Treaty of Peace between France and Spain Treaty of Peace between France and England [lower-alpha 1] Suspension of Armed Conflict in Germany between France and the Holy Roman Empire Treaty of Peace and Commerce between France and the Dutch Republic Separate Article for the Dutch Republic Treaty of Peace between France and the Holy Roman Empire | |
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Huis ter Nieuwburg, location for the negotiations | |
Context | End of the 1689-1697 Nine Years War |
Signed | 20 September 1697 |
Location | Rijswijk |
Parties |
The Treaty or Peace of Ryswick, also known as The Peace of Rijswijk was a series of agreements signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697, ending the 1689-97 Nine Years War between France and the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic. [lower-alpha 2]
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Its population was 51,742 in 2017, and it has an area of 14.49 km2 (5.59 sq mi), 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi) of which is water.
The Grand Alliance is the name commonly used for the coalition formed on 20 December 1689 by England, the Dutch Republic and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold, including the Archduchy of Austria. With the later additions of Spain and Savoy, this fought the 1688–97 Nine Years' War against France that ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick.
The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. The largest territory of the empire after 962 was the Kingdom of Germany, though it also came to include the neighboring Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Italy, and numerous other territories.
The Nine Years' War had been financially crippling for its participants, primarily because armies increased in size from an average of 25,000 in 1648 to over 100,000 by 1697. [lower-alpha 3] This was unsustainable for pre-industrial economies; military spending in this period absorbed 80% of English government revenues, with one in seven adult males serving in the army or navy, with similar figures were similar for other combatants. [1]
The Nine Years' War (1688–97)—often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg—was a conflict between Louis XIV of France and a European coalition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, Spain, England and Savoy. It was fought in Europe and the surrounding seas, North America and in India. It is sometimes considered the first global war. The conflict encompassed the Williamite war in Ireland and Jacobite risings in Scotland, where William III and James II struggled for control of England and Ireland, and a campaign in colonial North America between French and English settlers and their respective Indigenous allies, today called King William's War by Americans.
All sides were eager to end the war but finding a way of doing so proved difficult. Louis XIV sought to divide the Grand Alliance by persuading individual members to agree a separate peace, a tactic that had previously proved very successful. In 1693, French diplomats initiated informal talks with the Duchy of Savoy and the Dutch Republic. [2]
Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who reigned as King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. Starting on 14 May 1643 when Louis was 4 years old, his reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history. In the age of absolutism in Europe, Louis XIV's France was a leader in the growing centralisation of power.
From 1416 to 1860, the Duchy of Savoy was a state in Western Europe. It was created when Sigismund, King of the Romans, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duchy was a subject of the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Imperial Diet. From the 16th century, Savoy belonged to the Upper Rhenish Circle. Throughout its history, it was ruled by the House of Savoy and formed a part of the larger Savoyard state.
The Dutch Republic, or the United Provinces, was a confederal republic that existed from the formal creation of a confederacy in 1581 by several Dutch provinces—seceded from Spanish rule—until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the Netherlands and the first Dutch nation state.
In August 1696, Savoy left the Alliance and signed the Treaty of Turin with France while the Convention of Vigevano of 7 October declared a general truce in Italy. [lower-alpha 4] Louis now agreed to restore Luxembourg to Spain and recognise William as King, clearing the way to finalise terms. [3] Formal negotiations were held in the Huis ter Nieuwburg at Ryswick, mediated by Swedish diplomat and soldier Niels Baron of Lilliënrot.
The Treaty of Turin (1696) was signed on 29 August 1696 by France and the Duchy of Savoy. Under its terms, Savoy signed a separate peace with France and left the Grand Alliance, an anti-French coalition formed on 20 December 1689 by England, the Dutch Republic and Emperor Leopold.
Huis ter Nieuwburg or Huis ter Nieuburch was a palace in Rijswijk, Holland, Dutch Republic. The symmetrical French Classicist building was probably designed by the Dutch architect Jacob van Campen together with Constantin Huygens and the prince himself. According to Slothouwer the designs were carried out by Arent van's Gravesande who was replaced by the French architect Simon de la Vallée in 1634. The palace was built between 1630 and 1636 for stadtholder Prince Frederick Henry.
By 1696, it was clear Charles II of Spain would die childless while his health was in terminal decline. Although no longer the dominant global power, the Spanish Empire remained powerful and largely intact, with territories in Italy, the Spanish Netherlands, the Philippines and large areas of the Americas. [4] The nearest claimants were from the Austrian Hapsburg and French Bourbon families, making the question of Charles' successor hugely significant.
Charles II of Spain, also known as El Hechizado or the Bewitched, was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. He is now best remembered for his physical disabilities, believed to be the result of inbreeding, and the war for his throne that followed his death.
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.
Spanish Netherlands was the collective name of States of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, held in personal union by the Spanish Crown from 1556 to 1714. This region comprised most of the modern states of Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as parts of northern France, southern Netherlands, and western Germany with the capital being Brussels.
Emperor Leopold wanted this issue addressed in the Peace; without it, he would only agree a ceasefire and he persuaded the Spanish to support him. [lower-alpha 5] In response, William and Louis appointed the Earl of Portland and Marshal Boufflers as their personal representatives; they met privately outside Brussels in June 1697 and quickly finalised terms, at which point Spain also agreed. [5] However, with the issue of Charles' successor unresolved, all sides accepted the likelihood of another war and began preparing for it.
Leopold I was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain, Leopold became heir apparent in 1654 by the death of his elder brother Ferdinand IV. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the longest-ruling Habsburg emperor.
Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, first in 1633 and again in 1689. The title Duke of Portland was created in 1716 but became extinct in 1990 upon the death of the ninth Duke, when the Earldom was inherited by a distant cousin.
Boufflers is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
One of the most important issues was control of the French-occupied Spanish Duchy of Luxemburg, then considerably larger than it is today and essential to Dutch border security. Others were Strasbourg, strategic key to French possessions in Alsace-Lorraine and French recognition of William III as monarch of England and Scotland, rather than James II. [6]
During negotiations, the enormous financial costs of the war and military stalemate in Europe meant an increased focus on commercial issues and the colonial periphery. In early 1697, a French fleet arrived in the Caribbean, threatening the annual Spanish treasure fleet and British possessions like Jamaica. [7] In North America, or King William's War, Britain took Nova Scotia but under Count Frontenac, the French repulsed attacks on Quebec, captured York Factory and caused substantial damage to the New England economy. [8]
The final agreement restored the position to that of the 1679 Treaty of Nijmegen; France kept Strasbourg but returned Freiburg, Breisach, Philippsburg and the Duchy of Lorraine to the Holy Roman Empire. The French evacuated Catalonia, the Duchy of Luxembourg, Mons and Kortrijk in the Spanish Netherlands, while the Dutch placed garrisons in Namur and Ypres. Louis recognised William as King, withdrew support from James and abandoned claims to the Electorate of Cologne and the Electoral Palatinate. In North America, British and French positions were returned to pre-war boundaries, while Spain ceded Tortuga and Saint-Domingue to France, while the Dutch handed back Pondichéry in India.
The Peace consisted of a number of separate agreements; on 20 September 1697, France signed Treaties of Peace with Spain and England, a Ceasefire with the Holy Roman Empire and on 21 September a Treaty of Peace and Commerce with the Dutch Republic. [9] It also confirmed the provisions of the Treaty of Turin, although technically these were not part of the Peace. [10]
At this point, Charles II of Spain fell seriously ill, making Leopold reluctant to sign; one frustrated negotiator stated that 'it would be a shorter way to knock him on the head downright, rather than all Europe be kept in suspense.' [11] On 9 October, the Dutch signed an additional Article agreeing to leave the Alliance if Leopold did not also sign a Peace Treaty before 1 November; Charles now rallied once more and he reluctantly did so on 30 October.
The Nine Years' War had shown France needed allies and Louis adopted a dual-track approach of a diplomatic offensive to seek support while keeping the French army on a war footing. [lower-alpha 6] Louis was concerned by the increase in Hapsburg power and confidence following victories over the Ottomans at Vienna in 1683 and Zenta in September 1697; however, the growing independence of German states like Bavaria also provided opportunities.
For Britain, France's acceptance of the 1688 Glorious Revolution marked a turning point in its rise as a global power. English mercantile interests had largely focused on the Levant trade but now began to challenge Spanish and Portuguese dominance of the Americas. However, the Tory majority in Parliament was determined to reduce costs and by 1699, the English military had been cut to less than 7,000 men. [12] This seriously undermined William's ability to negotiate on equal terms with France and despite his intense mistrust, he co-operated with Louis in an attempt to agree a diplomatic solution to the Succession. The Partition Treaties of The Hague (1698) and London (1700) ultimately failed to prevent the outbreak of war in 1702 but this was arguably the result of Louis' miscalculations. [13]
The Dutch Republic ended the Nine Years' War with huge debts, forcing them to reduce expenditure on the navy and further weakening their economy. This and the huge additional investment required to win the 1701-1714 War of the Spanish Succession would bring the Dutch Golden Age to an end. [14]
Prince Eugene of Savoy was a general of the Imperial Army and statesman of the Holy Roman Empire and the Archduchy of Austria and one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna.
The War of the Polish Succession (1733–35) was a major European war sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests. France and Spain, the two Bourbon powers, attempted to check the power of the Austrian Habsburgs in western Europe, as did the Kingdom of Prussia, whilst Saxony and Russia mobilized to support the eventual Polish victor. The slight amount of fighting in Poland resulted in the accession of Augustus III, who in addition to Russia and Saxony, was politically supported by the Habsburgs.
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was a European conflict of the early 18th century, triggered by the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700. His closest heirs were members of the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families; acquisition of an undivided Spanish Empire by either threatened the European balance of power.
Treaty of Paris can refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
The Peace of Utrecht is a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715.
Events from the 1690s in Canada.
The Treaty of London (1700) or Second Partition Treaty was the second of two attempts by France, Great Britain and the United Provinces, or Dutch Republic, to impose a diplomatic solution to the issues that resulted in the 1701-1714 War of the Spanish Succession.
The "Barrier Treaties" were a series of agreements signed and ratified between 1709 and 1715 that created a buffer zone between the Dutch Republic and Kingdom of France by allowing the Dutch to occupy a number of fortresses within the Spanish or Austrian Netherlands. The fortresses ultimately proved ineffective as a means of defence and the treaties were cancelled by Austria in 1781.
The Battle of Saint-Denis on 14 August 1678 was the last major action of the 1672-1678 Franco-Dutch War. It took place around the villages of Saint-Denis and Casteau, just outside Mons, then part of the Spanish Netherlands, now modern Belgium.
The term France–Habsburg rivalry describes the rivalry between the House of Habsburg and the Kingdom of France. The Habsburgs were the largest and most powerful royal house of the Holy Roman Empire from the Early Modern Period until the Napoleonic Wars, and survived with large possessions in the Austro-Hungarian region until the First World War. In addition to holding significant amounts of land and influence within the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg dynasty ruled Spain (1516–1556) and the Holy Roman Empire (1519–1556) under Charles V. As the House of Habsburg expanded into western Europe, border friction began with the Kingdom of France, the lands of which extended to the west bank of the Rhine. The subsequent rivalry became a cause for several major wars, including the Italian Wars 1494–1559; the Thirty Years' War 1618–1648; the Nine Years' War 1688–1697; the War of Spanish Succession, the War of Austrian Succession, and the Napoleonic Wars.
The Treaty of The Hague was signed on 17 February 1720. The treaty ended the War of the Quadruple Alliance, a conflict that arose between King Philip V of Spain and an alliance of Great Britain, France, Austria and the Dutch Republic.
The Treaty of Den Haag (1701) or Treaty of The Hague (1701) was signed on 7 September, 1701 between Great Britain, the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, and the United Provinces. It reconstituted the 1689 anti-French Grand Alliance in response to the issues that resulted in the War of the Spanish Succession.
The 1698 Treaty of The Hague, also known as the 1698 Treaty of Den Haag or First Partition Treaty was the first of two attempts by France, Britain and the Dutch Republic to achieve a diplomatic solution to the issues that led to the 1701-1714 War of the Spanish Succession.
The Treaty of Monçon or Treaty of Monzón was signed on 5 March 1626 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister of Louis XIII and Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, the chief minister of Philip IV of Spain, at Monçon in Aragon. It was signed in the aftermath of the French capture of Valtelline from Papal troops, and also concluded the First Genoese-Savoyard War.