foreign policy louis xiv

Louis XIV’s Foreign Policy

Balance of Power1st sense: equilibrium: pwr distrib. amongst many separate states2nd sense: equil. disturbed, opposing states ---> coalition & provide counterweight by

which balance is restored3rd sense: “holding” the balance: a state is needed more by aliies the it needs them = this

state “hold” the Balance of poweror

it belongs this state belongs to no coalition, tries to keep all others in balanceits intervention would be decisive ---> also “holds” the balance(strictly speaking, not involved at all)

Statesmen Pursuing Balance of Poweraim: preserve own indep. of actions to utmost, ther4 ally vs. any state threatening to

domin.one state too pwrful - others shun alliance w/ it unless willing to be puppetswould instead seek alliance w/ weaker states (counterweight) to restore balance v. fearedally w/ weaker also ---> enhances own importance, more considerations for selfsmaller states = import i.e. Den = location, Dutch = $/ships ---> can tip balance

Purpose Balance of Power Politicsnot 2 preserve peace, rather sovereignty & indep. so called “liberties of Europe”ther4 alliance were easily made/unmade accord to interp. of current situation

effective to this end 17th & 18th C1) grt # states capable pursue ind. foreign policy2) not held bk by ideologies or sympathies, only aim to protect own indep. or

enlarge interests

1667-1668 : War of Devolution (legal term used in prelim demands)

Louis claimed Sp Neth & Franche-ComtéBlocked by Triple Alliance: Eng/Dutch/SwedishPeace of Aix la Chapelle 1668

1672-1678 : the Dutch War

Louis strngr @ home, now allied w/ Charles II Eng - invades w/ 100,000 troopsvs. Dutch + austr Hapsburgs, Brandenburg, Denamrk

dutch resort to opening dikes and flooding countrysideTreaty of Nimwegen 1678: France stopped but gained Franche-Comté

Louis XIV: Foreign policy 1

1679 Louis ---> HRE: Alsace-Lorraineencouraged by his success, weakness Ger Empire, & other div. of European pwrs: took

Strausbourg 1681Louis had elector of Brandenburg, electors of Rhineland Church statesHRE diet divided: pro/con FrenchEmperor Leopold I distracted in East w/ Hungarian revolt (supp by Louis)

Turks had joined Hungarians, 1638 beseiged Vienna (like 1529)finally got Turks out w/ help Poland

1686 League of Augsburg formed Leopold gathered Cath powers vs. FrenchProt. (revoc of Nantes) allied w/ William of Orange

1688-1697 : 9 Years War (War of the League of Augsburg)Louis basically overwhelmed(William gained resources Eng when ---> king 1689)1697 Peace of Ryswick: a return to prewar status

*Wars of the 1680’s 90’s gained Louis no terr beyond what had @ Nimwegen

Louis fighting on homefront:supp army of 200,000vs. grt nations Europe, Bnk of Amsterdam, Bnk of Englandexceeded French resourcessuccessor to Colbert: Le Peltier

devalued money, sold offices, titles, gave tax exemptions -- not enufas usual, burden fell upon peasants: revolts widespread last decades of 17thCseries bad harvests 1688 - 1694 made things worse

price wheat up! starvation, (buried 1/10th of pop these years) slump manuf/exports, pillaging troops....

People called for peace!Louis granted 5 year respite while rebuilding resources to fight next war

1702-1713 : War of the Spanish Succession

fought by pro armies, not wholes peoples, civ pop generally spared cept civil war in Sp + more starvation in France

1st large scale war where religion mattered littlecommerce/sea power @ stakeEng $ liberally used on continent“world war” in sense that overseas fighting involved

France ---> Spanish inheritance <--- HREea had ruler who married a sis of Charles IIvarious treaties signed to partition Sp possessions (1698)

idea: preserve bal of power


1700 Charles II died: had will:Sp possessions were to stay intact ---> grandson Louis XIV (Philip of Anjou)

only if Louis prom crowns Sp/Fr never inherited by one rulerif Louis refused ---> son Hapsburg emp in Vienna

Louis accepted: Bourbons in Versailles and Madridther4 Fr. influence extended, if not united“The Pyrenees exist no longer”

Other powers stunned & didn’t like the sidelinesmotives for action: claimed Fr. pwr 2 strong

50 years overseas maritime rivalry to resolvecheck France’s ezpansion commercial pwr in N Amer, Asia, Africa

William III acted immed. : formed Grand Alliance 1701Eng/Holl/emp HRE w/ Brandenburg, Prtugal, Savoy

vs.France, Spain, Bavaria

1702 Grand Alliance declares war on FranceA long war cuz no sooner one side gain temp adv ---> raised demands for settlement

G.A. had two brilliant military menJohn Churchill : Duke of Marlborough (Eng) Prince Eugene of Savoy (Austr)

1704 allies served a crushing blow to France @ Blenheimmany early battles won by Allies

Louis sues for peace: but refuses offer cuz demands enormousLouis still wants: 1) hold 2 crowns

2) conq Belgium3) Fr. merch ---> Sp Amer4) @ worst fight in self defense

1710 - Louis = minor success ---> insists on holding Sp crownSpanish: fight in support of will, unity of Sp possess., integrity of Sp itselfAustr ---> Barcelona ---> Catalonia: who again rebel & recog Austr claims

= civil war in Spain---> Spain in Hapsburg familycrush Bavaria, Austr infl.---> Alps: Italy

Dutch ---> want security, keep Fr out of Belgium, close Scheldt RiverEng ---> Gibraltar, trty w/ Port, want same as Dutch + dislike Fr supp pretenders

also like Dutch: keep Fr merch out of Sp Amer, adv own comm inter.Brandenburg/Savoy ---> for whatever adv. turned up


Peace of Utrecht 1713-1714

Partition Sp wld, not only to two legal claimants = balance of power principle in action(Brit const. history: when Lords block Commons, create new Lords to have approp maj.)

Savoy = recog as “king” of SardiniaBrandenburg = recog as “king” of “Prussia”, tiny region Sp Guelderland (of SP Neth)Austr Hapsburgs = Milan, Naples, Sicily, Sp Neth.Dutch = guarantees of security, garrison “Dutch Barrier” (forts in Belg on side ---> Fr)

could now expect minimal competitionfrom S. neighborsBUT: severely strained by war & outdistanced by Brit**Dutch never again play a primary role in Eur politics

British = greatest winners ---> one grtst pwrs in EurUnion w/Scots 1707 during warGib/Minorca ---> pwr in Medit.Belg (“pistol aimed @ the heart of Eng”) in Austr. hands (who didn’t really want it)Added to Amer holdingsAsiento extorted from Spain

privil. of providing Sp Amer w/ slaves, Bristol & Liverpool benefitted grtlyBrits ---> Sp Amer: compete w/ french

assured line of Prot Kingslanded arist. / merch allies in firmly in control ---> great wealth: basis Ind. Rev.

Spain = no Eur. poss, but kept AmericanLouis XIV grandson = Philip V of Spain (cond. Fr/Sp thrones never under one)** completed decline of Spain as grt power

***William II obj: prevent Fr dominance is achieved

War = main cause loss of Fr strength

prod poverty, misery, depop. (famine 1709)exposed Louis to severe crit @ home40,000 new offices sold = reduced revenue base of futurerevived aristocrat/Parlementary oppositionfor now abandoned conq Belgiumceased recog Stuart pretendersNewfoundland/Nova Scotia(Acadia) ---> Brit.recog Brit sovereignty in Amer NWest(Hudson Bay Terr)

YET: Fr only checked, not down and out

Louis’ statebuilding had withstood true test: defeat on battlefieldretained Alsace-Lorraine, Franch-Comtéinfluence strong in Spaindeep strength, capacity for recovery ---> renewed econ expansion


Lang/cult continued spread thru Europe

Treaty Utrecht confirmed internat’l relations estab. by Wesphalianations members of Eur sysrecog ea other as sov states connected only by free negoc., war, treatyadj differences thru facile xchange of terr, wo/regard of people there

France and Great Britain emerge as two leading powers: ther4 principle carriers, exporters of type of civiliz. predomin. in Modern WldGer = “feudal chaos”Ital = negligibleSp = subordinate to France


foreign policy louis xiv

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