BACKGROUND

• Louis XIV

• Nominally ruled from 1643 (under regents Cardinal Mazarin and his mother Anne of Austria)

• Ruled in his own right in 1661 after death of Cardinal Mazarin

• Under pressure to seek glory in battlefield.

LOUIS XIV'S MARRIAGE TO MARIE-THERESE

• Treaty of Pyrenees 1659

• Ended 24 years of war between Spain and France

• King Philip IV of Spain had to give up territory

• And allow his daughter Marie-Therese to marry Louis XIV

• Marie Therese gave up all her rights to her father's inheritance

• In exchange for the promise of 500,000 gold ducats.

• But the ducats were not paid.

LOUIS XIV'S CLAIMS TO SPANISH NETHERLANDS

• When Philip IV died in 1665

• Louis claimed parts of the Spanish Netherlands

• Louis claimed the territory should "devolve" to Marie-Therese

• Because the dowry (the 500,000 gold ducats) were not paid.

• Also, the property should not go to Philip's infant son, Charles II

• Because he was a son from Philip's second marriage.

• According to custom, devolution of land should go to daughters of first marriage over sons of subsquent marriages.

• Charles II's mother (his regent) rejected the claims

BATTLE

• French army advanced on Flanders in 1667, easily won.

• Then Louis concluded a treaty with Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I

• Agreeing to partition Spanish dominions between them when Charles II died.

• Charles II was very sickly and couldn't bear children.

• France then annexed Netherlands

• When victory seemed within reach

• England joined with the Dutch and Sweden to stop French advances.

• To prevent France from upsettng the balance of power.

• By persuading Spain to agree to moderate terms

• And supporting Spain in war if war happened.

PEACE

• Peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle April 1668

• But Prince de Conde of France had already taken Franche-Comte

• Franche-Comte was returned to Spain

• France kept

• Bergues, Furnes, Armentieres, Oudenaarde, Courtrai, Lille, Douai, Tournai, Binche, Ath and Charleroi.

FRANCO-DUTCH WAR (1672-1678)

• In 1672 Louis turned against the Dutch

• Blamed Dutch for organizing the alliance against him

• Dutch were France's chief trade competitors.

• Dutch stopped the invading French

• By opening the dikes and flooding the land.

• Dutch allies

• Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Holy Roman empire

• vs.

• France, Sweden, Munster, Cologne and England

• Ended with Treaty of Nijmegen

• Spain gave up Franche-Comte and some cities in Flanders to France

• France returned some of its conquests (Maastricht and Principality of Orange) to the Dutch.