Who was the ruler of England when the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701?
War of the Spanish Succession in England and Scotland and an independent Spain but made no reference to placing Archduke Charles on the Spanish throne. War became inevitable when the exiled [[James II]] died on 16 September and Louis reneged on his earlier recognition of the Protestant [[William III of England|William III]] as King of England and Scotland by acknowledging the Catholic Stuart heir, [[James Francis Edward]] as King. When William died in March 1702, his successor [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] confirmed her continuation of securing the Protestant succession and resisting French expansion. The Dutch did the same and on 15 May the
War of the Spanish Succession War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was a European conflict of the early 18th century, triggered by the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700. His closest heirs were members of the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families; acquisition of an undivided Spanish Empire by either threatened the European balance of power. Charles left an undivided [[Monarchy of Spain to [[Louis XIV]]'s grandson [[Philip V of Spain|Philip]], who was proclaimed King of Spain on 16 November 1700. Disputes over separation of the Spanish and French crowns and commercial rights led