2F - France and Spain: the decline of Spanish military power
Learn why Spain was vulnerable to Louis XIV's first major war of expansion and how a disputed inheritance became a territorial conflict. The War of Devolution shows both France's growing military advantage and the diplomatic limits on exploiting it.
Spain weakened but still important
Spain in the 1660s remained the ruler of a large European and overseas monarchy, but its capacity to defend all its possessions had declined. It held the Spanish Netherlands to France's north, Franche-Comté to the east, and important territories in Italy. These possessions were separated from one another and from the Iberian heartland, making their defence expensive and dependent on secure routes and local resources.
Long wars had strained Spain's finances and manpower. The war against France ended unfavourably in the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659. Portugal's revolt, begun in 1640, continued to absorb resources until Spain recognised Portuguese independence in 1668. Thus Spain faced competing military commitments when France returned to war in 1667. Colonial wealth did not automatically produce a treasury capable of paying every army: revenue was committed to debts and expenditure, while supply and remittance could be uncertain.
The death of Philip IV in 1665 brought a further vulnerability. His heir, Charles II, was a young child, and Mariana of Austria governed as regent. A minority could complicate leadership and negotiations, although it did not itself abolish Spain's institutions or armed forces. The shortage of resources in exposed territories mattered more directly on campaign than the age of the king alone.
“Decline” should be understood comparatively. French military and administrative capacity was increasing while Spain struggled to meet existing obligations. Spain could still defend strong places, negotiate and seek allies. It was losing the ability to dominate Europe, rather than disappearing as a European power.
A disputed dynastic claim
Louis presented his attack as a defence of his wife's inheritance rights. Maria Theresa was Philip IV's daughter by his first marriage; Charles II was Philip's son by a later marriage. In some parts of the Spanish Netherlands, a local inheritance custom called devolution preferred children of a first marriage over those of a second in the inheritance of private property. French arguments attempted to apply that custom to territories governed by Spain.
Devolution
In this dispute, a local inheritance principle favouring children of a first marriage. Louis XIV used it to argue for Maria Theresa's rights in parts of the Spanish Netherlands, giving the War of Devolution its name.
The argument was contested for two central reasons. A rule about private property did not necessarily determine succession to sovereign territories. Maria Theresa had also renounced her inheritance claims as part of the marriage settlement in 1660. France argued that Spain's failure to pay the promised dowry undermined that renunciation; Spain rejected the conclusion that this justified French seizure of its lands.
These issues explain the difference between a claim and an accepted right. Louis could use legal argument to present expansion as lawful and legitimate. That was useful when addressing other rulers and French subjects. It did not compel Spain or neighbouring powers to accept his interpretation.
The claim also served strategic opportunities. The Spanish Netherlands contained fortresses close to France's frontier, and Spanish weakness made an attack relatively promising. A dynastic justification and a desire for territorial advantage could operate together. We need not choose between saying that Louis had a legal argument and saying that he was pursuing aggrandisement.
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