Felipe V of Spain (19 December 1683-9 July 1746) was the King of Spain from 1700 to 1724 and 1724 to 1746. He was formerly the Duke of Orleans, as he was the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, and he was placed on the throne of Spain in 1700 after the death of King Carlos II of Spain, starting the House of Bourbon's rule over the Spanish Empire. During his rule, Spain defeated an Austrian and British invasion of Spain but lost control of Italy during the War of the Spanish Succession (1700-1714), recaptured Parma during the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1717-1720), conquered Oran from the Ottoman Empire (1732), aided his French allies in the War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738), and fought in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
Biography []
Philippe d'Bourbon was the son of Louis, Grand Dauphin, and his wife Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, and was the grandson of King Louis XIV of France. Philippe was made the Duke of Orleans and the Duke of Anjou, and although he held an exalted title, he was not expected to become King of France due to his youth. He instead became the heir apparent to the Spanish Empire, as detailed by King Carlos II of Spain on his deathbed. After King Carlos died in 1700, Felipe became the new King of Spain, but Great Britain, the United Provinces, the Austrian Empire, Prussia, Wurttemberg, and Savoy rejected the idea of a union of France and Spain due to their sharing of the lineage of the House of Bourbon. Forming an alliance, the coalition invaded Spain, and King Felipe V was forced to fight against the allies.
The result of the war was increased anti-Spanish buccaneering in the Caribbean and abroad, and King Felipe was forced to deal with an invasion of Spain by the allied forces. However, with aid from King Louis XIV, he was able to repel the allies from Spain, and he signed the Treaty of Utrecht in 1714, agreeing to cede control of Naples & Sicily, Lombardy, and Sardinia to the Austrian Empire (Savoy owned Sicily). In 1718, however, he reneged on this treaty when he attempted to reclaim control of northern Italy, causing the War of the Quadruple Alliance, and in 1720 he was forced to surrender his claim at the Treaty of Ratisbon. He was forced to give up his titles in France, and remained King of Spain.
In 1724, after Philippe II of Orleans died, Felipe abdicated, in hopes of being able to sneak around the Treaty of Ratisbon to become King of France. He was succeeded by his son Luis I of Spain, but he died of smallpox after only seven months of rule. As his other son Fernando was still an infant, he was forced to return to ruling Spain.
In 1732, under Felipe's rule, Spain captured Oran from the Ottoman Empire and from 1733-1738 reconquered Naples and Sicily from the Austrian Empire during the War of the Polish Succession. From 1739 to 1748 Spain defended New Spain from a British invasion during the War of Jenkins' Ear. Felipe V died in El Escorial in Madrid in 1746, and was succeeded by Fernando.