Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678)

Abstract

The research deals with the Franco-Dutch War in 1672, as relations between the two parties became tense after the conclusion of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668, which ended the war in the Spanish Netherlands. Although Louis XIV stopped implementing his plans under the treaty and after the intervention of the Netherlands and England, this did not prevent him from continuing his expansionist policy, especially since he remained resentful of the Dutch because of their alliance against him and obstruction of the French expansionist plans, so he was determined to take revenge on them. The war broke out between the two countries for several economic, religious and political reasons, in addition to the commercial competition between them. Louis XIV worked to distance the Netherlands from its allies Sweden and England, and thus the Triple Alliance disintegrated. He concluded the secret Treaty of Dover with England in 1670, according to which the two parties agreed to declare war against the Netherlands in exchange for the subsidies paid by France to Charles II. He also concluded an alliance treaty with Sweden in exchange for financial subsidies, and the Netherlands remained alone. France was able to occupy many Dutch cities until 1672 was called the "Year of Disaster." The war expanded to include the German lands, the Rhine, Franche-Comté and the Spanish Low Countries. The French victories led to the European countries, which concluded defensive treaties between them to stand against France. Emperor Leopold (I) signed a defensive treaty with William of Orange. The Cologne Peace Conference was held in order to conclude peace between the two parties, but it failed due to the intransigence of Louis XIV. The signing of the Quadruple Alliance ended any hope for peace and made the negotiations in Cologne unnecessary, which led to the continuation of the war, in which Spain and the Holy Roman Empire participated, along with Holland, but at the same time, peace negotiations continued for several more months until the Treaty of Nijmegen was signed between the two countries in 1678, according to which France achieved great gains at the expense of Spain, including the Franche-Comté, and destroyed the Grand Alliance against it. The Treaty of Nijmegen represented the peak of Louis XIV's glory and his people granted him the title of Great King (Roi le de Grand).