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War of the Grand Alliance 1689-1697
The War of the Grand Alliance was
also called the
War of the
League of Augsburg.
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WHO FOUGHT THE
WAR OF THE GRAND ALLIANCE?
French
 Louis XIV took on
the Grand Alliance, which was England, the Netherlands, the Holy
Roman Empire, and other European powers.
Why would Louis do that?
Because ...
The Spanish throne was nearly ready for
a new occupant and it was predicable that the French
Bourbons
and the German
Habsburgs would fight over it. Louis wanted to have all his
ducks in a row when the day came.
Thus, he tried to tie as many
people as possible to his cause before the big blow.
Holy Roman emperor
Leopold I had
eyes in his head and knew what Louis was up to. Leopold counteracted
by forming the
League of Augsburg.
The date? July 9, 1686. Among others, the members of the League of
Augsburg were Bavaria, Saxony, the Palatinate, Sweden, and Spain.
In 1689, Leopold's team formed a new pact, the
Grand Alliance. New members of the
coalition were England and the Netherlands. Brandenburg, Hanover, Saxony,
Bavaria, and Spain signed up as well.
WHERE WAS THE WAR OF
THE GRAND ALLIANCE FOUGHT?
Primary battlegrounds were
the Low Countries, Italy, and Spain. But the war reached also the
Americas, India, and Africa.
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The North American part of this war is
called King William's War, or First French and Indian War.
Here is more about the
French
and Indian Wars.
Naturally, Louis XIV welcomed any event
that could distract his enemies. Therefore he supported the
Jacobite Rebellion in Ireland
against English
William III.
Here is the map for William's Campaigns
Map of Flanders and Brabant:
The Campaigns
of William III, 1690-1696
WHAT ENDED THE WAR OF
THE GRAND ALLIANCE?
The
Treaty of Rijswijk
in 1697 ended the war.
Map of the Treaties 1668-1699: The Treaty of
Rijswijk
However, the core issue of the War of the
Grand Alliance, i.e. the problem of the Spanish heir, was back on
the table a few years later and fought over once more in the
War of the Spanish
Succession.
THE BATTLES OF
THE WAR OF
THE GRAND ALLIANCE
Battle of Fleurus
July 1,
1690 - French
victory
Battle of Beachy Head
1690 - French victory
Battle of Staffarda
1690 - French victory
Battle of Mons
April 1691 - French victory
Siege of Namur
May - July
1692 - The French took the city
Naval battle of La Hougue (also
spelled Battle of La Hogue)
May 1692 -
Victory for the Grand Alliance
Here is the map of the Anglo-French naval wars 1689-1763
Map of the West European Waters:
Anglo-French Naval Wars 1689-1763
Battle of Steinkirk (also spelled
Battle of Steenkerke)
August 3, 1692 - French victory
Map of the Battle of Steinkirk -
August 3, 1692
Battle of Marsaglia
1693 - French victory
Battle of Neerwinden
July 29, 1693 - French victory
Map of the Battle of Neerwinden - July 29,
1693
Siege of Namur
1695
And here are the general maps for the
War of the Grand Alliance.
Map of Principal Seats of War in Europe
1672-1699
Map of the Netherlands and Western Germany:
The Wars of 1648-1715
More History
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