Succession Wars

the general title of several European wars which arose in the 18th century consequent on a failure of i ue in certain royal lines, most important of which are (1) War of the Spanish Succe ion (1701-1713). The death (1700) of Charles II. of Spain without direct i ue caused Louis XIV. of France and the Emperor Leopold I. (the former married to the elder sister of Charles, the latter to the younger sister, and both grandsons of Philip III. of Spain) to put forth claims to the crown, the one on behalf of his grandson, Philip of Anjou, the other for his second son, the Archduke Charles. War broke out on the entry of Philip into Madrid and his a umption of the crown, England and the United Netherlands uniting with the emperor to curb the ambition of Louis. During the long struggle the transcendent military genius of Marl borough a erted itself in the great victories of Blenheim, Ramillies, and Oudenarde, but the lukewarmne of England in the struggle, the political fall of Marl borough, and the Tory vote for peace prevented the allies reaping the full benefit of their succe es. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) left Philip in po e ion of his Spanish kingdom, but the condition was exacted that the crowns of Spain and France should not be united. The emperor (the Archduke Charles since 1711) attempted to carry on the struggle, but was forced to sign the Treaty of Rastadt (1714), acknowledging Philip king of Spain. Spain, however, ceded her Netherlands Sardinia, ., to the emperor, while Gibraltar, Minorca, and parts of North America fell to England. (2) War of the Austrian Succe ion (1740-1748) followed on the death (1740) of the Emperor Charles VI. without male i ue. His daughter, Maria The res a, entered into po e ion of Bohemia, Hungary, and the Archduchy of Austria, but was immediately attacked by the Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria and August us of Saxony and Poland, both rival claimants for the imperial crown, while Frederick II. of Pru ia seized the opportunity of Maria's embarra ment to annex Silesia. France, Spain, and England were drawn into the struggle, the last in support of Maria. Succe oscillated from side to side, but the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which brought the war to a close, left Maria pretty well in po e ion of her inheritance save the lo of Silesia to Frederick.