Seville, Philip V disregarded its provisions and formed an alliance with France and the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. [[Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma|Antonio Farnese]], the Duke of Parma, died on 26 February 1731 without naming an heir. This was because the widow of Antonio, [[Enrichetta d'Este]] was thought to have been pregnant at the time of his death. The Duchess was examined by many doctors without any confirmation of her pregnancy. As a result, the [[Treaty of Vienna (1731)|Second Treaty of Vienna]] on 22 July 1731 officially recognized the young Infante Charles as Duke of Parma and Piacenza.

The duchy was occupied by Count Carlo Stampa, who served as the lieutenant of Parma for the young Charles. Charles was from then on known as ''HRH Don Charles of Spain (or Borbón), Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Infante of Spain''. Since he was still a minor, his maternal grandmother, [[Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg|Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg]], was named regent.