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The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714

Louis XIV's acceptance of the will and the road to war

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

Louis XIV's blunder on the death of James II and series of misjudgements Louis XIV made after accepting the will.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What were the aims of the Grand Alliance in 1701?

Key term

Name the series of misjudgements Louis XIV made after accepting the will.

Numbers

What did Louis XIV do when the will of Carlos II was read?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What did Louis XIV do when the will of Carlos II was read?

    Model answer

    Louis XIV accepted the will in November 1700 and presented his grandson at Versailles as Philip V of Spain.

  2. 2

    Give the strongest reason for Louis XIV's acceptance of the will.

    Model answer

    Refusal would have handed the entire inheritance to the Archduke Charles, so France would have faced encirclement by Habsburg power and probably war anyway, but with no prize at all.

  3. 3

    Why did the Second Partition Treaty offer Louis XIV less than the will?

    Model answer

    The treaty gave France only Italian territories that would have had to be conquered from a hostile Spain and Emperor, whereas the will delivered the whole empire peacefully.

  4. 4

    How did Spanish opinion affect Louis XIV's decision?

    Model answer

    Spanish ministers and people supported a Bourbon who would keep the monarchy whole, so Philip V could take up his inheritance without fighting for it.

  5. 5

    Why did the acceptance of the will not by itself cause war?

    Model answer

    England and the Dutch Republic were war-weary and initially recognised Philip V, provided their trade and their barrier were left secure.

  6. 6

    What did Louis XIV do in February 1701 about the French succession?

    Model answer

    Louis XIV had the Parlement of Paris register Philip V's continuing right to succeed to the French throne, raising the prospect that one man might rule both kingdoms.

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