alternatehistory.com

My line of thought for this thread was inspired by this thread (https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...-a-lasting-line-on-the-spanish-throne.413140/), but I didn't want to bring it up there for fear of railroading the discussion.

Basically, King Charles III of Spain was one of the better (if not the best) Bourbon rulers of Spain, but the reign of his heir, Charles IV, was, in many ways, a disaster, and partly laid the seeds for the dynasty's loss of power and empire. Which of his five other sons do people think would have made better Kings of Spain than Charles IV?

The other contenders are Philip, Duke of Calabria (Charles III's eldest son, removed from succession due to mental problems), Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (God, that kingdom name sounds so stupid), Infante Gabriel (Charles III's favourite son), Infante Antonio Pascual and Infante Francisco Javier (b. 1757, d. 1771 OTL). I myself am in favour of Gabriel.

I haven't included Charles III's eldest son Philip, Duke of Calabria because he, ahem, had enough problems to deal with.

Any thoughts?
Top