Marlborough's Wars 1701-1714

Fought between 1701 and 1714, the War of the Spanish Succession began with a dispute between King Louis XIV of France and Emperor Leopold I of Austria about who should inherit the vacant throne of Spain. Before long a ‘Grand Alliance’ of countries, including the British, Dutch and some German states had entered the war to back the Austrians and oppose the ambitions of King Louis, the ‘Sun King’. This was one of the first truly global conflicts, being fought in Spain, Italy, Germany, the Low Countries and overseas in the New World, and involved all the major European powers of the day.