The Spanish, who was an ally and close friend of the Habsburg Monarchy following the succession of Charles I (V) to the Spanish throne in 1516, broke their partnership with the Austrians in 1700. This was due to the death of Charles II, the last Habsburg Monarch of Spain, who died without issue. King Charles II appointed Philip de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou as his successor. The following succession crisis sparked the War of the Spanish Succession (1700-1714), and consequently ended the two century alliance between Spain.