James Falkner’s non-fiction The War of Spanish Succession offers a good insight in the War of Spanish Succession and the political background behind the fighting. In it, Falkner uses many quotes, from official court letters and treaties of Kings, Dukes, Queens, and Lords, along with maps of battles, and strategic documents to introduce the readers into the causes of war and the war itself. Finally, Falkner draws his conclusions about the subject not only from these documents but from his own experiences as a military historian and British ex-army officer. The book begins with two reasons as why war was started in the first place; the heirless Carlos II of Spain and the desire to balance power among competing European nations. As early as
