The War of the Spanish Succession was fought over who would inherit the Spanish throne after the childless Charles II died in November 1700. He left his realm to Philip of Anjou, the grandson of Louis XIV of France, but this raised the prospect of a union of the French and Spanish crowns, and a Grand Alliance of England, the Dutch Republic and the Habsburg monarchy supported the Archduke Charles of Austria instead. The war was fought in the Low Countries, Germany, Italy and Spain. The English commander the Duke of Marlborough won famous victories, such as Blenheim in 1704. The Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt confirmed Philip as king of Spain but separated the two crowns, gave Britain Gibraltar and Minorca, and transferred Spanish possessions in Italy and the Low Countries to Austria.
Before and after
- 8 February 1700Birth of Daniel Bernoulli
- from 22 February 1700 to 10 September 1721Great Northern War
- 1701Founding of Yale University
- from 18 January 1701 to 9 November 1918Kingdom of Prussia
- from March 1701 to September 1714War of the Spanish Succession
- 27 November 1701Birth of Anders Celsius
- 1703Founding of Amherst
- 16 May 1703Founding of Saint Petersburg
- 1704Founding of Gibraltar
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1524 to 1525German Peasants' War
- from 1618 to 1648Thirty Years' War
- from 1652 to 1784Anglo-Dutch Wars
- 1689Bill of Rights 1689
- 30 April 1707Acts of Union 1707
- 30 August 1721Treaty of Nystad
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.