Alternate Successors to the Spanish Throne (1700)

I was wondering if after the death of Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria if there were any other potential third party candidates which could inherit Spain, while the Italian possessions fell to Austria and France.
 
I was wondering if after the death of Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria if there were any other potential third party candidates which could inherit Spain, while the Italian possessions fell to Austria and France.

The House of Savoy via descent from Catherine Michelle of Spain

The problem is no candidate would ever be palatable to Austria, Britain and France at the same time. In the case of Savoy, Victor Amadeus would have to relinquish his ancestral holdings to France as a compensation, which Austria would never accept as it endangered its italian border. But the only alternative is France annexing the SNL, which is not acceptable for Britain (and the United Provinces). If Louis XIV gets nothing, that is not acceptable for him. So, either way and either candidate, there would be war. The only difference is the list of allies.
 
The problem is no candidate would ever be palatable to Austria, Britain and France at the same time. In the case of Savoy, Victor Amadeus would have to relinquish his ancestral holdings to France as a compensation, which Austria would never accept as it endangered its italian border. But the only alternative is France annexing the SNL, which is not acceptable for Britain (and the United Provinces). If Louis XIV gets nothing, that is not acceptable for him. So, either way and either candidate, there would be war. The only difference is the list of allies.

^ This. Really, Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria was literally Europe's last chance to avoid a war over the Spanish Succession. Once he died, war was only a matter of when Carlos II inevitably croaked (as happened in OTL in 1700.)
 
Agree with above comments but a partition treaty along these lines I think would've been best
Habsburg-Austria/Joseph I: SNL + Milan
Hasburg-Spain/Charles Balthazar: Spain + Colonies
Naples + Sicily: Bourbon candidate
Savoy gets nada.

Problem is Charles II of Spain won't want to divide the Spanish realms. (My inner austrophile views other candidates as usuerpers). Spain & the HRE are divorced, they'll co-operate but their divorced as it gives both parties better flexibility (damn you Charles V!!! Hehehe :D)
 
@Benevolence is right. Spain was entirely opposed to partition, as was Austria. France was the only one willing to accept it and that was because Louis XIV would be getting the lion's share of Italy. Ultimately a war was inevitable no matter who became King; no one would accept partition when they're getting the entire Monarchy.
 
This is probably borderline ASB, but what about Carlos dividing his realm up in his will? I know it requires a personality change on his part (partially). The reason he went with the French get everything was in part because they were the senior heirs, and in part because he had been madly in love with his first (French) wife. Plus, according to one of the books I read, it was also thanks to French bribery of the pope, who persuaded Carlos to name a French successor. The Habsburgs weren't helped by the fact that their ambassador at Madrid was an ass and hat he was a cheapskate in comparison to his more adroit French counterpart. Add to that that the pro-Austrian queen ruled Carlos "like a strict governess", and one can understand why he is in favour of the French.

So, say Carlos still names a French prince as his heir, but only in Spain and the New World. Naples and the (Southern) Netherlands goes to Austria (and another French prince might get Naples if Austria doesn't agree), while the middling powers of Lorraine, Bavaria and Savoy (who all have claims to somewhere) get the rest of it divvied up. I'm not sure how the Austrians could swing it to get this right, but could it either avert the war? Or would whoever (France/Austria) try to have the will set aside (I'm not sure if there's precedent for it in the Spanish monarchy), and claim the whole thing. I'm sure it probably requires either a capable valido in Madrid to get this right, or Carlos to have enough grey matter to realize that leaving everything to Austria or France is going to result in a war Spain can't afford.
 
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