Editing Louis XIV (section)

===Acceptance of the will of Charles II and consequences===
[[File:Louis le Grand; Rigaud Hyacinthe.jpg|thumb|Louis in 1701]]
On his deathbed in 1700, Charles{{Nbsp}}II of Spain unexpectedly changed his will. The clear demonstration of French military superiority for many decades before this time, the pro-French faction at the court of Spain, and even [[Pope Innocent&nbsp;XII]] convinced him that France was more likely to preserve his empire intact. He thus offered the entire empire to the Dauphin's second son Philip, Duke of Anjou, provided it remained undivided. Anjou was not in the direct line of French succession, thus his accession would not cause a Franco-Spanish union.{{Sfn|Lynn|1999|p=268}} If Anjou refused, the throne would be offered to his younger brother [[Charles, Duke of Berry (1686–1714)|Charles, Duke of Berry]]. If the Duke of Berry declined it, it would go to Archduke Charles, then to the distantly related [[House of Savoy]] if Charles declined it.{{Sfn|Kamen|2001|p=6}}

Louis was confronted with a difficult choice. He could agree to a partition of the Spanish possessions and avoid a general war, or accept Charles{{Nbsp}}II's will and alienate much of Europe. He may initially have been inclined to abide by the partition treaties, but the Dauphin's insistence persuaded him otherwise.{{Sfn|Dunlop|2000|p=358}} Moreover, Louis's foreign minister, [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy]], pointed out that war with the Emperor would almost certainly ensue whether Louis accepted the partition treaties or Charles{{Nbsp}}II's will. He emphasised that, should it come to war, William{{Nbsp}}III was unlikely to stand by France since he "made a treaty to avoid war and did not intend to go to war to implement the treaty".{{Sfn|Dunlop|2000|p=353}} Indeed, in the event of war, it might be preferable to be already in control of the disputed lands. Eventually, therefore, Louis decided to accept Charles{{Nbsp}}II's will. Philip, Duke of Anjou, thus became Philip{{Nbsp}}V, King of Spain.

Most European rulers accepted Philip as king, some reluctantly. Depending on one's views of the war's inevitability, Louis acted reasonably or arrogantly.{{Sfn|Lynn|1999|p=269, see footnote 1}} He confirmed that Philip{{Nbsp}}V retained his French rights despite his new Spanish position. Admittedly, he may only have been hypothesising a theoretical eventuality and not attempting a Franco-Spanish union. But his actions were certainly not read as disinterested. Moreover, Louis sent troops to the Spanish Netherlands to evict Dutch garrisons and secure Dutch recognition of Philip{{Nbsp}}V. In 1701, Philip transferred the ''[[Asiento de Negros|asiento]]'' (the right to supply slaves to Spanish colonies) to France, as a sign of the two nations' growing connections. As tensions mounted, Louis decided to acknowledge [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Stuart]], the son of James{{Nbsp}}II, as King of England, Scotland and Ireland on the latter's death, infuriating William{{Nbsp}}III. These actions enraged Britain and the Dutch Republic.{{Sfn|Lynn|1999|pp=269–270}} With the Holy Roman Emperor and the petty German states, they formed another Grand Alliance and declared war on France in 1702. French diplomacy secured Bavaria, Portugal, and Savoy as Franco-Spanish allies.{{Sfn|Merryman|2007|p=321}}