The Mutual Pact of Succession (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Pactum Mutuae Successionis'', ) was a succession device secretly signed by archdukes

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and Charles of Austria, the future emperors of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, in 1703. In 1700 the senior line of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

became extinct with the death of King Charles II of Spain. The

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

ensued, with

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

claiming the crowns of Spain for his grandson

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and

Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; hu, I. Lipót; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria ...

claiming them for his son

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

. The Pact was devised by Emperor Leopold I, on the occasion of Charles's departure for Spain.Holborn, 128. It stipulated that the claim to the Spanish realms was to be assumed by Charles, while the right of succession to the rest of the Habsburg dominions would rest with his elder brother Joseph, thereby again dividing the House of Habsburg into two lines. The Pact also specified the succession to the brothers: they would both be succeeded by their respective heirs male but should one of them fail to have a son, the other one would succeed him in all his realms. However, should both brothers die leaving no sons, the daughters of the elder brother (Joseph) would have absolute precedence over the daughters of the younger brother (Charles) and the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend all the Habsburg thrones.Mahan, 5–6. In 1705 Leopold I died and was succeeded by his elder son, Joseph I. Six years later, Emperor Joseph I died leaving behind two daughters, Archduchesses

Maria Josepha Maria Josepha of Austria (Maria Josepha Benedikta Antonia Theresia Xaveria Philippine, pl, Maria Józefa; 8 December 1699 – 17 November 1757) was the Queen of Poland and Electress of Saxony by marriage to Augustus III. From 1711 to 1717, she ...

and Maria Amalia. Charles, who was at the time still unsuccessfully fighting for the crowns of Spain, succeeded him according to the Pact and returned to Vienna. According to the Pact, the

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the Habsburg realms was, at that moment, Charles's niece, Maria Josepha, who was followed in the line of succession by her younger sister, Maria Amalia. However, Charles soon expressed a wish to amend the Pact in order to give his own future daughters precedence over his nieces. On 9 April 1713, the Emperor announced the changes in a secret session of the council. The Pact was finally superseded by the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, promulgated by Charles to ensure the succession of his own daughters instead of Joseph's. The crowns belonging to the House of Habsburg were thus inherited by Charles's elder surviving daughter,

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

(born in 1717), rather than by Joseph's elder daughter, Maria Josepha.

References

Bibliography

* Crankshaw, Edward: ''Maria Theresa'', Longman publishers 1969 * Holborn, Hajo: ''A History of Modern Germany: 1648–1840'' Princeton University Press 1982 * Ingrao, Charles W: ''The Habsburg monarchy, 1618–1815'' Cambridge University Press 2000 * Kann, Robert A.: ''A history of the Habsburg Empire, 1526–1918'' University of California Press 1980 * Mahan, J. Alexander: ''Maria Theresa of Austria'' READ BOOKS 2007 {{Refend, 2 1703 documents 1703 in law 1705 in Austria 18th century in the Habsburg Monarchy Succession acts Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor