 Unionists likewise argue that the use of the word "" (fr) in the letters patent and the declaration confirm that the purpose of the letters was to maintain Henri's status as French.In 1700, King Charles II of Spain had appointed one of the grandsons of Louis XIV, then Duke of Anjou, as his successor on the throne of Spain.Charles II died childless, and the succession was contested based on the dynastic rights of the Spanish princesses of the House of Austria and the European courts.