The war of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) involved all of
the major European powers of the time and ultimately, their
colonies.1
Following the death of the Spanish king, Charles II, who was
childless, it was found that he had stipulated in his will that
his throne should go to the grandson of the Louis XIV, giving
the French control of much of coastal Europe as well as to the
Spanish-American colonies. Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor
contested this, claiming that his son had just as much right to
the throne; England, Portugal, Italy, and Holland sided with the
German states. Also known by the British as Queen Anne’s War,
the conflict that ensued lasted 11 years, eventually resulting
in French defeat.
In North America, the Acadian and New England colonies raided
each other with deadly consequences. The French attacked and
destroyed Bonavista in the British Colony of Newfoundland. The
British gained control of Port Royal and were on their way to
Quebec when their fleet was wrecked in a storm in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence. During the conflict, the French army in the colony
of New France had made considerable headway and were controlling
Hudson Bay, wresting it from the British (and the Hudson’s Bay
Company). Despite their North American success, when the war
ended in Europe and the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, the French
were forced to give up Acadia, Newfoundland, and the entire
Hudson Bay basin, keeping only the colony of New France.
Although the French kept Louisiana, it was not a profitable
colony.
The Treaty of Utrecht is considered to signal the end of
French expansion in North America and the rise of the British
Empire.
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