4 May 1702
War of the Spanish Succession

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This begins when Louis XIV of France accepts the Spanish throne on behalf of his grandson Philip, in defiance of a treaty that says that it should go to Archduke Charles of Austria. The sides draw up: France, Spain and Bavaria on one hand, the Grand Alliance – England, Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark – on the other. John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, becomes commander of the latter and, in August 1704, crushes the Franco-Bavarian troops at Blenheim, taking Bavaria out of the war. In May 1706, after victory at Ramillies in Belgium, he drives the French out of the Spanish Netherlands.

The conduct of the war becomes the subject of British parliamentary debate, with Tories and dissident Whigs on the attack. In 1707, the mainstream Whigs win election on a slogan of 'No peace without Spain'.

The war drags on, gradually wearing out both sides. In 1711, the proposal to allow Philip to become king of Spain is leaked to the British press, causing outrage; the Tory government loses in the Lords. The situation is resolved by the sacking of Marlborough, a Whig. The treaty of Utrecht in March 1713 ends the war, with Britain obtaining Gibraltar, Minorca and Nova Scotia.

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