War of the Spanish Succession: Causes and Outcomes
War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714)
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was the last of the general European wars caused by King Louis XIV‘s efforts to extend French power. In America, the conflict corresponding to this period was known as Queen Anne’s War (see French and Indian Wars).
Causes of the War
The precarious health of the childless King Charles II of Spain left the succession open to three principal pretenders:
- Louis XIV, on behalf of his eldest son, a grandson of King Philip IV of Spain through Philip’s daughter, Marie Thérèse.
- The electoral prince of Bavaria, Joseph Ferdinand, a great-grandson of Philip IV.
- Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, who claimed the succession on behalf of his son by a second marriage, Archduke Charles (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI).
England and Holland opposed the union of French and Spanish dominions, which would have made France the leading world power. Conversely, England, Holland, and France all opposed Archduke Charles, because his accession would reunite the Spanish and Austrian branches of the Hapsburg family.
Louis XIV, exhausted by the War of the Grand Alliance, sought a peaceful solution. He reached an agreement (1698) with King William III of England. This First Partition Treaty designated Joseph Ferdinand as the principal heir. However, Spain opposed the partition of its empire, and Charles II named Joseph Ferdinand sole heir to the entire Spanish Empire.
The unexpected death of Joseph Ferdinand (1699) led to the Second Partition Treaty (1700), agreed upon by France, England, and the Netherlands. It stated that France was to receive Naples, Sicily, and Milan, while the rest of the Spanish dominions were to go to Archduke Charles. The treaty was rejected by Leopold, who insisted upon gaining the entire inheritance for his son.
Spanish grandees, desiring to preserve territorial unity, persuaded the dying Charles II to name Louis XIV’s grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou, who became Philip V of Spain, as his sole heir. Louis XIV, deciding to abide by Charles’s will, broke the partition treaty.
England and Holland, although willing to recognize Philip as king of Spain, were antagonized by France’s growing commercial competition. This, along with the reservation of Philip’s right of succession to the French crown (December 1700), and the French occupation of border fortresses (February 1701), led to an anti-French alliance among England, Leopold, and the Dutch.
Negotiations for Peace and Outcomes
Preliminary negotiations between England and France led to a peace conference (1712), followed by an Anglo-French armistice. In 1713, France, England, and Holland signed the Peace of Utrecht. Charles VI continued the war, although Eugene had been defeated (1712) at Denain. Seriously weakened, the emperor finally consented in 1714 to the treaties of Rastatt and Baden, which complemented the general settlement (see Utrecht, Peace of).
With this settlement, the principle of a balance of power took precedence over dynastic or national rights in the negotiation of European affairs.