1684 AD., Spain, Carlos II, La Coruña mint, 2 Maravedis, Cayón 6637.

Spain, Carlos II (el Hechizado) (1665-1700), La Coruña mint, 1684 AD.,
2 Maravedis copper (19-21 mm / 6,30 g),
Obv.: CAR[OLVS · II · D · G] , around a crowned shield of a castle, • * • (mint mark of La Coruña) left, II (value mark) right.
Rev.: [HISPANIARVM · REX] , around a crowned shield with a lion, date 1684 right.
Cayón p. 770, 6637.

Carlos II (el Hechizado) King of Spain, last of the House of Hapsburg (Madrid, 1661-1700). Son of Felipe IV and Mariana of Austria, inherited the Throne when dying his father in 1665, remaining under the regency of his mother until he reached most of age in 1675. It seems to be that the successive consanguíneos marriages of the real family produced such degeneration that Carlos grew rickety, sickly and of short intelligence, in addition to impotent, which carried a serious successory conflict, when dying without descendants and being extinguished therefore the Spanish branch of the House. Carlos received the Throne in a turbulent situation, marked by the fights by the power between Doña Mariana, Juan Jose of Austria (bastard son of Felipe IV), Valenzuela and Nithard. Leaning in the nobility, Don Juan Jose marched on Madrid and took the power in 1677, but it died only two years later. Like Carlos he was incapable to govern by itself, continued trusting the power valued like the Duke of Medinaceli (1680-85), the count of Oropesa (1685-91 and 1695-99) and the cardinal Fernandez de Portocarrero (1699-1700). During this time two successive marriages for the king were fixed, with Maria Luisa de Orléans (dead in 1689) and with Mariana of Neotown; the desperation of the cut not to manage descendants to continue the dynasty, took to try to even put under the king to exorcisms, in case outside certain that it was enchanted. When more and more clear seeing itself that the king would die without descendants, the European powers began to take positions to take advantage of the emptiness power that it would create: Austria defended the successory rights of archduke Carlos (the future emperor Carlos I SAW) to try to recover the inheritance of the Hapsburg and to avoid any hegemonic temptation of France. But Luis XIV of France maneuvered capably to prevent the reedición of the empire of Carlos I and to turn to Spain a territory satellite; by La Paz of Ryswick, of 1697, he made to Spain concessions that, with the support of influential personages of the Madrilenian cut, would move to Carlos to designate heir to Felipe de Anjou, grandson of Luis XIV (two previous testaments in favor of Jose Fernando de Baviera were left without effect al to die that one in 1699). After the death of Carlos one long War of Succession took place (1701-14) which it faced those in favor of the archduke (supported by Austria, England, Portugal, Holland, Prusia, Saboya and Hannover) against those of Felipe de Anjou that, supported by France, was able to prevail like king of Spain under the name of Felipe V, restoring in the Spanish Throne a branch of the House of Borbón. The weakness of the real power during the time of Carlos II and the incapacity of the own monarch was simultaneously cause and expression of the decay of the Monarchy of the Austrias in Spain. The wars maintained against France were settled with successive defeats: cession of the Frank County by La Paz of Nimega (1678), loss of Luxembourg by the Truce of Ratisbona (1684), French invasion of Catalonia (1691)… La Paz de Utrecht (1713), that ended the War of Succession, can be considered like the culmination of that decay, then, in exchange for allowing the restoration of a Borbón in the Throne of Spain, Austrians and English they demanded territorial compensations at the cost of Spain, that lost its possessions in the Netherlands and Italy (which they happened to Austria), Gibraltar and Menorca (to England).
(from: www.maravedis.net)