Charles II of Spain was born in 1661 as the only surviving son of Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria, who was also his niece. This meant that Charles’s mother was simultaneously his cousin, and his grandmother was also his aunt. The Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs had practiced intermarriage for generations, and between 1450 and 1661, the vast majority of the 11 marriages contracted by Spanish monarchs involved some form of inbreeding. Charles was the product of at least 16 generations of such unions, a misguided effort to preserve the purity of the royal bloodline.
He was the final monarch of Spain from the House of Habsburg, and his life was marked by profound physical and mental disabilities that many historians view as a direct consequence of dynastic inbreeding. From the start, Charles’s health was frail. He suffered from measles, chickenpox, and smallpox. He had rickets and could not walk without support until the age of four.
He did not learn to walk until he was six, and even at nine, he still struggled. His skull bones had not fused, and until age four, he was nourished solely on breast milk provided by 14 different wet nurses who had to be replaced regularly due to painful nipple bites from the infant. The inbreeding intensified what became known as the Habsburg jaw. In Charles, this condition was so pronounced that it hindered his ability to chew food properly, causing frequent stomach issues.
His tongue was so enlarged that few could understand him when he spoke. He is also believed to have suffered from acromegaly, a condition that causes swelling and disfigurement, particularly of the face and hands. By the age of nine, Charles could not read or write, and his speech was halting. Despite having the finest tutors, his education was severely limited.
His mother’s domineering influence stifled whatever willpower he had. He was often at the mercy of his family, though his temper could flare violently in rages driven by frustration over his disabilities. In the superstitious climate of the time, his physical deformities were sometimes interpreted as signs of witchcraft. His physicians attempted cures accompanied by occult practices and exorcisms.
Some dubbed him Charles the Bewitched. He suffered from epileptic seizures and became senile at a young age. Charles married twice, but his impotence prevented him from fathering children or securing an heir. Court factions, each with their own agendas, had an interest in a weak and easily manipulated king.
Throughout his life, he was subject to their shifting influence. Accounts of the time described him as shy, self-conscious, and frequently melancholic, though foreign diplomats noted that he was generally kind. The court’s greatest preoccupation was the need for an heir. In 1679, at age 18, Charles married Maria Louisa of Orleans.
She was not well received by the people, not only because she was French, but also because she failed to give the king a child. Rumors circulated that Charles was bewitched. On one occasion, the queen confided in a lady-in-waiting that the king suffered from premature ejaculation, which prevented the consummation of the marriage. Maria Louisa died in 1689 from appendicitis.
The king was reportedly devastated. Ten days later, the Privy Council suggested a new marriage. The chosen bride was Marianne of Neuburg, whose greatest merit was that her parents had borne 23 children together. Still, the king fathered no children.
In his final years, Charles’s physical condition deteriorated. Unable to find a medical explanation, many continued to attribute his plight to witchcraft. The king was so affected by this belief that in 1698, through his confessor, Father Fray Juan Díaz, he petitioned the general inquisitor to begin a process known as disenchantment. Father Díaz knew of a convent housing several possessed nuns and of Father Fray Antonio Álvarez, who possessed exorcist powers.
Before the sacred sacrament, the exorcist asked the devil if the king had been bewitched. The answer was reportedly yes. Satan revealed that a spell had been cast on April 3, 1675, using a cup of chocolate containing the dissolved brain of an executed criminal. The purpose, according to the devil, was to take away the king’s reason, corrupt his semen, and prevent him from fathering children, all to ensure that the widow Queen Mariana could remain in power.
The exorcist suggested that the king drink half a liter of oil while fasting, accompanied by an exorcism. The king’s condition only worsened, exacerbated by the potions he was given. By March 1698, he suffered from edema, constant fatigue, epileptic seizures, chronic diarrhea, and recurring fevers. On November 1, 1700, at the age of 39, Charles II passed away.
Though post-mortem examinations were not typically conducted for kings, his death, surrounded by rumors of witchcraft, prompted an autopsy. The findings were horrific. He had a very small heart the size of a peppercorn, corroded lungs, putrid and gangrenous intestines, three large stones in his kidneys, a single testicle black as coal, and his head was filled with water. The life of Charles II was one of constant pain and depression.
His wives were repulsed by him, and he never lived an ordinary life. He was the result of generations of inbreeding, and his death marked the end of the Habsburg dynasty in Spain.