Treaty of London, 1700
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The Treaty of London (1700) or Second Partition Treaty was the second attempt by
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 ...
and
William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic f ...
to impose a diplomatic solution to the issues that led to the 1701-1714
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 ...
. Both divided the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
without prior consultation and since the Spanish viewed an undivided Empire as non-negotiable, historians generally view them as largely unenforceable.
Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War ...
became the last ruler of Habsburg Spain at the age of five in 1665. He suffered from ill health most of his life and despite marrying twice, by 1698 it was clear he would die without children, leaving the question of his successor unresolved. Although no longer the leading European power, the Empire remained a strong global presence and as the closest heirs were from the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families, acquisition by either would significantly impact the
European balance of power The European balance of power is the tenet in international relations that no single power should be allowed to achieve hegemony over a substantial part of Europe. During much of the Modern Age, the balance was achieved by having a small number of ...
. Hoping to avoid another costly conflict like the Nine Years' War, in 1698 William and Louis agreed the Treaty of The Hague (1698), or First Partition Treaty, making Joseph Ferdinand heir to the Spanish throne. It became redundant when he died of smallpox in February 1699 and the Treaty of London replaced him with
Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
, younger son of
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 An ...
. It ultimately failed to prevent the outbreak of war in July 1701.


Background

In 1665,
Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War ...
became the last ruler of Habsburg Spain at the age of five. He suffered from ill health most of his life and despite marrying twice, by 1698 it seemed he was likely to die childless. Although Spain's financial and military power had declined during the 17th century, the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
remained largely intact, with territories in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the
Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
. Since the closest heirs were from the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families, the succession was of great significance to the
European balance of power The European balance of power is the tenet in international relations that no single power should be allowed to achieve hegemony over a substantial part of Europe. During much of the Modern Age, the balance was achieved by having a small number of ...
and was a matter of debate for many years. For example, in the 1670
Secret Treaty of Dover The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was a treaty between England and France signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. It required that Charles II of England would convert to the Roman Catholic Church at some future date and ...
, Charles II of England agreed to support the claim of
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 ...
.
William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic f ...
saw the Partition Treaties as a way of building on the relationship established at the 1697
Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Gran ...
with
Louis XIV , 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 Ver ...
to create a lasting peace. Imposing a solution to such an important issue on Spain and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
seemed unlikely with the levels of mistrust between both signatories, which had been at war almost continuously since 1670. William negotiated both treaties without notifying either
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
or his own ministers, a practice still common in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
but not in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Lord Somers Baron Somers, of Evesham in the County of Worcester, is a title that has been created twice. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1697 for Sir John Somers, so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as Lord Chancel ...
, part of the
Whig Junto The Whig Junto is the name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party and often the government, during the reigns of William III and Anne. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers, later ...
that managed the English government for William, was generally hostile to the provisions of the First Partition Treaty about which he had learned only shortly before its signature. Few of William's ministers in either England or the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
trusted Louis, an impression strengthened when the Marquis d'Harcourt was sent as envoy to Madrid in November 1698 to build Spanish support for a French candidate. The Spanish were unwilling to allow their empire to be partitioned without consultation to suit the needs of foreign powers. On 14 November 1698, Charles published his will, which made the six-year-old
Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria Joseph Ferdinand Leopold of Bavaria (28 October 1692 – 6 February 1699) was the son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1679–1705, 1714–1726) and his first wife, Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor ...
heir to an undivided Spanish Empire and thus ignored the territorial adjustments specified in the First Partition Treaty. When Joseph Ferdinand died of
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
in February 1699, another solution was required.


Negotiations

The Spanish court was split into pro-Austrian and pro-French factions, the latter being led by Cardinal Portocarrero,
Archbishop of Toledo This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana).
. For much of Charles's reign, his government was controlled by the pro-Austrians, headed by his mother,
Mariana of Austria Mariana of Austria ( es, Mariana de Austria) or Maria Anna (24 December 163416 May 1696) was Queen of Spain as the second wife of her uncle Philip IV of Spain from their marriage in 1649 until Philip died in 1665. She was then appointed regent f ...
, then following her death in 1696 by his second wife, Maria Anna of Neuburg. Under their influence, Spain joined the anti-French coalition during the Nine Years' War, which proved a disastrous decision. By 1696, France held most of
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
, while Spain was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1692; although Maria Anna managed to retain power with the help of spurious rumours of her pregnancy, Charles was forced to banish her German entourage. For various reasons, the Austrians were unpopular with most of the Spanish nobility, while Charles also resented their arrogance and made it clear to Harcourt that he would not agree to partition the empire. Many Spanish politicians preferred a French candidate since the wars of the last 50 years suggested France was a better ally than opponent, and its location meant it was better equipped to protect Spain than Austria. After the death of Joseph Ferdinand, Louis's senior foreign policy advisor, the Marquess of Torcy, quickly drew up a draft proposal with revised terms approved in principle by William in June 1699. However, when the suggested treaty was presented to Emperor Leopold, he initially refused the territorial concessions required and as a result the Dutch delayed formal consent. This meant it was not until 12 March 1700 that the treaty was formally signed in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, then in
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
on 24th.


Provisions

The main change from the First Treaty was to replace Joseph Ferdinand as heir to the Spanish throne with Leopold's younger son
Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
; Spain retained its empire outside Europe and the Spanish Netherlands but France would gain the kingdoms of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
, the Spanish province of
Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
and exchange the
Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following th ...
for the Duchy of Milan. France would then transfer Naples and Sicily to
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. Louis X ...
in exchange for the Counties of
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
and Savoy, the transalpine territories of the
Savoyard state The Savoyard state is a term of art used by historians to denote collectively all of the states ruled by the counts and dukes of Savoy from the Middle Ages to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy. At the end of the 17th century, its population ...
which finally become part of France after the
Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...
in 1859. Although Leopold accepted the principle of dividing the Spanish Empire in return for making his son king, he objected to France being granted Spanish possessions in Italy, particularly Milan which he considered essential to the security of Austria's southern borders. In addition, Lorraine was an Imperial state occupied by France in 1670 and returned only in 1697, and its recently-restored hereditary
Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...
was Leopold's nephew. As a result, enforcing its terms was unlikely since neither Leopold nor Victor Amadeus would agree the territorial exchanges required, while Spain would not accept even the principle.


Aftermath

When the Spanish learned of the terms of the Treaty of London in mid-June, Charles amended his will in favour of Archduke Charles and again specified an undivided monarchy. In September, he became ill once more, and by the 28th, he was no longer able to eat. His death seemed imminent, and on 2 October, Portocarrero persuaded him to alter his will in favour of Philip of Anjou, younger son of
Louis, Grand Dauphin Louis, Dauphin of France (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711), commonly known as Grand Dauphin, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. He became known as the Grand Dauphin after the birth of ...
and grandson of Louis XIV. He died on 1 November 1700, five days before his 39th birthday When Louis received the formal Spanish offer to Philip on 9 November, one option was to reject it and insist on Archduke Charles accepting the throne as stipulated by the Treaty of London; this meant that if Leopold continued to refuse the territorial concessions, in theory Louis could then call on England and the Dutch Republic to join him in enforcing it. However, it seems unlikely that this was ever seriously considered since as William noted, it made no sense "to go to war...for a treaty I have only made to prevent war". Philip was proclaimed Philip V of Spain on 16 November and 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 ...
began in July 1701. The treaty not only failed to prevent the outbreak of war in 1701 but also demonstrated that monarchs could no longer simply impose their solutions on nation states. When Parliament finally learned of the terms in March 1700, their reaction was one of fury, partly because they were seen as damaging English commercial interests, but also because they had been approved without their knowledge or consent. The
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
majority subsequently attempted to impeach Somers for his role in the negotiations and while unsuccessful, the process embittered relations between the two parties and had a profound impact on British politics over the next two decades.


Notes


References


Sources

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Bibliography

* (Original text of the treaty in English) * * {{cite book, last1=Rule, first1=John, last2=Trotter, first2=Ben, title=A World of Paper: Louis XIV, Colbert de Torcy, and the Rise of the Information State, publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press, year=2014 1700 in England London (1700) 1700 in France 1700 treaties Partition (politics) London (1700) London (1700) 1700 in the Dutch Republic 17th century in London