The Habsburgs: The Marriages That Destroyed a Dynasty

How the Habsburgs married their way to the largest inheritance in Europe, how the same habit tied their family tree into a knot, and what the evidence really says about the jaw, the bewitched king and the end of the Spanish line. Chapters 0:00 The Fall of the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty 1:19 The Origins of the Habsburg Dynasty 2:44 How Royal Marriages Built the Habsburg Empire 4:57 How the Habsburgs Inherited Europe's Thrones 7:22 The Spanish and Austrian Habsburg Dynasties 8:35 The Habsburg Family Tree and Royal Inbreeding 10:54 The Genetics of Habsburg Inbreeding 12:33 Charles II of Spain — The Bewitched King 14:43 The War of the Spanish Succession 17:00 Why the Habsburg Dynasty Survived Sources Gonzalo Alvarez, Francisco C. Ceballos and Celsa Quinteiro, 'The Role of Inbreeding in the Extinction of a European Royal Dynasty', PLoS ONE 4(4): e5174 (2009), PMC2664480 Dynastische Eheverträge der frühen Neuzeit, contract no. 210 (5 November 1495), Philipps University of Marburg Román Vilas et al., 'Is the "Habsburg jaw" related to inbreeding?', Annals of Human Biology 46 (2019), DOI 10.1080/03014460.2019.1687752 (Europe PMC abstract) 'Causa de Fr[ay] Froylan Diaz, confesor q[u]e fue del s[eño]r Carlos [Segund]o' (manuscript, 1700), catalogue record, University of Pennsylvania Libraries (Colenda) Wikipedia (Spanish, retrieved 2026-10-22): Carlos II de España; Froilán Díaz Wikipedia (English, retrieved 2026-10-22): Philip V of Spain; Charles II of Spain; Habsburg Castle; Rudolf I of Germany; John, Prince of Asturias; Joanna of Castile; Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal; Philip IV of Spain; Mariana of Austria; Las Meninas; Margaret Theresa of Spain; Treaty of The Hague (1698); Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria; Treaty of London (1700); War of the Spanish Succession; Philip II of Spain; Carlos, Prince of Asturias; John Joseph of Austria; Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain Die Welt der Habsburger (habsburger.net): Charles as king of Spain: a monarch on call; Rudolf I: the decisive battle; Marrying Burgundy: Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy; Philip the Fair: the child as guarantor of the cohesion of Burgundy; Marrying Spain: Philip the Fair and Joan the Mad; Philip I: the Habsburgs reach out for the Spanish crown; Charles V: the empire on which the sun never set; Marrying Bohemia and Hungary: the double wedding in Vienna; The birth of the Austrian line: Ferdinand I; Daughters and sisters get married; Charles II and the issue of the succession; The War of Spanish Succession, 1701-1714; Charles VI and the Pragmatic Sanction; The Pragmatic Sanction, 1713; Maria Theresa: the heiress Wikipedia (German, retrieved 2026-10-22): Felix Austria Credits Inbreeding data: Alvarez, Ceballos & Quinteiro (2009), PLoS ONE 4(4): e5174; Vilas et al. (2019), Annals of Human Biology 46 #Habsburgs #History #Documentary #HabsburgJaw #CharlesII #SpanishHabsburgs #RoyalFamily #EuropeanHistory #Spain #Inbreeding #HistoryDocumentary #WarOfTheSpanishSuccession ABOUT WONDRELIX Wondrelix tells true stories from history, science and the strange corners of the past, as short animated documentaries. Each film is researched from primary sources and historians, and checked before it's published. Subscribe for a new story every few weeks. Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments: corrections are pinned. #Wondrelix #AnimatedDocumentary #HistoryExplained