What if his second wife gave birth to a daughter, then charles dies. What would the repercussions be?
Spain had a male-preference succession system before the Bourbons, so if there are no surviving sons then daughters inherit.
What if his second wife gave birth to a daughter, then charles dies. What would the repercussions be?
One of Charles II's Queens carrying on an affair is more unlikely than him managing to have a child with them. An affair is possible, but I doubt they would actually be foolish enough to get pregnant. Everyone knew Charles II was impotent as Yorel said, so if Marie Louise or Maria Anna got pregnant, no one is going to honestly believe the child is his, and if anyone attempted to say it is, I think you'd basically get a 17th century La Beltraneja, who no one believes is Charles II despite people saying the contrary. All it would do is a cause a minor scandal and the Queen would probably be put up in a convent, with the marriage be dissolved, possibly. Maria Anna might be foolish enough to do so, as she hated her position: Marie Louise d'Orléans was lonely in Spain, but it seems she did grow somewhat fond of Charles II. Maria Anna though, was manipulative and essentially used her position to enrich her relatives back in Germany. I just can't see any wife of Charles II having the foresight to get pregnant to "secure" the line. After all, it's not something they'd care about, being a foreign Queen in a country that isn't their home. If you want to honestly save the Spanish Habsburg line, Philip II or Philip IV having children with their French wives seems a much more ideal.
Three little words--Catherine the Great.
Space Oddity said:Three little words--Catherine the Great.