Bourbon claim to the Spanish throne monarchs of France and Spain, therefore starting the War of the Spanish Succession. In this article, the Bourbon claim to the Spanish Crown and its origins are explained in detail. What became parts of northern Spain and southern France had strong connections going back hundreds of years. Some dynasties that ruled in Spain had origins going back to the Frankish empire, for example, the rulers of the County of Barcelona were created by Charlemagne as counts when he conquered lands in the Iberian Peninsula north of the river Ebro, and were subservient to the Carolingian dynasty until its decline in
House of Bourbon-Dampierre House of Bourbon-Dampierre The House of Bourbon-Dampierre refers to a noble dynasty emerged from the marriage of Guy II of Dampierre with Mathilde of Bourbon in 1197. The male line of this house ended in 1249, while the female line persisted until 1287. Through the marriage of their last descendant, Mathilde (Mahaut) of Bourbon, with Guy of Dampierre, the territories of Bourbon went to one of the branches of the House of Dampierre in 1196. The arms of the House of Dampierre, nowadays extinct, were "from gules to two leopards of gold, with baron's crown" ("De gueules à deux léopards