Louis Fights Disastrous Wars Under Louis, France was the most powerful country in Europe. In 1660, France had about 20 million people. This was four times as many as England and ten times as many as the Dutch republic. The French army was far ahead of other states armies in size, training, and weaponry. The painting below shows the Battle of Denain, one of the last battles fought during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Attempts to Expand France's Boundaries In 1667, just six years after Mazarins death, Louis invaded the Spanish Netherlands in an effort to expand Frances boundaries. Through this campaign, he gained 12 towns. Encouraged by his success, he personally led an army into the Dutch Netherlands in 1672. The Dutch saved their country by opening the dikes and flooding the countryside. This was the same tactic they had used in their revolt against Spain a century earlier. The war ended in 1678 with the Treaty of Nijmegen. France gained several towns and a region called Franche-Comte. Louis decided to fight additional wars, but his luck had run out. By the end of the 1680s, a Europeanwide alliance had formed to stop France. By banding together, weaker countries could match Frances strength. This defensive strategy was meant to achieve a balance of power, in which no single country or group of countries could dominate others.

In 1689, the Dutch prince William of Orange became the king of England. He joined the League of Augsburg, which consisted of the Austrian Hapsburg emperor, the kings of Sweden and Spain, and the leaders of several smaller European states. Together, these countries equaled Frances strength. France at this time had been weakened by a series of poor harvests. That, added to the constant warfare, brought great suffering to the French people. So, too, did new taxes, which Louis imposed to finance his wars. D, War of the Spanish Succession Tired of hardship, the French people longed for peace. What they got was another war. In 1700, the childless king of Spain, Charles II, died after promising his throne to Louis XIVs 16-year-old grandson, Philip of Anjou. The two greatest powers in Europe, enemies for so long, were now both ruled by the French Bourbons. Other countries felt threatened by this increase in the Bourbon dynastys power. In 1701, England,

Austria, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and several German and Italian states joined together to prevent the union of the French and Spanish thrones. The long struggle that followed is known as the War of the Spanish Succession . The costly war dragged on until 1714. The Treaty of Utrecht was signed in that year. Under its terms, Louiss grandson was allowed to remain king of Spain so long as the thrones of France and Spain were not united. The big winner in the war was Great Britain. From Spain, Britain took Gibraltar, a fortress that controlled the entrance to the Mediterranean. Spain also granted a British company an asiento , permission to send enslaved Africans to Spains American colonies. This increased Britains involvement in trading enslaved Africans. Absolute Monarchs in Europe 601 Debt of the Royal Family, 1643-1715 2,000 1,800 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 2 a ill it |l In addition, France gave Britain the North