2F - The issue of the Spanish Succession: the aims and policies of France
Learn why the death of Charles II created a European crisis, compare Louis XIV's options over the Spanish inheritance, and explain how decisions made after 1700 turned a disputed succession into war.
The inheritance and rival claimants
The Spanish succession was a question about the distribution of European and overseas power as well as the next holder of a crown.
Charles II of Spain had no surviving child. His monarchy included Spain itself, the Spanish Netherlands, territories in Italy and a large American empire. These possessions were governed through different institutions rather than as one uniform state. Their ruler nevertheless controlled a collection of strategically placed lands and valuable commercial opportunities.
France and the Austrian Habsburgs both advanced dynastic claims. Louis XIV had married Maria Theresa, Charles's elder half-sister. Her marriage renunciation was disputed by France, which argued that conditions associated with her dowry had not been fulfilled. Louis's descendants therefore had a claim through her. Emperor Leopold I advanced Habsburg rights, ultimately supporting his younger son, Archduke Charles. A Bavarian claimant, Joseph Ferdinand, initially offered an alternative to either dominant dynasty.
The geography made these claims dangerous. French influence over the Spanish Netherlands could threaten the Dutch frontier. Spanish Italian possessions mattered to Habsburg influence and to France's access south of the Alps. American trade offered opportunities for merchants and governments. A friendly Spanish ruler could benefit France without an immediate formal union, while combining the two crowns would create a still greater concentration of power.
Dynastic succession
The inheritance of a throne according to claims arising from family descent and the political or legal rules governing that monarchy. A recognised family claim may still be contested by other heirs or states.
Spain's leaders had their own priority: preserving the monarchy's integrity. A settlement that satisfied foreign governments by dividing Spanish possessions could be unacceptable in Madrid. This clash between Spanish interests and outsiders' concern for the balance of power made compromise particularly difficult.
Partition agreements and Charles's will
Louis first sought a negotiated distribution of the inheritance, before accepting a will that offered a Bourbon the whole monarchy.
The First Partition Treaty of 1698, negotiated by France with England and the Dutch Republic, envisaged Joseph Ferdinand receiving the core Spanish inheritance while other claimants received compensation. The purpose was to prevent either France or the Austrian Habsburgs obtaining everything. Joseph Ferdinand's death in 1699 destroyed that solution.
The Second Partition Treaty of 1700 proposed another division, with Archduke Charles receiving the principal Spanish inheritance and French dynastic interests compensated elsewhere. Leopold objected to surrendering parts of the Spanish inheritance; Spanish leaders objected to outsiders dividing their monarchy. An agreement among three powers was therefore not the same as a settlement accepted by all those expected to implement it.
Charles II's final will instead left the entire monarchy to Philip, Duke of Anjou, Louis's grandson, on terms intended to prevent union with France. Charles died in November 1700. Louis accepted the will and Philip became Philip V of Spain. Versailles's history of the palace records the acceptance there in November.
Louis faced a real choice. Partition offered a negotiated compromise but might fail against Spanish and imperial resistance. Accepting the will promised a Bourbon Spain and preserved the inheritance as Spain wished. Refusal might allow a Habsburg claimant to gain the monarchy or produce another dispute over partition. Louis could therefore view acceptance as a means of avoiding strategic disadvantage rather than merely seizing a prize.
The contrary case is also strong: acceptance abandoned an agreement with the maritime powers and risked reviving their coalition against France. A supported judgement must compare these foreseeable risks with the opportunities available in 1700; knowing that a costly war followed does not show that Louis had no reasons for his choice.
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