In the War of the Spanish Succession, the Bourbons of France and the Habsburgs of Austria vied to put their candidates on the Spanish throne. Ultimately, it was the Bourbons who succeeded, but the Spanish Bourbon line became separate from the French one.
Is there any possibility that both thrones could have been combined in a single line, so that France and Spain would be combined in a personal union? Might Louis XIV have pushed for this if he won a more complete victory in the war? (In OTL, France achieved the objective of getting the Spanish throne, but the overall military result was indecisive and France's enemies won concessions). How would a France and Spain united in a personal union have effected the politics, war, economy, and culture of Europe and the world in the 18th century?
Is there any possibility that both thrones could have been combined in a single line, so that France and Spain would be combined in a personal union? Might Louis XIV have pushed for this if he won a more complete victory in the war? (In OTL, France achieved the objective of getting the Spanish throne, but the overall military result was indecisive and France's enemies won concessions). How would a France and Spain united in a personal union have effected the politics, war, economy, and culture of Europe and the world in the 18th century?
