SUCCESSION WARS are wars which arise from claims for the possession of the crown on the occasion of a sovereign dying without undisputed legal heirs. In modern European history the most important of these struggles were those of the Spanish succession (1700-13), and of the Anstrain succession (1740-48).
War of the Spanish Shortly before the death of Charles II of Spain, with out issue or collateral male heirs, several com petitors laid claim to the throne, the two principal being the dauphin of France, son of Charles' elder sister; and the Emperor Leopold, who first claimed as male representative of the younger branch of the house of Austria, be ing descended from Ferdinand, second son of Philip and Joanna of Castile, though he after ward withdrew this claim and substituted an other in right of his mother, Mary Ann, daugh ter of Philip III of Spain. The other leading powers, Great Britain, Germany and Holland, were naturally deeply interested in the settle ment of this question, for the union of either France or Austria with Spain, which at that time ruled over the Netherlands, the Milanese, Naples and Sicily and vast territories in Amer ica, would have seriously endangered the bal ance of power in Europe. After much nego tiation which had little result, Louis XIV put forward his second grandson, Philip of Anjou, as the representative of the French claim, and Leopold nominated his second son Charles as his substitute, both parties solemnly promising that Spain should never be incorporated with their respective dominions. Charles of Spain's second consort, Mary Ann of Neuburg, being a sister of the empress, naturally promoted the views of Leopold; in which, however, she was opposed by the Count d'Harcourt, a clever dip lomatist sent by Louis to Madrid, and who conciliated many of the nobles and grandees, whom the queen had alienated. The French ambassador also intimated a resort to force if the rights of the children of France should be superseded. Thus the king of Spain was in duced to recognize Philip of Anjou as his heir, 2 Oct. 1700. On 1 November the king died, and the Junta immediately caused Philip to be proclaimed at Madrid. The young king entered his capital 18 February. All the European provinces • and all the American possessions of the Spanish empire recognized the new monarch nor was his title at first disputed by the greater part of the European powers. But the meas ures of Louis excited suspicion and gave offense. On the death of James II of England, the French king recognized his son the Old Pre tender as James III; the new works which the French were constructing on the Dutch fron tier alarmed the States-General, and on 15 May 1702 England and Holland allied themselves with Austria and declared war against Louis XIV and the of Spain. The contest had, however, been already opened by Austria unaided. Prince Eugene descended into the plains of Verona at the head of 25,000 men about the end of May 1701, defeated the French under Catinat at Carpi (9 July), and under Villeroi, at Chiari (September), but this severe fighting had no adequate result. In the fol lowing summer Marlborough led an Anglo Dutch-German army into Belgium and reduced one by one the French fortresses on the Maas; the German states, which, with the exception of Bavaria and Cologne, had been gained by Leopold, sent out an army under the margrave of Baden, which crossed the Rhine and cap tured Landau. Early in September the elector of Bavaria raised an army and endeavored to effect a junction with Villars, who was sent by Louis to co-operate with him, but they were both kept in check by the margrave of Baden. In 1703 Marlborough, whose actions were hampered by the delegates of the States General, confined himself to reducing the strongholds held by the French in the low countries. In Germany the elector of Ba varia drove the Austro-German armies out of his dominions, and formed a junction with Villars. The latter advised a rapid march upon Vienna, which might have then been easily captured, but the elector preferred to attack the Tyrol, where the French general Vendome, with half the army of Italy, was to meet him.
The Tyrolese, however, rose against the Bava rians and compelled the elector to retreat before Vendome could join him. The elector again united his forces with those of Villars, and in flicted a severe defeat on the Imperialists at Hochstedt (20 September) ; but many mis understandings arose between the two com manders, and Villars in disgust obtained his recall. In the following year Eugene and Marl borough 'joined their forces at Donauworth on the Danube, and coming up with the Franco Bavarian army under Tallard, Marsin, and the elector, at Blenheim, inflicted upon it a severe defeat, 13 August. In consequence of this de cisive victory the French had to recross the Rhine and evacuate all Germany. On the 4th of the same month Gibraltar had been taken in a few hours by a party of English sailors. The campaigns of Marlborough in the Netherlands and of Eugene in Italy in 1705 have no feature of interest. In Spain the English under the Earl of Peterborough captured Barcelona, and had the archduke proclaimed king as Charles III. The year 1706 was disastrous to the French arms. In Italy the united forces of Eugene and the Duke of Savoy fell upon the French while they were besieging Turin, and gained a complete victory, all the siege artillery falling into their hands (7 September). All Lombardy submitted to the Imperialists, and Charles III was proclaimed at Milan. In the Netherlands, Marlborough routed the French under Villeroi at Ramillies (23 May), and was prevented from besieging Dunkirk only by the jealousy of the Dutch. In 1707 an Anglo Portuguese army under the 'Earl of Galway entered Spain, but was met by a much superior Franco-Spanish force under the Duke of Bet wick at Almanza, and completely defeated (25 April). In southern Italy the whole kingdom of Naples submitted to a small Imperial army under Dann. Nothing of importance took place in the Netherlands or Germany. Eugene and the Duke of Savoy, penetrating into France by the Maritime Alps and Nice, appeared before Toulon toward the end of July, but the ap proach of some strong French divisions com pelled them to retreat with considerable loss. In the following year Marlborough and Eugene, according to a fixed arrangement, reunited their forces in the Low Countries, and coming up with the French under the Duke of Bur gundy and VendOme at Oudenarde inflicted on them a severe defeat (11 July). The allies then entered French Flanders, and laid siege to Lille, its capital, which capitulated 22 Octo ber. On the Rhine both sides remained on the defensive. In Spain Charles III was compelled to shut himself up in Barcelona. The island of Sardinia submitted to Admiral Lake in August, and in the following month Minorca was cap tured by Lake and General Stanhope. The length and ill success of the war had now be gun to tell with fatal effect upon France. The funds required for the equipment and support of the armies were raised by ruinous loans, in judicious and vexatious taxes, the forestalment of future revenue and the issue of paper money and a debased coinage. A severe winter destroyed the corn, vines and fruit-trees, and the dearth and famine which ensued produced discontent and sedition. Louis XIV sued for peace, offering to give up, in the name of' his grandson, the whole of the Spanish succession, and to restore Strassburg to the empire; but the allies looked upon these overtures as mere tricks to gain time, and rejected them. Both sides now made extraordinary preparations for renewing the struggle. Villars was sent into. Flanders with an army of nearly 100,000 men to oppose Marlborough and Eugene, whose combined strength was slightly superior. After capturing Tournai, the allies proceeded to in vest Mons. For this purpose they had to attack Villars in a strongly fortified position at Mal plaquet, from which they succeeded in driving him, but not without suffering enormous (11 Sept 1709). After some more fighting, besieging and negotiating, the death of the emperor, Joseph I, son and successor of Leo Pold, without male issue, leaving his crown to.