The Wars of Louis XIV

Louis XIV arriving at the camp of Maastricht, 1673, by Adam Frans Van der Meulen, the Louvre

Early Wars, Part 1

• From start, Louis pursued vigorous foreign policy: dream of France to Alps and Rhine

• 1667: Invaded Spanish Netherlands, but blocked by Triple Alliance (Eng, Dutch, Swedes)

• 1672: Allied with Charles II of England for “Dutch War” against William of Orange

• 1678: William organized Austrian Hapsburgs, Spanish Hapsburgs, Denmark and forced Louis to sign treaty of Nimwegen which guaranteed Dutch independence

Early Wars, Part 2

• 1681: Louis invaded Alsace and Lorraine to extend France at expense of HRE

• League of Augsburg formed to oppose him: William, HRE, Spain, Sweden, and several protestant German regions

• 1688-1697: War of League of Augsburg against Louis (after Glorious Revolution) led to no changes in territory, but huge cost to Louis

Battle of Ramille, from War of Spanish Succession

War of Spanish Succession: Background

• Spanish Charles II died without apparent heir

• Louis and Leopold (HRE) each claimed throne: each had married a sister of Charles II

• European powers had hoped to partition Spanish possessions to maintain balance

• Charles II left a will declaring Louis’s grandson his heir

• If Bourbons controlled Spain, they would control almost all of Western Europe and most of New World

• Never had balance in Europe been so threatened (maybe Charles V of HRE)

Charles II of Spain

War of Spanish Succession

• Grand Alliance: England, Holland, Austria (and Brandenburg, Portugal, Savoy)

• Louis allied with Spain and Bavaria

• Louis fought for two kingdoms, and the Spanish Netherlands, foreign colonies, and finally preservation

• Less destructive than Thirty Years War

– Civilians spared from destruction: armies more disciplined and better commanded

– Religion counted for little, so no animosity towards civilians

– First global war: linked to global competition for colonies and trade

Battle of Vigo Bay

Peace of Utrecht: 1713

• Partitioned the world of Spain

• Britain obtained– Gibraltar from Spain

(Mediterranean base)

– Nova Scotia and Newfoundland from France

– Granted right to supply slaves to Spanish American colonies

• Austria (Hapsburgs) obtained– Spanish Mediterranean

– Spanish Netherlands

• Spain – retained American possessions

– Louis’s Grandson, Philippe, became king, with caveat that Sp and Fr not unite under one king

– Bourbons continued to reign in Spain until 1931

Peace of Utrecht: 1713

• Holland – Could place garrisons

in Austrian Netherlands

– Never regained military power after costs of war

• France– Ruin, depopulation,

famines, tax increases

– Peasant uprisings were brutally repressed

– Revival of aristocratic and parliamentary opposition to monarchy

– Achieved lasting influence in Spain

Conclusions

• Wars of Louis XIV – brought about collapse of

Louis’s authority and image

– created indebted monarchy perpetually in conflict with aristocracy

– laid financial and social unrest foundation for discord that would lead to French Revolution

• English benefited the most– External security from

primary enemy (until 1756…)

– Maintained constitutional parliamentary monarchy

– Increased colonial lands

– Rapid rise in wealth that would lead to industrial revolution

Queen Anne furniture remains popular today