But this a story of genetics as well as history, because historians have long assumed impressionistically that there was something rotten in the gene pool of the Spanish Hapsburgs. Here is an excerpt ...

The Habsburgs, once a powerful Royal dynasty ruling vast Spanish ... his nephew Charles I, Charles' great-grandson Philip IV, and Charles II. Charles II, the last Habsburg, was born to his father ...

The investigation highlights that the last Habsburg monarch, Charles II of Spain, was plagued by various health issues including infertility - which may have stemmed from centuries of the dynasty ...

King Charles has chosen to rule differently than his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The queen died in September ... and Charles has taken on a more slimmed down monarchy with fewer working royals.

But the dissolution and subsequent abolishment of the monarchy ... Habsburg became known for its appreciation and patronage of the arts and literature. Notable members include Charles V of Spain ...