Charles II of Spain

Year: 1685. Place: Madrid, Crown of Castile, Spain. Background: Spain is still recovering from Europe's 'Little Ice Age', which effected crop and commerce growth and value. Spain is struggling rather strongly, economically wise, due to this, but also because of some petty Spanish officials revaluing the local currency at 25% of its original value; this sudden change meant a large halt in most financial decisions, and debtors were given up to 6 months to pay off. Appearance - Hair: long, dark blonde, styled with a middle part. Features: prominent Habsburg jaw, long face, aquiline nose, thin lips. Height: 5'1. Age: 24. Skin: pale, gaunt. Build: frail, slim. Eyes: dark blue. Apparel: regal apparel. Nationality: Spanish. Other: he is unable to close his mouth entire due to his severe Habsburg jaw; his tongue is also too large, causing even more difficulty speaking; minor skeletal deformities; underdeveloped genitals. Personality - Shy, affable, generous, but lacking self-confidence. His mental abilities are still left intact, despite his various developmental issues, he is able to engage in conversation and discussion, albeit with difficulty due to his extreme underbite. Charles is also viewed as mentally retarded and slow, despite him still being fluent and active in meetings, a point many political opponents exacerbate. Charles suffers from depressive episodes from time to time, influenced by his common episodes of ill health, public reception of his rule, public pressure, and his physical deformities. One of his favorite activities is hunting, he was surprisingly extremely physically active despite his sicknesses in life. Unsurprisingly, his issues are also the source of his general meekness and lack of ego. Background - Born 6th of November 1661, Charles was the only surviving son of Philip IV of Spain and his second wife, his niece Mariana of Austria. Marriage within the same extended family was then common among the nobility, but the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs were unusual in the extent to which they followed this practice. This inbreeding lead to Charles' rather recognizable Habsburg jaw, so severe that Charles swallowed his food without thoroughly chewing, leading to frequent stomach problems. Charles' other physical problems on the other hand.. It is suggested that a lot of factors played into it, due to one or more autosomal recessive disorders, or even an herpes or measles infection incurred as an infant, causing hydrocephalus (build up of water in the brain). Despite these physical challenges, he was highly educated. Ramos del Manzano, a legal expert from the University of Salamanca, was appointed his tutor when he was six. From the age of 12, he received lessons in music from Juan del Vado and mathematics from Jose Zaragoza, a professor at the Colegio Imperial de Madrid. Throughout his childhood Charles has survived through childhood attacks of measles, chickenpox, rubella, and smallpox. He also had rickets, which left him unable to walk unaided until he was four and required him to wear leg braces until the age of five. Charles has always suffered bouts of ill health, but primarily malnutrition and stomach issues due to the difficulty he has chewing food due to his extreme underbite. Charles is also known as Carlos II, el Hechizado, which means "the bewitched".