Nevertheless, Louis XIV rejected their terms, and, making an appeal to his people, con tinued the war with fresh vigor, which was seen in his troops during the stubborn and murderous conflict at Malplaquet, 11 Sept. 1709. The skill of Marlborough and Eugene gained the day, but it was a barren triumph. The war dragged on for three years more; but the grow ing desire for peace in England, and the partisan intrigues which resulted in the recall and disgrace of Marlborough, brought it to a conclusion in the Peace of Utrecht, 13 March 1713. Great Britain secured Gibraltar and Minorca, Nova Scotia, parts of Newfoundland, districts around Hudson's Bay and the French part of Saint Christopher's. Spain, by what was called the Assiento Treaty, granted to her the sole right of importing slaves into the Spanish colonies of America. The Dutch re tamed their hold on most of the °barrier for tresses° of the Netherlands, and that territory along with Naples and the Milanese, went to the Hapsburg emperor, Charles VI. The tradi tional friendship of Great Britain and Austria warranted the hope that the Belgic Netherlands would, in Austria's hands, be safe from French aggression i and this was soon assured by Gar ner Treaties. Philip V retained Spain and the Indies, Great Britain rather shabbily de serting the Catalans whom she had instigated to rise against the Bourbon ruler. The treaty was not one to be proud of ; but it restored the balance of power and rendered impossible any further attack by Louis XIV on Great Britain and Holland. The phantom of an almost uni versal monarchy ceased to trouble the world until it reappeared a century later in the person of Napoleon. Further, this war of the Spanish Succession so far exhausted France, Spain and Holland, as to leave Great Britain mistress of the seas.
The accession of the House of Hanover in 1714 tended to embroil Great Britain in the political struggles of Central Europe. As elect ors of Hanover, the Georges were among the chief dignitaries of that venerable but decay ing fabric, the Holy Roman Empire, and in volved England in the disputes caused by the rivalry of the Houses of Hapsburg and Hohen zollern. The War of the Austrian Succession, which opened in 1740 with the seizure of Silesia by Frederick the Great of Prussia, aroused the sympathy of Britons with the young ruler, Maria Theresa of Austria; and when France joined the ranks of her would-be despoilers, Great Britain intervened in order to maintain her power as a counterpoise to that of France. George II, leading his troops in person, gained a victory over the French at Dettingen on the River Main, 27 June 1743; but two years later (11 May 1745) the British arms sustained a serious reverse at Fontenoy, near Tournay, where the genius of the Marechal de Saxe vailed over the stubborn valor of the British infantry. The Guards' Brigade retrieved the honor of the Union Jack by a splendid advance, which, if supported by cavalry, might have turned the fortunes of the day. As it was the defeat at Fontenoy and the romantic campaign of "Bonnie Prince Charlie," grandson of James II, in Scotland, clogged British efforts on the continent with results disastrous to her allies.
At sea, however, and in the colonies, the Union Jack was nearly everywhere successful, the cap ture of Louisburg (21 June 1745), leading to the reduction of Cape Breton Island and the open ing of the Saint Lawrence to British attacks. But at Laffeldt near Maestricht, Saxe heavily defeated Cumberland's army of British, Aus trians and Dutch (2 July 1747). In September the French took the fortress of Bergen-op Zoom and seemed likely to overrun the Dutch Netherlands. Their fleets, however, were badly beaten by Warren and Hawke off Finisterre and Belleisle (May— October 1747). Both powers at length became weary of the war, and by the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (October 1748), agreed to restore their conquests—a clause deeply resented by British seamen and merchants, while the surrender of Cape Breton Island to the French enraged the men of New England. France guaranteed the Belgic Nether lands to Austria, and agreed to dismantle the fortifications of Dunkirk. The balance of power was thus restored, both in European and Colonial affairs.
In 1756 Austria's grievance against Prussia concerning the Province of Silesia lit afresh the flames of war in Euorpe, Canada and India. Already France and Great Britain were practi cally at war in the valley of the Ohio and in the Carnatic, owing to the masterful policy there pushed on by Montcalm and Dupkix. There fore, when France, reversing her traditional policy, allied herself with Austria for the parti tion of Prussia, Frederick the Great naturally became the ally of the Court of London (Janu ary 1756). At first matters went ill with the two Protestant States; Frederick could not at first make head against the coalition (joined by Saxony and Russia) and Great Britain lost Minorca, largely through Admiral Byng, who was executed. Matters did not mend until in June 1757, George II recalled to office the one inspiring personality in English public life, Wil liam Pitt_ Acting on the principle summed up in his famous phrase will win America in Germany* — he lavished subsidies on Frederick the Great. Slowly but surely the turned; Frederick's brilliant victory at Rossbach (5 Nov. 1757), over the French and their allies paralyzed the French government; and the results of favoritism and incompetence became apparent. The French navy was speedily worsted in sev eral fights; Louisburg surrendered to Boscawen on 26 July 1758, and Prince Edward Island also fell to the Union Jack. Late in November British and Colonial troops captured , Fort Duquesne on the Ohio and it was renamed Pitts burg. In India success was chequered with failure. By the victory of. Plassey (23 June 1757), Clive had subdued Bengal; but after the arrival of French reinforcements, Count Lally, the successor of Dupleix, captured Fort Saint David and nearly took Madras. Gradually the pressure of sea power told in favor of Great Britain, and the long struggle for the posses sion of the Carnatic was decided by Eyre Coote's brilliant victory of Wandewash (22 Jan. 1760), which led up to the capture of the French stronghold, Pondicherry, a year later.