Succession Wars, the name given to several conflicts that involved most of the nations of Europe during the 18th century. The wars were those of the Spanish Succession (1701–14); Polish Succession (1733–35); and Austrian Succession (1740–48).
Each war was fought to determine the successor to a ruler who had died. The underlying causes of each war, however, were the expansionist ambitions of some countries and the desire of others to gain or maintain a balance of power favorable to their own interests. These were the first major European wars in which well-trained, professional soldiers were used extensively, and the first in which overseas expansion and control of the sea were basic issues.
The Succession Wars were general European wars and involved significant exchanges of territory. Another conflict, often identified as the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–79), was a short quarrel between Prussia and Austria in which Prussia blocked Austria's attempt to annex a large part of Bavaria. When the wars were over, the balance of power was preserved, but greatly altered, with Great Britain and Prussia having emerged as major powers at the expense of Austria, France, and Spain.
