Introduction to Succession Wars
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.
War of the Spanish Succession, 1701–14
The principal claims to succeed the childless Charles II of Spain, last of the Spanish Hapsburg line, were those of Louis XIV of France and of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I of the Austrian Hapsburg line. Both monarchs were grandsons of Philip III of Spain. Since other nations looked upon a union of Spain with either France or Austria as a threat to the balance of power, both claimants promised to keep Spain independent. Louis transferred his claim to the Spanish throne to his grandson Philip, duke of Anjou; Leopold sponsored his second son, Archduke Charles.
Charles II died in 1700, leaving his throne to Philip, who as Philip V established the Bourbon line in Spain. Choice of the French claimant aroused the Austrian Hapsburgs, who wanted to keep Spain and its possessions in the family. In 1701 Austria, England, Prussia, and most of the German principalities formed the Grand Alliance to support the Austrian claim to the Spanish throne. France was joined by Spain and Bavaria.
The war was fought mainly in the Spanish Netherlands (modern Belgium) and in Germany. The related conflict in North America was called Queen Anne's War. The Grand Alliance won important victories, including the battle of Blenheim, under the Duke of Marlborough of England and Eugene, Prince of Savoy. The English fleet captured Gibraltar. (
A new threat sprang up when Archduke Charles became Holy Roman Emperor in 1711, as Austria's allies feared that the Hapsburgs would dominate Europe if Charles gained the Spanish throne. The Grand Alliance was dissolved, 1711, and peace negotiations began in 1712. The Peace of Utrecht was signed in 1713, and Austria signed a separate peace agreement with France in 1714. Under the treaties, the European powers acquiesced to Philip as king of Spain. The European empire of Spain, however, was broken up. Savoy received Sicily, and Austria was awarded the Spanish Netherlands, Milan, and Naples.
War of the Polish Succession, 1733–35
In 1733, King Augustus II of Poland (a Saxon by birth) died. The Polish Sejm , an assembly of nobles, elected Stanislaus Leszczyński, a Polish nationalist, as their king. (Poland customarily elected its kings.) A minority of Poles and the countries of Russia, Austria, and Saxony supported as king Augustus's son, who they believed would act in their interests. France, Spain, and Sardinia backed Leszczyński.
The war began with the invasion of Poland by Russian forces (later joined by Saxons) in 1733. Leszczyński was driven out in 1734, and was replaced by the invaders' claimant, who became king as Augustus III. Defeat of a French relief force ended effective resistance in Poland, though civil strife between Polish supporters of the rival claimants continued into 1735.
Hostilities erupted in other parts of Europe. French armies seized the duchy of Lorraine (a possession of the Austrian Hapsburg family) and then fought inconculsively against the Russians and Austrians in the Rhineland region of Germany. In Italy, French, Spanish, and Sardinian forces hoped to seize the Hapsburg domains of Milan, Sicily, and Naples, but Austria fought them to a draw.
A peace accord was signed in 1735 and ratified in 1738. Under its provisions, Augustus III was confirmed as king of Poland and Leszczyński was made duke of Lorraine (upon his death the duchy would revert to France). Spain won control of Sicily and Naples, but in return the Austrian Hapsburgs were awarded three duchies in northern Italy that were previously under control of the Spanish Bourbons.
War of the Austrian Succession, 1740–48
Most of the European powers had promised to respect the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, a royal pronouncement of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI declaring that if he had no direct male heir, his Austrian domains would go to his eldest daughter upon his death. But when Maria Theresa (Charles' eldest daughter) succeeded her father in 1740, the sanction was ignored by three other claimants—Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria, Augustus III of Saxony and Poland, and Philip V of Spain. Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia offered to aid Maria Theresa against the claimants in return for the Austrian possession of Silesia. She refused, and a general European war was precipitated when Prussia seized Silesia in 1740.
Prussia entered an alliance with France, Spain, and Bavaria. Austria was supported by Hungary, Great Britain, Saxony, and the Netherlands. In 1742 Austria persuaded Prussia to drop out of the war by ceding it Silesia. Prussia, however, fearing growing Austrian power, reentered the conflict in 1744. In Europe, the war was fought in the Netherlands, Germany, Bohemia, and Italy. The hostilities between France and Great Britain in North America are referred to as King George's War. France and Great Britain also fought in India.
The conflict was ended in 1748 by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The Pragmatic Sanction was upheld and nearly all conquests on both sides were returned. Prussia, however, retained Silesia. (
