7. THE FRENCH WARS OF THE 18TH CENTURY. Hostility to Frince is one of the chief characteristics of British policy in the 18th century. It may be ascribed to various motives, religious, dynastic, commer cial, and to the purely political motive of main taining the balance of power. At the beginning of the century the first and last of these motives were uppermost. The first between the two powers arose out of the efforts' of Louis XIV of France to gain complete con trol of the Spanish dominions, then compris ing Southern Italy, Milan and the greater part of the Flemish Netherlands, as well as a large portion of the New World. It is worth noting that the French threat to the Nether lands touched British policy in a vital spot. From the time of Richard I and Edward III, down to those of William III, Wellington and even to the war of 1914, British rulers have very rarely hesitated to defend the Netherlands against a great power which sought to annex them and make them a base of action against the British Isles. Louis XIV, however, would hear of no compromise such as was suggested by William III of England, the Dutch Republic, and the House of Hapsburg, but, in the lack of a direct descendant of the Spanish Bourbons, claimed the crown of Spain for his grandson (subsequently Philip V of Spain), a great grandson of Philip IV of Spain. He did more. He captured the Dutch troops who shared in the defence of the Tharrier fortresses') of the Netherlands; and in 1701, on the death of James II, formerly king of England, but now an exile in France, he promptly recognized his son as king of England. The affront rekindled in England the dormant zeal for the Protestant succession; the House of Commons had to cease from its factious opposition to "Dutch William"; and the king prepared vigorously to curb the designs of Louis XIV for a uni versal monarchy. He sent Marlborough with 10,000 troops to protect the Dutch Netherlands, and even the death of William, and the acces sion of Queene Anne, who leaned to the Tory or peace party, could not avert war. Williams last diplomatic work, the grand alliance (1701), with Austria and the Dutch Republic held good, and the elector of Brandenburg-Prussia joined the league on the understanding that he should receive the royal title in Prussia, as Frederick I.
The world was soon startled by the display of genius such as had never been seen in the campaigns of William III. Clogged, as he was, by the dilatory procedure of the Dutch, Marl borough effected little of note in the years 1702-03; but in 1704, when the Hapsburg forces were sore beset in South Germany by the Franco-Bavarian army, he resolved to march up the Rhine valley to the help of the Imperialists in Swabia. Skilfully misleading the French as to his intentions, he surprised the hostile forces near Donauworth on the Upper Danube and clinched this success by a brilliant triumph at Blenheim, 13 Aug. 1704. A daring attack de livered across marshy ground against the French centre cut their array in twain, and drove thousands of fugitives into the Danube. Of an army 60,000 strong in the morning only some 20,0a) survived uncapiured at night. Marlborough was able to effect little in the year 1705, when the interest centred on the brilliant though unsubstantial triumphs won by Lord Peterborough in Spain. In the campaign of 1706, Marlborough struck a decisive blow at the French army under Villeroi near Ramillies (23 May) ; the capture of Brussels, Ghent and Ant werp resulted from this victory, which also had the effect of lessening the pressure on the Im perialist leader, Prince Eugene, in Northern Italy. In 1707 the tide seemed to turn in favor of the French and Spaniards; the latter on 25 April gained a complete victory at Almanza, re gained most of the eastern and northeastern provinces of Spain for the Bourbon cause. In July 1708, however, Marlborough utterly over threw the French at Oudenard on the river Scheldt, and followed up his success by bring ing the great fortress of Lille to surrender (December). These events laid the Spanish Netherlands at the feet of the allies and opened up a way into France.