Charles II was Elector Palatine from 1680 to 1685. He was the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine

Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine

Charles Louis, , Elector Palatine KG was the second son of Frederick V of the Palatinate, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England ....

 and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel was the consort of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and mother of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate...

.

Charles was a strict Calvinist. In 1671, his aunt Electress Sophia of Hanover

Sophia of Hanover

Sophia of the Palatinate was an heiress to the crowns of England and Ireland and later the crown of Great Britain. She was declared heiress presumptive by the Act of Settlement 1701...

 arranged his marriage to Princess Wilhelmina Ernestina

Princess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark

Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark and Norway of Denmark was an Electress Palatine. She was the third of five daughters of King Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg.-Biography:...

, daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark

Frederick III of Denmark

Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...

. Their marriage was childless. But upon his death, the Palatinate passed to the Catholic Neuburg

Palatinate-Neuburg

Palatinate-Neuburg is a former territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km², with a population of some 100,000.-History:...

 branch of the family. The rival claims to the Palatinate of his sister Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orleans, Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

's sister-in-law, was the pretext for the French invasion of the Palatinate in 1688, which began the Nine Years War.

Ancestry

Charles II, Elector Palatine: ancestors in three generations

Charles II, Elector Palatine	Father: Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine Charles Louis, , Elector Palatine KG was the second son of Frederick V of the Palatinate, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England ....	Paternal Grandfather: Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....	Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick IV, Elector Palatine Frederick IV, Elector Palatine Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rhine , only surviving son of Louis VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse, called "Frederick the Righteous" .-Life:Born in Amberg, his father died in October 1583 and...
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Louise Juliana of Nassau Louise Juliana of Nassau Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau was the eldest daughter of prince William of Orange and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon.-Biography:...
		Paternal Grandmother: Elizabeth Stuart Elizabeth of Bohemia Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...	Paternal Great-grandfather: James VI, King of Scots
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
	Mother: Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel was the consort of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and mother of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate...	Maternal Grandfather: William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William V of Hesse-Kassel was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in the Holy Roman Empire from 1627 to 1637....	Maternal Great-grandfather: Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel -External links:...
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Agnes of Solms-Laubach Agnes of Solms-Laubach Agnes of Solms-Laubach was a Countess of Solms-Laubach and by marriage Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.- Life :...
		Maternal Grandmother: Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg	Maternal Great-grandfather: Philip Louis II of Hanau-Münzenberg Philip Louis II of Hanau-Münzenberg Philip Louis II of Hanau-Münzenberg , was one of the most notable counts of Hanau of the early modern period, his policies bringing about sweeping changes....
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Catharina Belgica of Nassau Catharina Belgica of Nassau Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau was the third daughter of William the Silent and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon.-Biography:...