You had some troops in Italy, and in the empire two regiments only of hussars which were not on its pay-list; England and Holland alone bore all the burden." William III.

was still negotiating with the emperor and the German princes to make them accept the treaty of partition, when it all at once became known in Europe that Charles II.
had breathed his last at Madrid on the 1st of November, 1700, and that, by a will dated October 2, he disposed of the Spanish monarchy in favor of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV.
This will was the work of the council of Spain, at the head of which sat Cardinal Porto-Carrero.

"The national party," says M.Mignet in his "Introduction aux Documents relatifs de la Succession d'Espagne,_ "detested the Austrians because they had been so long in Spain; it liked the French because they were no longer there.

The former had been there time enough to weary by their dominion, whilst the latter were served by the mere fact of their removal." Singlehanded, Louis XIV.

appeared powerful enough to maintain the integrity of the Spanish monarchy before the face and in the teeth of all the competitors.