War Declared on France by the Grand Alliance
- When
- 1702
- Where
- Diplomatic declarations by the Grand Alliance members
- Episodes
- 1
Following the 1700 succession crisis, the Grand Alliance renewed its treaty in September 1701. After William III's death in March 1702, Queen Anne and the Dutch confirmed their support. The Dutch Republic declared war on France on 8 May 1702, while Britain and the Emperor declared war on 15 May 1702.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 triggered a succession crisis between Philip of Anjou and Archduke Charles. Philip's proclamation as king on 16 November 1700 was framed as threatening the European balance of power. In September 1701, Leopold, the Dutch Republic, and Britain signed the Treaty of The Hague, renewing the Grand Alliance to secure Dutch barriers and the Protestant succession, without addressing placing Archduke Charles on the Spanish throne.
Declaration of War. After William III died in March 1702, Queen Anne confirmed support for the Treaty of the Hague. The Dutch Republic declared war on France on 8 May 1702. Britain and the Emperor declared war on 15 May 1702. The Imperial Diet formally declared Reichskrieg against France in November 1702.
People involved
- Grand Alliance · Coalition including Leopold, the Dutch Republic, and Britain
- France · Belligerent supporting Philip V of Spain
Sources
- War of the Spanish Succession Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.