Produced by David Widger
For the last two or three years the King of Spain had been in very weakhealth, and in danger of his life several times. He had no children, andno hope of having any. The question, therefore, of the succession to hisvast empire began now to agitate every European Court. The King ofEngland (William III.), who since his usurpation had much augmented hiscredit by the grand alliance he had formed against France, and of whichhe had been the soul and the chief up to the Peace of Ryswick, undertookto arrange this question in a manner that should prevent war when theKing of Spain died. His plan was to give Spain, the Indies, the LowCountries, and the title of King of Spain to the Archduke, second son ofthe Emperor; Guipuscoa, Naples, Sicily, and Lorraine to France; and theMilanese to M. de Lorraine, as compensation for taking away from him histerritory.
The King of England made this proposition first of all to our King; who,tired of war, and anxious for repose, as was natural at his age, made fewdifficulties, and soon accepted. M. de Lorraine was not in a position torefuse his consent to a change recommended by England, France, andHolland. Thus much being settled, the Emperor was next applied to. Buthe was not so easy to persuade: he wished to inherit the entiresuccession, and would not brook the idea of seeing the House of Austriadriven from Italy, as it would have been if the King of England'sproposal had been carried out. He therefore declared it was altogetherunheard of and unnatural to divide a succession under such circumstances,and that he would hear nothing upon the subject until after the death ofthe King of Spain. The resistance he made caused the whole scheme tocome to the ears of the King of Spain, instead of remaining a secret, aswas intended.
The King of Spain made a great stir in consequence of what had takenplace, as though the project had been formed to strip him, during hislifetime, of his realm. His ambassador in England spoke so insolentlythat he was ordered to leave the country by William, and retired toFlanders. The Emperor, who did not wish to quarrel with England,intervened at this point, and brought about a reconciliation between thetwo powers. The Spanish ambassador returned to London.
The Emperor next endeavoured to strengthen his party in Spain. Thereigning Queen was his sister-in-law and was all-powerful. Such of thenobility and of the ministers who would not bend before her she caused tobe dismissed; and none were favoured by her who were not partisans of theHouse of Austria. The Emperor had, therefore, a powerful ally at theCourt of Madrid to aid him in carrying out his plans; and the King was somuch in his favour, that he had made a will bequeathing his succession tothe Archduke. Everything therefore seemed to promise success to theEmperor.
But just at this time, a small party arose in Spain, equally opposed tothe Emperor, and to the propositions of the King of England. This partyconsisted at first of only five persons: namely, Villafranca, Medina-Sidonia, Villagarcias, Villena, and San Estevan, all of them nobles, andwell instructed in the affairs of government. Their wish was to preventthe dismemberment of the Spanish kingdom by conferring the wholesuccession upon the son of the only son of the Queen of France, MariaTheresa, sister of the King of Spain. There were, however, two greatobstacles in their path. Maria Theresa, upon her m