Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria (1692-1699)

Electoral Prince of Bavaria and Heir to the Spanish throne. Baptised as Joseph Ferdinand Leopold Anton Franz Kajetan Simon Thaddäus Ignaz Joachim Gabriel, Electoral Prince of Bavaria, he was the only surviving son of Maximilian II Emanuel and his wife Maria Antonia of Austria. His mother died soon after his birth, and he was raised in the care of his maternal grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. His great-uncle Charles II, King of Spain who had no descendants, was in need of an heir, so young Joseph Ferdinand became the heir to the large and vast Spanish Empire. Joseph Ferdinand was widely recognized as the heir, and Charles II even recognized him as his heir in will. Joseph Ferdinand did not succeed to the throne, as he died of smallpox on February 6, 1699. There were many rumours that he was poisoned by his grandfather, although nothing was proven. Charles II died in 1700, leaving his other great-nephew Philippe, Duke of Anjou as the new monarch. This decision provoked the war of Spanish succession which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and ultimately resulted in the Bourbon dynasty.

Bio by: Justin Ciderwell