We explain what the War of the Spanish Succession was, its causes and consequences, and also the characteristics of the Treaty of Utrecht.
For twelve years the supporters of Philip V clashed with those of Charles of Austria.
What was the War of the Spanish Succession?
The War of the Spanish Succession It was a conflict for the crown of Spain that began in 1701, after the childless death of King Charles II.last Spanish monarch of the House of Habsburg. Charles II had named Philip, Duke of Anjou, as his successor.which belonged to the House of Bourbon.
Felipe He was the grandson of Louis XIV, king of France, and He acceded to the throne of Spain with the name of Philip V, supported by the French crown and by the Bourbon sectors of Spain. The other European powers (Austria, Prussia, Hanover, the Netherlands, England, Portugal and Savoy) demonstrated against the growing power of the Bourbons, which could lead to a future union between the kingdoms of Spain and France, and They supported the Austracists of Spain who defended Archduke Charles of Austria as a claimant to the throne of Spain.from the House of Habsburg.
The War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1713 when, after twelve years of military clashes, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed. This treaty It marked the recognition of Philip V as king of Spain and his renunciation of any claim to the throne of France.
In political and territorial terms, the result of the Treaty of Utrecht was the loss of European territories by Spain, the decline of French hegemony and the beginning of England’s global predominance.
Causes of the Spanish War of Succession
The death of Charles II without descendants provoked the war for the crown of Spain.
King Charles II of Spain, who died in 1700 without issue, named Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV of France and great-grandson of Philip IV (predecessor of Charles II on the throne of Spain), as his successor.
Philip of Anjou was crowned with the name of Philip V, and so The reign of the Habsburg dynasty in Spain ended, replaced by the Bourbon dynasty..
However, a faction was soon formed inside and outside Spain that did not accept the new king and supported another pretender: Archduke Charles of Habsburg. The Bourbon faction of Spain and the French crown were at odds with each other. the other European powers, who sought to prevent the Bourbons from concentrating power and unifying the kingdoms of Spain and France under a single crown in the future.
These powers allied themselves with the Spanish Austrians, who supported Archduke Charles.. In this way, England, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire signed the Treaty of The Hague (1701), in which they agreed to confront the Bourbons militarily and carry out a territorial distribution of the Spanish territories. Thus the war began.
The sides in the War of the Spanish Succession
The rise of Philip V was perceived as a danger by the other European powers.
The ascension to the Spanish throne of Philip V, of the House of Bourbon, represented French hegemony and opened the possibility of the union of Spain and France under the same monarch. This danger led England and the Netherlands to support the Austrian candidate, Archduke Charles.which was supported by the Habsburgs of Austria.
The various European powers positioned themselves in the face of the Spanish succession conflict:
- They supported Philip Vin addition to France and the Bourbon side in Spain, some states of the Holy Roman Empire (Cologne, Mantua and, until 1704, Bavaria).
- The claim of Archduke Charles It was defended by the Austrian side in Spain and by Austria, Prussia, Hanover, the Netherlands, England, Portugal and Savoy.
On the other hand, Philip V represented the French centralist model, supported by the crown of Castile, while Charles of Habsburg personified the royalist model. (supporter of maintaining the old local jurisdictions), supported by the Crown of Aragon, including the Kingdom of Valencia and, especially, the Principality of Catalonia.
The Nueva Planta Decrees of Philip V, signed between 1706 and 1716, established the elimination of the fueros and laws of Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and Majorca. However, even shortly after the war ended in 1713, Catalonia and the kingdom of Majorca (which had also aligned itself with Austrianism in 1706) resisted the Bourbon imposition but were definitively defeated in 1714 and 1715.
The end of the War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession lasted twelve years. The battles and sieges were fought mainly in areas of the present-day territories of Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. The supporters of Charles of Habsburg achieved important victories in battles such as those of Ramillies (1706) or Malplaquet (1709). However, The war ended with the triumph of Philip V.
Along with the Franco-Spanish military victories in the battles of Almansa (1707), Brihuega (1710) and Villaviciosa (1710), an international event was key to understanding the outcome of the conflict: Charles of Habsburg inherited the Holy Roman Empire in 1711.due to the death of Emperor Joseph I, and lost interest in reigning in Spain.
Its two main allies, England and the Netherlands, began to view with caution the possible union of Spain and Austria under the same monarch. This situation favored peace negotiations.
The Treaty of Utrecht
The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The treaty stipulated the following:
- Philip V was recognized by the European powers as king of Spain but renounced any possible right to the French crown.
- The Spanish Netherlands and the Italian territories of the Spanish crown (Milan, Naples and Sardinia) passed to Austria. The Duchy of Savoy annexed the island of Sicily.
- England obtained Gibraltar and Menorca (which allowed it to control the Mediterranean Sea), in addition to the permit ship (limited right to trade with the Spanish Indies) and the black seat (permission to trade slaves in the Spanish Indies).
ANDThe Treaty of Utrecht determined for Spain the loss of its imperial territories in Europe and the granting of permits to England in its American colonies. Simultaneously, the treaty marked the beginning of British hegemony.
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