Study guide: War of the Spanish Succession

📋 Course Outline

1. Succession Crisis and Rival Claims
2. War and Treaty of Utrecht
3. Catalonia Joins the Austrian Cause
4. Fall and Repression of Catalonia

📖 1. Succession Crisis and Rival Claims

★ Must-know

• The War of the Spanish Succession lasted from 1701 to 1714 after Charles II of Spain died without an heir.

📌 The two principal claimants to the Spanish throne were Philip of Anjou, who became Philip V with French support, and Archduke Charles, supported by England, Holland, Portugal, the Duchy of Savoy and the Austrian Empire.

• The claim of Philip V threatened the European balance and economic interests because it could unite the Spanish and French Bourbon interests.

Further detail

• The Alliance of The Hague included:
  • England
  • Holland
  • Portugal
  • the Duchy of Savoy
  • the Austrian Empire

💡 Memory Hook

Philip V represented Bourbon France, whereas Archduke Charles represented the Austrian Habsburgs.

📖 2. War and Treaty of Utrecht

★ Must-know

• In 1707, Bourbon forces won in Italy and Valencia, and Valencia was occupied.

• The Treaty of Utrecht established the settlement of the War of the Spanish Succession after the Austrian emperor's death enabled Archduke Charles to inherit the imperial crown.

📌 Philip V had to renounce any union of the crowns of Spain and France.

Further detail

• The territorial concessions were:

  • Gibraltar, Menorca and Newfoundland for Great Britain
  • Milan, Naples, Sardinia, Flanders and Luxembourg for Austria
  • Sicily for the Duchy of Savoy

• Great Britain obtained commercial advantages through access to the Spanish colonial trade, including the slave trade.

• The war caused deaths in combat, the exile of supporters of Archduke Charles and a new European balance favourable to Great Britain.

💡 Memory Hook

War → Bourbon victory → Utrecht settlement → British advantage

📖 3. Catalonia Joins the Austrian Cause

★ Must-know

• At first, Philip V promised to respect Catalonia's constitutional arrangements.

• Catalonia supported Archduke Charles because of anti-French feeling, French economic competition, opposition to centralism and uniformity, and conflicts over taxes and compulsory billeting of troops.

Further detail

• The Pact of Genoa promised the landing of Charles in Barcelona and helped secure Catalan support for his cause.

• The Catalan institutions and the Junta of the Three Estates of Barcelona rejected Philip V's attempt to impose his settlement while preserving the Catalan constitutional order.

💡 Memory Hook

Centralism, anti-French feeling and economic rivalry → Catalan support for Charles

📖 4. Fall and Repression of Catalonia

★ Must-know

• On 11 September 1714, Philip V's forces surrounded Barcelona and Catalonia was finally subdued after the city's resistance.

• The repression of resistance supporters included:

  • loss of offices
  • loss of property
  • imprisonment
  • execution

• The Bourbon conquest led to the Decrees of Nueva Planta, which reorganised Catalonia under the new political order.

Further detail

• A military citadel was constructed in Barcelona after the conquest of Catalonia.

💡 Memory Hook

Siege of Barcelona → 11 September 1714 → military occupation → Nueva Planta decrees

📊 Synthesis Tables

Competing Sides in the Succession War

Side	Claimant	Main support
Bourbon	Philip V	France
Austrian coalition	Archduke Charles	England, Holland, Portugal, Savoy and the Austrian Empire