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The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714

The Cologne incident and the outbreak of the Nine Years' War

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

The disputed election at Cologne, the invasion and devastation of the Palatinate and the formation of the Grand Alliance.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Evaluation

How far was Louis XIV himself responsible for the Nine Years' War?

Key term

How was the Cologne election settled?

Key term

What ultimatum did Louis XIV issue in September 1688?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What was the Cologne incident of 1688?

    Model answer

    The archbishopric and electorate of Cologne fell vacant in 1688 and Louis XIV pressed the candidacy of Cardinal von Fürstenberg while the Emperor and the pope backed the young Bavarian prince Joseph Clement.

  2. 2

    How was the Cologne election settled?

    Model answer

    Neither candidate reached the required majority, so the decision passed to the pope, and Innocent XI awarded the electorate to Joseph Clement.

  3. 3

    Why did Cologne matter so much to French strategy?

    Model answer

    Control of Cologne gave access to the lower Rhine and a route into Germany and towards the Dutch, so its loss shut a door that French armies had used freely.

  4. 4

    What claim did Louis XIV make in the Palatinate?

    Model answer

    On the extinction of the electoral line in 1685 Louis XIV claimed the allodial lands of the Palatinate for his sister-in-law Elizabeth Charlotte, the wife of his brother.

  5. 5

    What ultimatum did Louis XIV issue in September 1688?

    Model answer

    Louis XIV demanded that the Truce of Ratisbon be turned into a permanent peace, that Fürstenberg be installed at Cologne and that his Palatine claim be met, and gave the Empire three months to agree.

  6. 6

    How did Louis XIV open the war?

    Model answer

    French troops crossed the Rhine and besieged the fortress of Philippsburg in the autumn of 1688, expecting a short campaign that would frighten the Emperor into terms.

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