Treaty of Utrecht Timeline

(April 11, 1713 – September 7, 1714)

The Treaty of Utrecht refers to a series of individual peace treaties signed in 1713 in the Dutch city of Utrecht between France, Spain, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, Savoy, and Prussia. Together with later agreements such as the Treaty of Rastatt (1714), they brought an end to the War of the Spanish Succession. The treaties recognized Philip V as King of Spain while prohibiting the union of the French and Spanish crowns, and they significantly redrew colonial boundaries, granting Britain Gibraltar, Minorca, Newfoundland, and key trading rights, establishing a new balance of power in Europe. More Less

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Long-term Consequences

Balance of power first mentioned by Charles Davenant

1701

The concept of the balance of power was first mentioned in 1701 by Charles Davenant in his Essays on the Balance of Power. The idea would later be widely publicised in Britain by Daniel Defoe and reflected in the wording of the treaties.

Image source: Charles Davenant

Daniel Defoe publicises balance of power idea

1709

Author and Tory satirist Daniel Defoe widely publicised the idea of the balance of power in Britain through his 1709 article A Review of the Affairs of France.

Image source: Daniel Defoe

Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 issued by Charles VI

1713

The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 established Habsburg succession rules, but these gains were later diminished when Charles disinherited his nieces in favour of his daughter Maria Theresa.

Image source: Pragmatic Sanction of 1713

Anne dies; Protestant succession takes effect

Aug 1714

France accepted the Protestant succession on the British throne under the treaties, ensuring a smooth transition when Queen Anne died in August 1714.

Image source: Anne, Queen of Great Britain

Austro-Dutch Barrier Treaty signed

1715

The Dutch achieved their condominium in the Austrian Netherlands through the Austro-Dutch Barrier Treaty of 1715, securing their defensive positions in the Southern Netherlands.

Image source: Barrier Treaty

Anglo-French Treaty ends French support for Stuarts

1716

Under the 1716 Anglo-French Treaty, France ended its support for the Stuart claimants to the British throne, cementing the acceptance of the Hanoverian succession agreed at Utrecht.

Britain prevents loss of Sicily and Naples

1718

Spain recovered remarkably quickly after the war; the recapture of Naples and Sicily in 1718 was prevented by British naval power, though a second Spanish attempt succeeded in 1734.

Image source: War of the Quadruple Alliance

War of the Austrian Succession begins

1740

Though France remained a great power, concern at its relative decline in military and economic terms compared to Britain was an underlying cause of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740.

Image source: War of the Austrian Succession

Charles of Bavaria elected Holy Roman Emperor

1742

The dispute over the Pragmatic Sanction loosened Habsburg control over the Empire; Bavaria, Hanover, Prussia and Saxony acted as independent powers, and in 1742 Charles of Bavaria became the first non-Habsburg Emperor in over 300 years.

Image source: Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor

Prelude and Negotiations

French diplomacy gains by February 1701

Feb 1701

While the final settlement at Utrecht proved far more favourable to France than the Allied offer of 1709 had been, France had gained little that had not already been achieved through diplomacy by February 1701.

Image source: Peace of Utrecht

Allied offer of 1709 rejected by France

1709

The treaty's territorial provisions did not go as far as the Whigs in Britain would have liked, considering that the French had made overtures for peace in 1706 and again in 1709 before rejecting the Allied terms.

Tories gain control of the House of Commons

1710

In the Parliament of 1710 the Tories gained control of the House of Commons, and they wished for an end to Great Britain's participation in a European war that had drained the nation's resources for years.

Louis XIV agrees to peace negotiations at Geertruidenberg

Jan 2, 1710

On 2 January 1710, King Louis XIV of France agreed to commence peace negotiations with the Allies in the city of Geertruidenberg in the Netherlands, marking an early attempt to end the War of the Spanish Succession.

British finances based on the Asiento assumption

May 1711

Trevelyan noted that the finances of the country were based in May 1711 on the assumption that the Asiento, or monopoly of the slave trade with Spanish America, would be wrested from France as an integral part of the terms of peace.

Harley created Earl of Oxford and Mortimer

May 23, 1711

Robert Harley was created Earl of Oxford and Mortimer on 23 May 1711. His administration, together with Viscount Bolingbroke, proved more flexible at the bargaining table and were characterised by the Whigs as 'pro-French'.

Image source: Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

France and Britain sign preliminaries of peace in London

Oct 1711

France and Great Britain came to terms in October 1711, when the preliminaries of peace had been signed in London, paving the way for a broader congress among all belligerents.

Congress of Utrecht opens

Jan 29, 1712

The Congress of Utrecht opened on 29 January 1712, with the British representatives being John Robinson, Bishop of Bristol, and Thomas Wentworth, Lord Strafford, beginning formal negotiations to end the war.

Image source: Peace of Utrecht

Aftermath in Spain

Nueva Planta decrees abolish regional structures

1707 - 1716

The 1707, 1715 and 1716 Nueva Planta decrees abolished regional political structures in the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca and the Principality of Catalonia, although Catalonia and Aragon retained some rights until 1767.

Image source: Nueva Planta decrees

Deaths leave five-year-old Louis XV as heir

1712 - 1714

A series of deaths between 1712 and 1714 left the five-year-old Louis XV as his great-grandfather Louis XIV's heir, making the guarantees surrounding the separation of the French and Spanish crowns increasingly important.

Image source: Louis XV

Spain grants only amnesty to Habsburg supporters

1713

Under Article XIII, despite British demands to preserve Catalan constitutions and rights, Spain only agreed to grant an amnesty to Habsburg supporters, implying the imposition of Castilian laws and institutions on the Principality of Catalonia.

War of the Catalans begins

1713 - 1714

The lack of guarantees led to the prolongation of the war between the Principality of Catalonia and the Bourbon Crown, in a separate conflict known as the War of the Catalans (1713–1714).

Treaty Signing

Philip signs renunciation of French crown claims

Jul 10, 1712

One of the first questions discussed at Utrecht was the nature of the guarantees to be given by France and Spain that their crowns would be kept separate. Little progress was made until 10 July 1712, when Philip signed a renunciation.

Image source: Philip V of Spain

Truce between France and Portugal signed

Nov 7, 1712

The first treaty signed at Utrecht was the truce between France and Portugal on 7 November 1712, marking the beginning of the series of agreements concluded in the Dutch city.

Truce between France and Savoy signed

Mar 14, 1713

The truce between France and Savoy was signed on 14 March 1713, following the earlier Franco-Portuguese truce and preceding the main treaties of peace.

France signs treaties of commerce and navigation

Apr 11, 1713

On 11 April 1713, France signed treaties of commerce and navigation with Great Britain and the Dutch Republic, opening new trading relationships between the former enemies.

Main treaties of peace signed at Utrecht

Apr 11, 1713

The main treaties of peace between the belligerents of the War of the Spanish Succession were signed on 11 April 1713 at Utrecht, reshaping the balance of power in Europe.

Britain signs commercial treaty with Spain

Dec 9, 1713

Great Britain signed a like treaty of commerce and navigation with Spain on 9 December 1713, securing trade advantages including access to Spanish markets.

Treaties of Rastatt and Baden signed

1714

The successful French Rhineland campaign of 1713 finally induced Charles to sign the 1714 treaties of Rastatt and Baden, ending hostilities between Austria and France.

Image source: Treaty of Rastatt

Peace treaty between Spain and the Netherlands signed

Jun 26, 1714

Negotiations at Utrecht dragged on into the next year; the peace treaty between Spain and the Netherlands was finally signed on 26 June 1714, concluding one of the last bilateral settlements.

Peace treaty between Spain and Portugal signed

Feb 6, 1715

The peace treaty between Spain and Portugal, signed on 6 February 1715, was the final agreement of the Utrecht negotiations, which had stretched from April 1713 into early 1715.

Key Facts

The Treaty of Utrecht was actually a series of separate peace treaties signed between April 1713 and early 1715, ending the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714).
Philip V was recognized as King of Spain, but he was forced to renounce any claim to the French throne, ensuring the French and Spanish crowns would never be united.
Great Britain gained significant territories and advantages, including Gibraltar and Minorca from Spain, along with Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and Acadia from France.
Britain also secured the lucrative asiento, a contract to supply enslaved African people to Spanish colonies in the Americas for thirty years.
The treaties are considered foundational to the concept of the 'balance of power' in international relations, aiming to prevent any single state from dominating Europe.

Source

This Treaty of Utrecht timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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