CHARLES VI, Holy Roman Emperor, the 2d son of the Emperor Leopold I: b. 1 Oct. 1685; d. 20 Oct. 1740. His father destined him for the Spanish throne. The last prince of the house of Hapsburg, Charles II, disregard ing the house of Austria, whose right to the Spanish throne was undoubted, according to the law of inheritance by descent, had by will made Philip, Duke of Anjou, second grandson of Louis XIV, heir to the Spanish monarchy. Ac cordingly, on the death of Charles II, 1 Nov. 1700, Philip took possession of the vacant king dom. England and Holland united against him, and this alliance was soonjoined by .Prus sia, Portugal and Savoy. arles was pro claimed king of Spain at Vienna, in 1703, and proceeded by way of Holland to England, from whence, in January 1704, he set sail with 12,000 men for Spain, which was almost wholly occupied by the French, and landed in Cata lonia. He succeeded in making himself master Of Barcelona; but was soon besieged there by his rival, Philip V. At the head of a garrison of hardly 2,000 men, he made the most obstinate resistance, till the long-expected English fleet appeared, which compelled the French speedily to raise the siege. This event was followed by alternate reverses and successes. Twice Charles reached Madrid, and twice was he driven from the city. The first time, in 1706, he caused him self to be proclaimed king in the capital under the name of Charles III. 'He had been a second time compelled to flee to the walls of Barcelona, when he was informed of the death of his brother, Joseph I. According to the will of Leopold, this event placed the double crown of Charles V on his head; to his claims on Spain it added the more certain possession of the Aus trian dominions. But the allies did not like to see so much power united in the same hands. Charles returned to Germany, and on his ar rival learned that, at Eugene's suggestion, he had also been elected emperor. His coronation
took place at Frankfort, in December 1711; and in the following year he received, at Presburg, the crown of Hungary. At the same time he still retained the empty title of King of Spain. He now prosecuted, under the conduct of Eu gene, the Spanish war of succession; the allies concluded a peace with France at Utrecht in 1713, in spite of all the efforts of the Emperor to prevent it. He was obliged, in the following year, to sign the Treaty of Rastadt. This treaty secured him in the possession of Milan, Mantua, Sardinia and the Netherlands. To secure his dominions to his daughter, Maria Theresa, in default of male heirs, Charles strove to induce the powers to guarantee the Pragmatic Sanction, which settled the succession in her favor. He succeeded in gaining the concurrence of all the European powers. The reign of this prince was marked with perpetual agitations. The suc cession to the Polish throne, after the death of Augustus II, in 1733, disturbed the peace of Europe. Charles, with Russia, supported the son of this prince; but France and Spain de clared themselves for Stanislaus Leczinsk'. From this arose a war, which terminated, in 1735, in the loss of the Two Sicilies and a part of the duchy of Milan. Austria received Tus cany in exchange for Lorraine, and obtained Parma. Hardly had Charles finished this war, when his alliance with Rus:,1,L involved him anew in a war with the Turk In 1737 his troops invaded Serbia without ny declaration of. war, and ccnpicd ilia the Turks renewed their attacks with a continually aug mented force, and obliged the Emperor, after three unsuccessful campaigns, to cede to them by the Peace of Belgrade, in 1739, Wallachia and the Austrian part of Serbia, with Bel grade. Consult Coxe, 'History of the House of Austria' (Vol. III, 3d ed., London 1873).