War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire amongst supporters of the claimant Bourbon and Habsburg dynasties. His official heir was Philip of Anjou, a grandson of Louis XIV of France, whose main backers were France and most of Spain. His rival, Archduke Charles of Austria, was supported by the Grand Alliance, whose primary members included Austria, the Dutch Republic, and Great Britain. Significant related conflicts include the 1700 to 1721 Great Northern War, and Queen Anne's War in North America.
Although by 1701 Spain was no longer the predominant European power, its global empire still included the Spanish Netherlands, large parts of Italy, and the Americas. Its acquisition by either France or Austria threatened the European balance of power, and Philip's proclamation as king of Spain on 16 November 1700 led to war. The French held the advantage in the early stages, but were forced onto the defensive after 1706. Although the Allies continued to advance in northern France, by 1709 Philip had cemented his position in Spain, the ostensible cause of the war.
When Emperor Joseph I died in 1711, Archduke Charles succeeded his brother as Holy Roman Emperor. Since a union of Spain and Austria was as unwelcome as one with France, the new British government argued it was pointless to continue. By now, only British subsidies kept their allies in the war, and their withdrawal led to the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, followed by the treaties of Rastatt and Baden in 1714.
Philip was confirmed as king of Spain, but renounced any claim to the French throne. He also ceded the Spanish Netherlands and much of Spain's Italian territories to Austria, and confirmed British possession of Gibraltar and Menorca, captured during the war. Along with these important Mediterranean ports, Britain also acquired significant trade concessions in the Spanish Americas. It now became the leading European commercial power in place of the Dutch Republic, for whom the war is seen as marking the beginning of their decline as a significant European power. Although Louis succeeded in placing his grandson on the Spanish throne, France was left financially exhausted.
Background[edit]
Charles II of Spain succeeded his father Philip IV at the age of four in 1665. Subject to extended periods of ill-health for much of his life, the issue of his successor was a matter of diplomatic debate for decades. For example, in 1670 Charles II of England agreed to support the rights of Louis XIV of France, while the 1689 Grand Alliance committed England and the Dutch Republic to back those of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.[15]
Although no longer the dominant great power, by 1700 the Spanish Empire still included much of Italy and the Americas, the Spanish Netherlands, and other colonies such as the Philippines.[16] Negotiations between Louis and Emperor Leopold centred on distributing these territories between various parties, which the Spanish refused to allow. Since the acquisition of an undivided empire by either Austria or France would make them too powerful, its inheritance led to a war that involved most of Europe. The 1700–1721 Great Northern War is considered a connected conflict, since it affected the involvement of states such as Sweden, Saxony, Denmark–Norway and Russia.[17]
For various reasons, armies in the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War frequently numbered over 100,000, requiring expenditures that were unsustainable for pre-industrial economies.[18] The 1690s also marked the low point of the Little Ice Age, a period of cold and wet weather that drastically reduced crop yields across Europe.[19] The Great Famine of 1695–1697 killed an estimated 15–25% of the population in present-day Scotland, Scandinavia and the Baltic states, plus another two million in France and Northern Italy.[20]
The combination of financial exhaustion and famine led to the October 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, a compromise that left the question of the succession unresolved. This meant Leopold signed only with extreme reluctance, by which time it was clear Charles would die without children. All sides recognised Ryswick as a temporary suspension of hostilities, and a renewal appeared inevitable.[21]
