40 Odd Facts About the Inbred King Charles II of Spain

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Born in 1661, King Charles II of Spain was the last Habsburg ruler of the country. Born into a family whose inbreeding was of epic proportions, he suffered severe deformities that led to him being known as El Hechizado, the bewitched. Charles II became King of Spain at the age of three, after his father died in 1665. Charles II often suffered from ill health and much of his reign consisted of others ruling the country in his stead. This led to internal political struggle within his family over who would call the shots. His mother and illegitimate half brother’s feud led to political turmoil and arranged marriages for the young, sick king. Poor King Charles II suffered through ill health, political unrest and two d**d wives before he died in 1700. Childless, his will named Phillip Anjou as successor to the throne, leaving the Spanish Empire in uproar and reeling into the War of Spanish Succession.
40. He Was the Epitome of Habsburg Inbreeding

The Habsburgs were notorious for marrying cousins, uncles, aunts, whatever, to keep power within their family. Case in point: All of Charles’ great-grandparents were descended from the same parents: Philip I and Joanna of Castile. Basically, their children had all married their cousins, who had all married their cousins (or someone of a close relation). By the time Charles came along, he was more inbred than if his parents had been brother and sister.

39. King Charles’ Was Known as El Hechizado

As a result of Charles’ inbreeding, he was severely deformed. The famous “Habsburg jaw” was a severe underbite; Charles’ was so intense that he could not even close his mouth, not even for eating. The people of Spain had a nickname for him: El Hechizado, which loosely translates as “the Bewitched.”

38. King Charles’ Jaw Was Deformed

The Habsburg jaw was quite common among European royals who did not realize that their habit of marrying cousins was making their successors increasingly feeble-minded and physically deformed. Charles had the Habsburg jaw so severely that he did not learn to talk until later in childhood. He spoke very little throughout his life. He also did not eat much because his jaw was so problematic.

37. His First Wife Thought He Was Disgusting

As with so many other royal marriages, Charles’ marriage to Marie Louise was about gaining and maintaining power, not about love. In fact, she was repulsed by his disfigured appearance. France’s ambassador to Spain wrote that “the Catholic King is so ugly as to cause fear and he looks ill.” Still, the marriage went forward.

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