Learn about the War of Spanish Succession. Discover the alliances it formed, the battles that were fought, and the conditions of the treaties that ended it.
Updated: 11/17/2021
The War of Spanish Succession
The War of Spanish Succession
The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was a conflict over the succession to the throne of Spain after the death of Charles II, who had no children and would be the last king of the Habsburg Dynasty to rule Spain. Both the House of Bourbon and the House of Habsburg had claims to the Spanish Empire. The war was fought to determine which House should control the empire's possessions or whether the possessions should be split between them. The outcome of the war created favorable terms for the British Empire on the world stage.
Conflicting Claims to the Throne
Charles II of Spain ruled from 1665-1700. Known as 'El Hechizado' (the Bewitched) because he had physical and mental disabilities, possibly resulting from inbreeding among the Habsburg royalty, Charles II was childless, and the question of who would succeed him led to the War of Spanish Succession Competing claims to the various territories of Spain arose from the conflicting interests of Charles II, the Bourbons of France, and the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire.
Charles II had two sisters, Marie Therese and Margarita Teresa. Marie Therese had married into the House of Bourbon by marrying Louis XIV of France, and Margarita Teresa married into the House of Habsburg by marrying Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor. Marie Therese had renounced her claim to the throne upon her marriage to Louis XIV, and the most obvious heir was Joseph Ferdinand, the grandson of Margarita Teresa. However, Margarita Teresa's daughter, Marie Antonia, had bestowed her right to the throne to her father-in-law, Leopold I. He desired that Spain go to his children from a third marriage. Ultimately, three competing claims arose to the Spanish throne, from the House of Bourbon, the House of Hapsburg, and Joseph Ferdinand.
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The Maritime Powers
On another level of European politics at the time, the Maritime Powers of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands were strongly opposed to the Bourbon claim to Spain. They feared the loss of trade with Spain and the West Indies. In 1698, France, England, and the United Provinces came to an agreement with a Partition Treaty that would break up the Spanish Empire among its claimants, giving most of the Spanish possessions to Joseph Ferdinand. Neither Leopold I nor Charles II agreed to this treaty. Matters were further complicated when Joseph Ferdinand died in 1699. A second Partition Treaty from France and the Maritime Powers offered Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and the Indies to the Habsburgs, but Leopold I wanted the whole Spanish inheritance for his heir and refused. Charles II, who was also dissatisfied, gave the entirety of the Spanish inheritance to France in his will a month before his death. When Charles II died in November 1700, war seemed inevitable, as all the necessary parties would respect neither the will nor the treaty. Louis XIV chose to honor the will, and Philip V took the Spanish throne.
1701: Hostilities Between France and the Holy Roman Empire
The War of Spanish Succession began in March 1701 when France seized Spanish territory in the Netherlands. At first, the war was between only Leopold I and Louis XIV and was fought in northern Italy. The Habsburgs took the upper hand in the fighting for the rest of the year, and several victories pushed the French back.
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1702: Allies Become Involved
In 1702 the war began to draw in Europe at large. France's allies included Spain, Portugal, Savoy, Bavaria, and Cologne. The Habsburgs were supported by the Maritime Powers, Prussia, and many German princes. 1702 saw continued fighting in Italy and attacks from the English at sea. In northwestern Europe, the French outnumbered the Maritime Powers. A major development took place in the summer when Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria, the father of Joseph Ferdinand, sided with the French and attacked a Hapsburg army from the rear.
1703: The French Gain an Advantage
With the aide of Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria, the French were in a position in 1703 to take Vienna itself. French forces had joined the Bavarian forces at Ulm and were in striking distance of Vienna. Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria was cautious, however, and refused to attack Vienna. Ultimately, they missed the chance to attack Vienna.
Meanwhile, after seeing English victories at sea, the Portuguese became convinced that England could protect them from the Bourbons and left its alliance with France to join the Maritime powers. Likewise, the Duke of Savoy abandoned his alliance with the French and sided with the emperor.
1704: French threats to Vienna are put to an end
In 1704, the military strategy of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, brought the Habsburgs major victories, which destroyed the French's possibility of taking Vienna. Marlborough secretly and quickly moved his troops by creating feints and diversions to slip by the enemy. In this way, he managed to move his forces in between Vienna and the French and Bavarian forces. The Habsburgs enjoyed victories from August until the end of the year, and the threat of Vienna being taken was dispelled.
1706: The First Peace Negotiations
Leopold I died in 1705 and was succeeded by Joseph I. That year saw little fighting. In 1706, however, there were further decisive imperial and Maritime victories over France and Spain in Italy, the Spanish Netherlands, and Spain itself. Louis XIV approached the Dutch and offered to cede Spain and Spanish America if the French kept Milan, Naples, and Sicily. The Dutch were offered fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands, but the English and the Habsburgs refused these terms, as they did not want to divide the Spanish possessions.
1707: War Resumes in Favor of France
In 1707, France took advantage of poor troop distribution and internal disagreement on the part of their enemies to take back parts of Spain that had been lost the year prior. A new threat to Vienna arose from Charles XII of Sweden, who had recently attained Saxony in the Second Northern War, which was taking place in the Baltic region. The threat of Charles XII invading soon passed, as Sweden never became an active participant in the War of Spanish Succession. German princes had been reluctant to send soldiers to aid the Habsburgs to fight the French, which hindered the imperial forces in the Netherlands. The French also achieved reversals on the Rhine front, and the Habsburgs could not make further gains in Northern Italy.
War of the Spanish Succession
International politics today can often turn on the opinions and actions of one nation's people. A bad economic quarter, a powerful movement or even insurrection can often cause a country to bow out or sometimes increase its international involvement. However, in Western Europe in the early modern period, the movements and voices of the people mattered little on the grand stage of international politics. Instead, politics revolved around an elite group of nobles and their exclusive rights to the thrones of entire nations. The death of an heirless monarch could cause turmoil and war if the succession was not guaranteed properly. Just such a situation occurred in Spain in the first years of the eighteenth century, erupting into a conflict that engulfed the entirety of Western Europe and became known as the War of the Spanish Succession.
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Nevertheless, Louis XIV sought peace. He ended his attempts to control northern Italy with the Convention of Milan in March 1707. In winter, he approached the Dutch again, but the English refused to any agreement that would allow the Burbouns any part of Spanish possessions.
1709: The Third Round of Peace Negotiations
1708 had seen victories by the Habsburgs in the Netherlands, which forced the French to retreat into France itself. By March 1709, the French were willing to give up the entire Spanish inheritance for peace. The Maritime Powers and the emperor were unwilling to accept these terms and demanded that Philip V of Spain give up his throne. Louis XIV refused to force Philip V to step down, and the war continued.
The War Resumes
The war continued from 1709-1712. By the end of 1710, Philip V was no longer under threat in Spain, and the French achieved some victories in 1710-1711. A changing political scene in England saw the war become increasingly unpopular. In 1711, the death of Joseph I, who had become Holy Roman Emperor after Leopold I, dramatically changed the international scene. It was not in the interests of the Maritime Powers to grant Spanish possessions to Joseph's heir, his brother the archduke Charles. This finally set the stage for successful peace negotiations.
The End of The War of Spanish Succession
In January 1712, France, England, and the United Provinces of the Netherlands met to discuss peace terms in Utrecht. The French and the English were determined to end the war and were willing to reach an agreement without the support of their allies, Philip V of Spain and Emperor Charles IV, respectively. The peace terms were ultimately very favorable to England but were also much better for France than terms offered at previous negotiations.
The peace treaties, called the Treaties of Utrecht, took over a year to complete and involved the participation of several other European powers. France reached its final agreements in April 1713 and agreed to cede territories to England and the United Provinces, among other concessions. By July 1713, Spain had also reached peace with the Maritime Powers. As part of the peace agreement, it gave England the exclusive right to provide slaves for the Spanish colonies.
Fighting continued, however, between France, Spain, and the Habsburg Emperor until 1714. Eventually, France and the Emperor came to an agreement that involved ceding lands to each other. Technically, the emperor remained at war with Spain after fighting ceased until 1720. In the end, Philip V retained Spain and the Spanish possessions in America.
Lesson Summary
The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was a war that started as a result of disputes over the succession of the Spanish throne after the death of King Charles II, known as 'El Hechizado' (the bewitched). Competing claims by France, the Holy Roman Emperor, and Charles II led to a war that brought all the Western European powers into conflict for more than a decade. France wanted Spain and its possessions to go to its House of Bourbon, and the Holy Roman Emperor claimed Spain for its House of Habsburg. When Joseph Ferdinand, the nephew of Charles II, who belonged to neither house and who had the strongest claim to the Spanish throne, died in 1698, it set the scene for a series of conflicting treaties and wills that brought on war after Charles II's death in 1700. Attempts by England and France to broker peace by breaking up the Spanish Empire among the claimants proved ineffective.
What followed was more than a decade of war. At times France, Spain, and its allies held the upper hand. More often, the Holy Roman Emperor with the Maritime Powers (England and the United Provinces of Netherlands) was in a superior position. France sought peace multiple times throughout the years of conflict, but it proved extremely difficult to come to an agreement acceptable to all sides. Many European powers actively participated in the war, but Sweden did not.
Ultimately, changing political attitudes in England and the death of Emperor Joseph I made peace a realistic prospect. From 1712-1714 several peace agreements were reached. These agreements were called the Treaties of Utrecht. The treaties set up a very favorable situation for England and, among things, gave them the sole right to supply the Spanish Indies with slaves. King Philip V remained the king of Spain, and although France made concessions, the terms of the Treaties of Utrecht were less severe than those offered at previous peace agreements.
Background
Charles II ruled over Spain from 1665 to 1700. The king, who took the throne at the age of four, was a sick and likely mentally handicapped child, and his condition only worsened in adulthood. Nicknamed El Hechizado in Spain (or, 'the Bewitched'), it was clear to the Spanish nobles and the other powers of Western Europe that Charles would die without an heir. Several relatives in France, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire held distant but similarly legitimate claims to Charles II's inheritance, and two treaties and other agreements were made attempting to avoid the warfare that having multiple claimants to the throne might cause. Unfortunately, these treaties ultimately failed, as all parties never agreed to the same terms or were present at the same discussions.
In France, Louis XIV, the self-named 'Sun King,' claimed the Spanish throne for the Bourbon dynasty in the name of his grandson, Philip, as Louis XIV himself was a cousin to Charles II. Further legitimating France's claim to the throne was the will of Charles II, which left all of the Spanish Empire to Philip.
Many of the powers in Europe feared the possibility of a Spanish king loyal to the French throne. Though Spain's power and international influence had been steadily declining over the past half century, Spain still held considerable territory in the Americas, Italy, the Low Countries and the South Pacific. Indeed, Great Britain attempted to break up the Spanish Empire amongst the various claimants in both the Treaty of The Hague and the Treaty of London, brokered in 1698 and 1700 respectively, to avoid this very real possibility.
In order to ensure the balance of power in Europe did not tilt toward France, Austria proffered its own Hapsburg claimant to the Spanish throne. Leopold I, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor, was actually a closer, first cousin to Charles II, and therefore considered his claim to the Spanish throne more legitimate.
Though Great Britain initially wanted to maintain peace on the continent, in the event of war, the British supported Austria in order to check French power. The Dutch Republic and most of the Germanic principalities of the Holy Roman Empire similarly supported Austrian claims, while the Spanish nobles, who resented British attempts to break up the empire and likely engineered Charles II's will, favored the claims of Louis XIV's grandson.
War in Italy, Low Countries and Bavaria
These were the eventual alliances which formed when war broke out in 1701, first with Austria invading Spanish held duchies and territories in Italy. Led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Austrians scored several victories early in the fighting at Carpi, Cremona and Luzzara.
Though the British were initially hesitant to join the war, they eventually declared war on France, concluded an alliance with Austria in 1702 and immediately sent troops under the Duke of Marlborough to join the Dutch forces and begin campaigning in the more southerly Spanish Netherlands. After some initial successes, British attention was drawn away by the entrance of Bavaria into the war.
Bavarian entry into the war caused Savoy and Marlborough, the latter of whom was by now General of all English, Dutch, and imperial forces, to stop their campaigns in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands and try to knock Bavaria out of the war before it could have a major impact. Two years of fighting came to a head at the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704 when a joint Franco-Bavarian force was nearly completely destroyed by a smaller force led by both Savoy and Marlborough. This effectively ended Bavaria's involvement in the conflict. After Blenheim, Savoy and Marlborough's armies split, returning to their respective campaigns in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands, driving the French out of both by 1706.
War in France and Spain
With France on the back foot, Savoy and Marlborough consolidated their gains in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands while simultaneously trying to make headway into France proper. Though both failed on their own, the two reunited their armies in 1708 and crushed the French forces at Oudenarde in July. Historians' best estimates claim that for every man the Austrian and British forces lost at Oudenarde, the French lost five.
Franco-Spanish losses occurred in Spain as well. In 1706, a British naval force captured Barcelona, and King John V of Portugal joined the fray, attacking Spain from the west.
Meanwhile, Savoy and Marlborough continued to attempt to make inroads into the French countryside, though, what small advances they made, came at the cost of heavy losses to the allied forces. By 1710, the growing stalemate caused the British Parliament to lose its appetite for war, and secret negotiations were begun in earnest with Louis XIV. Political reshuffling in Britain caused Marlborough to be recalled, and without one of their chief commanders, the allies lost many of their gains in France by 1712.
Treaties
Without the help of its allies, Austria had little chance of unconditionally defeating the French on their own and also eventually sought peace. France signed three separate treaties with its enemies: The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht with Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal and several German states, the 1714 Treaty of Rastatt with Austria and the 1714 Treaty of Baden with the Holy Roman Empire.
The various treaties recognized Louis' grandson Philip as King Philip V of Spain, but removed him from the French line of succession. Additionally, the Spanish Netherlands and Spain's Italian holdings were ceded to Austria and Gibraltar and Minorca to Great Britain. France was also forced to cede several colonial possessions in North America to the British.
Lesson Summary
While several territories changed hands and the succession of the Spanish throne was decided, the most important aspect of the War of the Spanish Succession was it maintained the balance of power in Europe. Indeed, French power was checked; although a Bourbon now held the Spanish throne, that Bourbon could not also inherit the French throne. In addition, Spain was considerably weakened and its empire dissolved, having many of its European territories stripped. France, meanwhile, had prevented having Hapsburgs on the thrones to its east and west, theoretically protecting it from having to fight future wars on all of its fronts.
However, arguably the biggest winner from the conflict was Great Britain. The war had not been fought on its soil, protecting the nation from the ravages of war, and the power of its biggest rival in North America, France, had been checked. Moreover, several strategically important territories in the Caribbean and modern-day Canada had been taken from France - poising England for potential supremacy in North America.
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this lesson, you should be able to:
- Highlight the principal players in the War of Spanish Succession
- Write out the political reasons for the war
- Reference the three treaties signed by France to end the hostilities and set a monarch
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
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Video Transcript
War of the Spanish Succession
International politics today can often turn on the opinions and actions of one nation's people. A bad economic quarter, a powerful movement or even insurrection can often cause a country to bow out or sometimes increase its international involvement. However, in Western Europe in the early modern period, the movements and voices of the people mattered little on the grand stage of international politics. Instead, politics revolved around an elite group of nobles and their exclusive rights to the thrones of entire nations. The death of an heirless monarch could cause turmoil and war if the succession was not guaranteed properly. Just such a situation occurred in Spain in the first years of the eighteenth century, erupting into a conflict that engulfed the entirety of Western Europe and became known as the War of the Spanish Succession.
Background
Charles II ruled over Spain from 1665 to 1700. The king, who took the throne at the age of four, was a sick and likely mentally handicapped child, and his condition only worsened in adulthood. Nicknamed El Hechizado in Spain (or, 'the Bewitched'), it was clear to the Spanish nobles and the other powers of Western Europe that Charles would die without an heir. Several relatives in France, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire held distant but similarly legitimate claims to Charles II's inheritance, and two treaties and other agreements were made attempting to avoid the warfare that having multiple claimants to the throne might cause. Unfortunately, these treaties ultimately failed, as all parties never agreed to the same terms or were present at the same discussions.
In France, Louis XIV, the self-named 'Sun King,' claimed the Spanish throne for the Bourbon dynasty in the name of his grandson, Philip, as Louis XIV himself was a cousin to Charles II. Further legitimating France's claim to the throne was the will of Charles II, which left all of the Spanish Empire to Philip.
Many of the powers in Europe feared the possibility of a Spanish king loyal to the French throne. Though Spain's power and international influence had been steadily declining over the past half century, Spain still held considerable territory in the Americas, Italy, the Low Countries and the South Pacific. Indeed, Great Britain attempted to break up the Spanish Empire amongst the various claimants in both the Treaty of The Hague and the Treaty of London, brokered in 1698 and 1700 respectively, to avoid this very real possibility.
In order to ensure the balance of power in Europe did not tilt toward France, Austria proffered its own Hapsburg claimant to the Spanish throne. Leopold I, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor, was actually a closer, first cousin to Charles II, and therefore considered his claim to the Spanish throne more legitimate.
Though Great Britain initially wanted to maintain peace on the continent, in the event of war, the British supported Austria in order to check French power. The Dutch Republic and most of the Germanic principalities of the Holy Roman Empire similarly supported Austrian claims, while the Spanish nobles, who resented British attempts to break up the empire and likely engineered Charles II's will, favored the claims of Louis XIV's grandson.
War in Italy, Low Countries and Bavaria
These were the eventual alliances which formed when war broke out in 1701, first with Austria invading Spanish held duchies and territories in Italy. Led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Austrians scored several victories early in the fighting at Carpi, Cremona and Luzzara.
Though the British were initially hesitant to join the war, they eventually declared war on France, concluded an alliance with Austria in 1702 and immediately sent troops under the Duke of Marlborough to join the Dutch forces and begin campaigning in the more southerly Spanish Netherlands. After some initial successes, British attention was drawn away by the entrance of Bavaria into the war.
Bavarian entry into the war caused Savoy and Marlborough, the latter of whom was by now General of all English, Dutch, and imperial forces, to stop their campaigns in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands and try to knock Bavaria out of the war before it could have a major impact. Two years of fighting came to a head at the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704 when a joint Franco-Bavarian force was nearly completely destroyed by a smaller force led by both Savoy and Marlborough. This effectively ended Bavaria's involvement in the conflict. After Blenheim, Savoy and Marlborough's armies split, returning to their respective campaigns in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands, driving the French out of both by 1706.
War in France and Spain
With France on the back foot, Savoy and Marlborough consolidated their gains in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands while simultaneously trying to make headway into France proper. Though both failed on their own, the two reunited their armies in 1708 and crushed the French forces at Oudenarde in July. Historians' best estimates claim that for every man the Austrian and British forces lost at Oudenarde, the French lost five.
Franco-Spanish losses occurred in Spain as well. In 1706, a British naval force captured Barcelona, and King John V of Portugal joined the fray, attacking Spain from the west.
Meanwhile, Savoy and Marlborough continued to attempt to make inroads into the French countryside, though, what small advances they made, came at the cost of heavy losses to the allied forces. By 1710, the growing stalemate caused the British Parliament to lose its appetite for war, and secret negotiations were begun in earnest with Louis XIV. Political reshuffling in Britain caused Marlborough to be recalled, and without one of their chief commanders, the allies lost many of their gains in France by 1712.
Treaties
Without the help of its allies, Austria had little chance of unconditionally defeating the French on their own and also eventually sought peace. France signed three separate treaties with its enemies: The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht with Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal and several German states, the 1714 Treaty of Rastatt with Austria and the 1714 Treaty of Baden with the Holy Roman Empire.
The various treaties recognized Louis' grandson Philip as King Philip V of Spain, but removed him from the French line of succession. Additionally, the Spanish Netherlands and Spain's Italian holdings were ceded to Austria and Gibraltar and Minorca to Great Britain. France was also forced to cede several colonial possessions in North America to the British.
Lesson Summary
While several territories changed hands and the succession of the Spanish throne was decided, the most important aspect of the War of the Spanish Succession was it maintained the balance of power in Europe. Indeed, French power was checked; although a Bourbon now held the Spanish throne, that Bourbon could not also inherit the French throne. In addition, Spain was considerably weakened and its empire dissolved, having many of its European territories stripped. France, meanwhile, had prevented having Hapsburgs on the thrones to its east and west, theoretically protecting it from having to fight future wars on all of its fronts.
However, arguably the biggest winner from the conflict was Great Britain. The war had not been fought on its soil, protecting the nation from the ravages of war, and the power of its biggest rival in North America, France, had been checked. Moreover, several strategically important territories in the Caribbean and modern-day Canada had been taken from France - poising England for potential supremacy in North America.
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this lesson, you should be able to:
- Highlight the principal players in the War of Spanish Succession
- Write out the political reasons for the war
- Reference the three treaties signed by France to end the hostilities and set a monarch
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Frequently Asked Questions
What countries fought in the war of Spanish Succession?
Several countries and kingdoms were drawn into the War of Spanish Succession. The main powers involved were France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, England, the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Other important powers were Portugal, Bavaria, Savoy, and Prussia.
What happened in the war of Spanish Succession?
The War of Spanish Succession was a war involving many western European powers and included fighting in multiple theaters of war throughout Europe. The issue over which the war was fought was the inheritance of territory controlled by Spain after the death of King Charles II.
Who won war of Spanish Succession?
The outcome of the War of Spanish Succession was most favorable to the Maritime Powers, England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Although France ultimately made concessions, the final agreements were not as damaging to them as some peace agreements proposed throughout the course of the war. The Spanish Empire also kept control of Spain and Spanish territory in America, despite having to give up land in the Netherlands and northern Italy.
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