In 1700, Charles II of Spain died without an heir and named his distant relative Philip of Anjou as his successor. However, Philip was the grandson of the powerful King Louis XIV of France, which caused concerns among European nations about the potential for a united Franco-Spanish power. Austria, ruled by Leopold I, believed that his son Charles should inherit the Spanish throne and planned to fight for his rights with the support of other European countries. Louis XIV sparked the war by invading the Netherlands and seizing fortifications, which Leopold saw as an opportunity to expand Austrian territory and secure Charles' claim to the Spanish throne. Leopold sent his best commander, Eugene of Savoy, to Italy, where he successfully drove back a superior Franco-Spanish force into Mantua.
Other European countries, including Great Britain, formed an alliance to counter French ambition and Louis XIV's recognition of James III of the Scottish house of Stuart as king of England. The alliance, called the Grand Alliance, was led by Great Britain's King William III and later his daughter Anne, and included Austria, Holland, Prussia, and most German principalities. The British army was led by John Churchill, the earl of Marlborough, who was considered one of the finest generals of all time. He led an allied force that invaded the Spanish Netherlands in June 1702, but faced challenges from his Dutch allies who often overruled his decisions to fight. Despite this, he captured fortresses along the Rhine by autumn, but his plans to link up with the Austrians were thwarted when Bavaria joined the French side, with the promise of the throne of the Holy Roman Empire.
In May 1703, General Claude de Villars joined the French force and suggested an attack on Vienna, but Maximilian of Bavaria preferred to seize the Tyrol and link with French forces in Italy, which ultimately failed. Villars had success against Austrian and Baden forces in the Danube Valley but resigned after his second suggestion for an attack on Vienna was denied. French forces under Tallard also had success along the middle Rhine. Marlborough was frustrated in the Netherlands but shifted his attention to Bavaria in 1704, where he joined forces with Eugene in Austria and defeated a Franco-Bavarian force led by Tallard and Maximilian at the Battle of Blenheim. This destroyed the myth of French invincibility and Maximilian's dream of becoming emperor. However, neither side was inclined to negotiate and the war continued with stalemate on all fronts. In 1706, Marlborough scored another victory at Ramillies and consolidated the Spanish Netherlands, but the main theater of war shifted back to Italy where French general Vendome regained territory lost to Austria. Eugene then defeated the French at Turin and established Austrian dominance in Italy for over a century.
In 1708, French commander Vendome aimed to attack the Netherlands and engaged in a battle with Marlborough at Oudenarde, which resulted in another victory for Marlborough. Vendome counterattacked at Ghent, but Marlborough captured the city in a winter campaign and the French withdrew to their borders. Louis XIV offered to negotiate but refused to accept the harsh peace terms proposed by the allies, and the war continued. Marlborough and Eugene attempted to break through the French defensive line but failed. In 1709, the Battle of Malplaquet resulted in an inconclusive outcome and heavy losses for both sides. In 1711, Marlborough was recalled by a new English government, and negotiations began. However, the French, under Villars, regained some fortresses along the frontier, which gave them bargaining power at the negotiation table. The Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713, which recognized the Protestant succession in England, ceded some French property in America to England, and separated Spain and France. Louis also agreed to cede the Spanish Netherlands and Italian territories to Austria, but the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI refused to agree and continued fighting.
The war, initiated by the Grand Alliance, succeeded in limiting French expansionism and maintaining a balance of power. Spain, which had been in decline, lost its holdings in the Netherlands and Italy to Austria, as well as Gibraltar, Minorca and its slave trade in the western hemisphere to England. France also ceded Newfoundland and Hudson Bay to England, which marked the beginning of French expulsion from North America. Louis XIV succeeded in keeping his country from being surrounded by Habsburgs, however, France's power had passed its peak. The cost of the war severely damaged the French economy and the cession of overseas possessions did not alleviate this loss. France was perhaps most grateful for the 25 years of peace that followed, as they could finally recover from Louis' constant warmaking. Louis XIV died in 1715, and no other monarch was able to exercise his absolute rule, and France's power did not last long after him.
References:
Hassel, Arthur, Louis XIV and the Zenith of
French Monarchy (Freeport, NY: Books for
Libraries, 1972); Kamen, Henry, The War of
Succession in Spain, 1700–15 (Bloomington:
University of Indiana Press, 1969); Lossky,
Andrew, Louis XIV and the French Monarchy (New
Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1994).
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