War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought from 1701 to 1714 over who would be the next king of Spain after Charles II had died childless. France wanted the new king to be Philip of Anjou, a grandson of its own king, Louis XIV, as Charles had stated in his will. However, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and other states in Europe opposed that because they wanted to prevent France from becoming more powerful.
The war was fought mostly in Europe, but there were battles also in the West Indies, South America and North America. In North America, the war is called Queen Anne's War since the queen of Great Britain was Queen Anne.
The war ended by Philip of Anjou winning. Britain and its allies finally accepted him to become the next king of Spain, called Philip V, but he had to gave up his right to be king of France. Also, Austria got most of Spanish Italy, and Britain got Spanish Menorca and Gibraltar.
War Of The Spanish Succession Media
Charles II, 1665–1700, last Habsburg King of Spain
Proclamation of Philip of Anjou as Philip V of Spain, Versailles, 16 November 1700
France's central position required the Grand Alliance to attack on exterior lines.
An Anglo-Dutch squadron captures a Spanish treasure fleet, Vigo Bay, October 1702
Francis Rákóczi, leader of the 1703–1711 Hungarian revolt; funded by France, this was a major distraction for Austria
Participants in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1703: Pro-Habsburg (orange) and Pro-Bourbon (lavender)
Northern Italy; Milan, Savoy, and Mantua were the primary areas of conflict
Low Countries; note the location of Prince-Bishopric of Liège (in pink). Red lines show the pré carré, a double line of fortresses guarding the French border.
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