As soon as the season for hostile operations was at an end, Louis renewed his applications for peace, and con ferences) were appointed to be held at Gertruydenburg early in the spring of 1710. At these the French monarch offered additional concessions ; but the allies, or rather the Dutch deputies, to whom every thing was left, were still haughty and imperious, insisting that Louis, instead of pay ing a subsidy toward the war against Philip V. which he had proposed, should assist the confederates with all his forces to drive his grandson from the throne of Spain. Louis could not possibly agree to this most humiliating and barbarous condition ; but, as he was extremely desirous of peace, the conferences were not broken off. In the mean time, the confederates continued their successful progress in Flanders : Douay surrendered, the Marshal Villars having in vain attempted to relieve it ; Bethune, St Ve nant, and Aire, were also reduced. In Spain, the cause of the Bourbons was rather successful, and with their successes their drooping spirits revived. In 1711, a change of minis try took place in England ; by which, as the friends of the Duke of Marlborough were removed from their places, it was supposed that he also would be deprived of his com mand, and probably the war terminated ; but as the war was popular, and the Duke a great favourite with the nation, the new ministry did not deem it prudent immediately to recal him, or terminate it. Another event however oc cutred, which had still greater influence on the state of things ; this was the sudden death of the Emperor Joseph. He was succeeded by his brother Charles ; and as it was contrary to the general alliance that the same person should possess Spain and the empire, the new ministry of Eng land were no longer afraid to avow their wishes for peace. Hostilities however still continued; but the rigour of the season prevented the Duke of Marlborough from taking the field before the beginning of May ; and, after he did take it, no events of importance occurred. Ncgociations had been for some time secretly carried on between France and England, and on the 27th of September they were privately signed at London. As the allies were not in formed of these negociations, they were highly displeas ed at the intelligence that the preliminaries were signed. But, in the beginning of 1712, general conferences were opened at Utrecht for restoring tranquillity to Europe ; the French and English ambassadors declaring, that the preliminaries signed at London were neither binding on the Queen or her allies. \\Tillie these negociations were going on, the Dauphin of France died ; and his eldest son, as well as his son, died also. In consequence of these deaths, the Duke of Anjou, a sickly infant, only intervened between the King of Spain and the crown of France. It was now necessary to submit certain propositions to Louis and Philip V. respecting Spain ; the latter preferred the possession of the Spanish throne without hesitation, but Louis hesitated before he agreed to the choice of his grand son. He at last complied ; and it was agreed, that the re nunciation of the throne of France by Philip V. should be registered in the books of the parliament of Paris, and rati fied by the cortes of Castile and Arragon.
While these negociations were going on, Prince Eugene proposed to the Duke of Ormond, who had succeeded the Duke of Marlborough, to attack the French army under Villars, in the hope of concluding the war with a splendid victory ; but the English general having orders not to act offensively, defeated, by his hesitation, the projects of the prince, who, however, reduced Quesnoy, and sent a de tachment to penetrate into the heart of France. Soon after
this, the Duke of Ormond made known to the allies the cessation of arms between France and England, and sepa pated the British forces from those of the other confede rates. Notwithstanding this diminution of his army, the prince invested Landrecy ; but on this occasion he com mitted errors, which were perceived and taken advantage of by Marshal Villars, who slaughtered or dispersed a bo dy of 14,000 men near Denain. The Marshal followed up this success ; and, having reduced Marchiennes, where the principal magazines of the confederates were deposit ed, he recovered successively Douay, Quesnoy, and Boo chain. The Dutch now, being sensible of their perilous situation, acceded to the plan of pacification settled between France and England. Their example was followed by the Duke of Savoy, the King of Portugal, and the Emperor ; the last of whom, finding himself unable to support any military operations in Spain, agreed to the evacuation of Catalonia. Thus, as was mentioned before, all the belli gerent powers, except the Emperor, being disposed for peace, negociations were opened at Utrecht.
On the 31st of March 1713, the treaties were signed at Utrecht by the plenipotentiaries of France, England, Portu gal, Prussia, Savoy, and the United Provinces ; the King of Spain refusing to sign the stipulations, till a principality was provided in the Netherlands for the Princess Orsini, the favourite of his queen. So far as France was concern ed, the principal articles were, , that Philip V. should re nounce all claim to the throne of that kingdom; that the Dukes of Berry and Orleans, the next heirs to the French monarchy after the infant Dauphin, should renounce all right to the crown of Spain, in the event of their accession to the crown of France; that the Rhine should form the boundary of the German empire on the side of France ; and that all fortifications beyond that river, possessed or claim ed by France, should either be relinquished to the Em peror or destroyed ; that Luxemburg, Namur, and Char leroi, should be given to the United Provinces, as a barrier, along with Mons, Mellon, Tou•nay, &c. already in their possession ; that Lisle, Aire, Bethune, and Dinant, should be restored to France ; that Louis should acknowledge the title of Queen Anne, and the eventual succession of the house of Ilimover to the British throne ; that the fortifica tions of Dunkirk should be demolished, and the harbour filled up ; that Newfoundland, Hudson's Bay, and Nova Scotia, should be given up by France to England ; and that the title of King of Prussia should be recognised by Louis, who should at the same7time:agree to cede to him the town of Gueldres, with part of Spanish Guelderland.
As the Emperor continued obstinate, two months were allowed to him to sign the treaty ; in the course of which, as Louis had now no other enemy, and Prince Eugene was not sufficiently strong to oppose Marshal Villars, the latter successively took Worms, Spires, and Landau; pierced the lines which the prince had ordered to be drawn from the Brisgaw, and defeated General Vaubonne in his en trenchments. The Emperor now was anxious for peace, and conferences were opened between Prince Eugene and Marshal Villars at Radstadt. The terms of this treaty, which was concluded on the 6th of March 1714, were less favourable to the Emperor than those offered at Utrecht, as the King of France retained Landau, which lie had former ly proposed to cede, and got the Electors of Bavaria and Cologne fully re-established in their dominions. About the same time, Louis persuaded the King of Spain to forego his absurd claim in behalf of the Princes Orsini, and to accede to the general pacification.