The War of the SpanishSuccession (1700-1714)

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF EUROPE

• The Seventeenth Century witnessed revolutionary changesin Europe. Ideas about science, society and philosophychanged dramatically; agriculture advanced in ways thatwould transform the production of food and the distributionof labor; and military tactics and technology improved tothe point where European arms were superior to any in theworld. During the seventeenth century, European sciencemade the transition to the modern era.

• In the social structure of the old regime was maintained,although their structures began to falter with new ideas andeconomic advancement of certain groups.

Policy in Europe

• In Europe there were various forms of governments:

• (a) Republics, most 17th Century European states weremonarchies. The major exceptions were the United Provinces, Venice, and the Swiss Cantons.

• (b) Limited Monarchies, Poland, Denmark and Sweden wereelective monarchies that placed significant restrictions on royal power. Sweden and Denmark

• (c) Absolute monarchies: The kings of France (especially Louis XIV) are generally regarded as the most absolutist in Europe. Thekings were forced to rely upon the landowning aristocracy and theurban elites to implement their decisions. Austria, Bohemia, royal Hungary, the Spanish Monarchy and England are also examples of absolute monarchies.

Society structure• In medieval theory, there were three Estates or types of people:

clergy (who prayed, and helped people get to heaven); nobles (who commanded in battle, and protected the land from itsenemies); and commoners (who produced food). This way of looking at things survived in the seventeenth century, but hadbecome far too simple to explain the complexities of social structure. Kings asserted increasing control over the aristocracy, and allied with non-nobles to limit the power of the nobility.

• Churchmen, too, varied in status. Those at the bottom of thechurch's hierarchy ranked hardly above peasants, while bishops, archbishops and abbots were the equals of nobles.

• Peasants (or small farmers) varied in wealth and status dependingon how much land they held, and on the conditions upon whichthey held it.

• Such professionals as physicians, lawyers and traders also claimednoble status.

Economy

• Economic change: beginning of agricultural revolution.

• During the 16th Century the population of Europe had grownrapidly, but during the 17th Century this growth slowed and waseven reversed in some places.

• Landowners also branched out into manufacturing, investing in the production of cloth for example, and tried to supply new markets in America and Asia.

• Western Europeans expanded westward, colonizing the New World, and Russians began to settle the vast areas east of theUrals. In the 17th Century, the Atlantic trade routes became farmore important, the center of economic gravity shifted toNorthern Europe, and it was there that intellectual, agriculturaland industrial developments moved most rapidly.

Religion in Europe

• In the 17th Century Europe was overwhelmingly Christian, suchthat "Europe" and "Christendom" were commonly equated.

• Greek, Russian and many Balkan Christians were Orthodox. TheRussian Patriarch, Nikon's attempts after 1653 to "reform" Russian ecclesiastical ritual produced a split in the Church.

• In the Balkan lands occupied by the Turks, all non-Muslims had topay additional taxation, and this placed considerable pressure on(at least the male heads of households) to convert to Islam.

• The rest of Europe was divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants. In addition, Jewish communities lived in theNetherlands and Poland-Lithuania (c. 450,000).

Military Revolution

• The 17th Century was an age of almost continual warfare in Europe, and military tactics and technology improved with practice. During the "military revolution", defensive and offensive advanceleapfrogged until European armies were the most effective in theworld.

• Military needs also both stimulated and benefited from scientificadvance: the telescope was invented for military reasons; the samemathematics that Galileo applied to ballistics (calculating thetrajectories of canon balls) helped explain the movement of planets.

• One major consequence of the military revolution was thatwarfare became increasingly expensive. To fight successfully, governments had to recruit more men and raise more money thanever before. Large armies required the expansion of central government and gave it the power to overcome opposition fromlocal elites (nobles and cities).

The scientific revolution

• During the seventeenth century, European sciencemade the transition to the modern era.

• The revolution in scientific theory was linked toimportant technical advances, such as the telescope(invented by Hans Lippershey, 1570-1619) and themicroscope

• The new science and new philosophy were widelyresisted by the established churches of both Protestantand Catholic countries, where clergy feared a loss of their power, if reason were freed from Scripture. And indeed, during the seventeenth century, the Church'sauthority over knowledge and educationwasundermined.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE SPANISH MONARCHY

Charles II (1661-1700)

Philip IV (1605-1665) Mariana of Austria

•1665 received the title of king•1675 age of mayority•Trust in court favourite•Disastrous economical, social and political situation•Deflation of the “vellon” 1680•Decrease of the economical activity

Maria Luisa of Orleans niece of Louis XIV

MARRIAGES

Mariana de Neoburgodaughter of the duke Philip William of Neoburgo-Saboya

No heirs

MAIN CAUSES OF THE WAR

1. Lack of a heir from the dynasty holding the power (the Austrian, from the Habsburg family)

2. Decadency of the Spanish Monarchy

3. Main Europeans Political Powers of the time ambitioning the rich remains of the Spanish Monarchy: The Distribution Treaty.

4. Previous warlike atmosphere in Europe; The political hegemony in Europe at stake: the acceptance of the Last Will and Testament of Carlos II

5. The internal division and heterogeneity of interest inside Spanish Monarchy: the Austrian and French parties: a civil war

DEVELOPMENT

1700CHARLES II

TWO CANDIDATES

Philip of Anjou Archduke Charles of Habsburg

CHARLES II

proposed

PHILIP V

Great BritainHollandPortugal

Spanish MonarchyFrance

The Battle of Malplaquet

In the Spanish Monarchy...

Castille: Philip V

Aragon: Archduke Charles

CIVIL WAR

Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria died

Archduke Charles was declared king of Austria

END OF THE WAR

In the Spanish Monarchy...

Aragon’s resistance , occupation of Barcelona

1706-1710

CONSEQUENCES

Treaty of Utrecht

• England considered the possibility of recognizing Philip V as the Spanish king.• The talks to reach a peace treaty started in Utrecht in January 1712.• In 1713 the archduke Charles was appointed emperor of Germany.• This treaty meant the end of the hostilities between France and most of the members from the “Gran Alianza”.• As a consequence the Spanish monarchy was divided.

The “Despotismo Ilustrado”

• The “Despotismo Ilustrado” was a government system of the XVIII century.• Their slogan was “Todo para el pueblo pero sin el pueblo.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Marina Albacete

Emma Villacastín

Berta Cano

Isabel Pérez

Raquel Jiménez

Cristina Casas