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I am a heritage because I
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brln you years of tboupbt
and the lore of time *-
I Impart yet I can pot 5peak^
I have traveled among tbe
peoples of tbe eartb ^ I
am a rover- 5 - Oft-tlrpes
I stre^ fron? tbe /ireslde.
of tbe oi?s ubo loves and
cberlsbeo !e-ubo
n?e a" ben I an?
me va^rai?t please send
brotbers^on tbe
sbelves of
#$O#%$&' O(
"). .
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&he )O$+, of O&I$%
%I&IO0 % #1I(I1&IO0
imited to one thousand sets
for merica and 2reat 3ritain.
43et!een t!o servants of umanity6 !ho appeared
eighteen hundred years apart6 there is a mysterious relation.
* * et us say it !ith a sentiment of
profound respect7 8%,9, )%#&7 O&I$% ,:I%.
Of that divine tear and of that human smile is composed the
s!eetness of the present civili;ation.4
I1&O$ 92O.
::% 9 3$$'
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(O$&'-&$%% O9:%,
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8/20/2019 Voltaire XXXIII
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I,&O$' O( &% )$ O( DE
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1O0&%0&,
1#&%$ #2%
I. ,&&% O( %9$O#% #$IO$ &O &% )$ 5
II. %& O( 1$%, I. ... FD
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. %9$O#% 9$I02 &% )$ ... @E
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III. &% #$I01% O( 1O0&I (O$1%, &%
#,,2% O( &% #, . . B
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I>. ouis >. I1&O$IO9, I0 (0%$, . BD
>. &% #$I01% O( 1O0&I )I0, I0 I&' E
>I. &% ,I%2% O( ($%I39$2 . . . @E
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#2%
::% u3$$' . . . (rontispiece
:$I &%$%, ...... DA
ouis > H
8O0 ,O3I%,+I FA
I,&O$' O( &% )$ O( DE.
^ 1#&%$ I.
&% ,&&% O( ((I$, I0 %9$O#%6 0 3$I%(
$%I%) O( :&&%$, #$IO$ &O &% )$ O( DE.
I % al!ays looked upon the 1hristian po!ers
of %urope as one great republic6 all !hose parts
correspond !ith one another6 even !hen they aim at
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their mutual destruction. 1ertain customs6 !hich
!e call the la!s of !ar6 la!s unkno!n to other
nations6 have been established by general consent.
&he precedence of almost all princes has been set-
tled" the 1atholics have t!o cities in common"
one of these is :alta6 the centre of a perpetual !ar
!aged against the enemies of the 1hristian name"
the other is $ome6 !hich in more respects than one
is the capital of all the 1atholic nations6 each of
!hich has a right to name one of the sovereignGs
principal ministers " and their ecclesiastical6 and
even temporal causes are tried by the tribunal of
the $ota6 the udges composing !hich are taken
from each nation. &he sovereigns6 in all the 1atholic
frontiers6 have some territories that are under the
urisdiction of a foreign bishop. 0othing is more
common than to see the prerogatives6 honors6 and
5
B &he )ar of DE.
orders of knighthood of one country conferred upon
the natives of another. :ost princes have territo-
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ries lying in the middle of other states" as for
eCample6 the pope is possessed of vignon in (rance6
and of 3enevento in the kingdom of 0aples" the
enetians have dominions in the heart of the
:ilanese. &here is scarcely a prince in 2ermany
but has some dominions enclosed by the territory of
another sovereign.
&he old $oman la! is in full force in all these
countries7 they have all one and the same learned
language" and every court speaks the same living
tongue the (rench6 !hich is used in every court of
%urope but our o!n. &hese connections have been
further strengthened by commerce. &he merchants
carry on so close a correspondence6 even in time of
!ar6 that at the very time in !hich the %nglish !ere
arming to ruin the ,paniards6 they !ere deeply
interested in the trade of that nation " so that !hen
their privateers sei;ed upon an enemyGs ship6 they
!ere absolutely plundering their o!n countrymen.
In eJect6 the !ars !aged against each other by
1hristian princes have in them so much of the nature
of civil !ars6 that in the year DA6 ictor6 duke of
,avoy6 !as in arms against his t!o sons-in-la! 7 the
prince of audemont commanded the ,paniards in
the :ilanese6 and !as nearly made prisoner by his
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o!n son6 !ho had follo!ed the fortune of the house
of ustria.
In the year D6 !hen the duke of Orleans6 re-
&he )ar of DE. D
gent of (rance6 carried on a !ar against his cousin6
#hilip . of ,pain6 the duke of iria served against
his father6 the duke of 3er!ick. In the !ar6 the
history of !hich I no! !rite6 the kings of (rance6
,pain6 and #oland6 and the elector of 3avaria !ere
the nearest akin to the Kueen of ungary6 !hom
they attacked " and upon that very tie of relationship
the last of these princes set up a claim to plunder
her. )e have seen6 in the course of this !ar6 (ran-
cis6 great duke of &uscany6 and no! emperor of
2ermany6 keep an envoy at #aris6 !hose children
served against him " and !e have seen all the sons
of the &uscan prime minister in our service. )e had
a thousand eCamples of this kind before our eyes6
and yet they did not surprise us.
ll the sovereigns of the diJerent states of this
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part of the !orld are allied either by blood or by
treaty" and yet they scarcely conclude a marriage
or a treaty that is not the cause of some future dis-
agreement.
1ommerce6 !hereby they are necessarily linked6
is almost al!ays the occasion of their dissenting.
&he t!o subects on !hich to ground a !ar are
every!here else unkno!n " no!here but in %urope
is a !ife kno!n to bring to her husband a !ar for
her do!er6 by setting up a right to some distant
province. 0o act of confraternity is kno!n among
princes " nor a reversion from one family to another
no !ay related to it" nor yet small Lefs paying
homage at the same time to several great princes6
&he )ar of DE.
!ho are disputing about the homage and Lef itself
among one another6 as happens so often in 2ermany
and Italy. ence it is that sia is almost al!ays in
a paciLc state6 if !e eCcept the invasions of con-
Kuerors6 !ho are in that part of the !orld yet more
cruel than in %urope6 and the unavoidable Kuarrels6
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more especially among the &urks and #ersians6
about frontiers.
&hose !ho accurately and nicely eCamine into
the capital events of this !orld !ill easily remark
that6 since the year BAA6 there have been forty con-
siderable !ars in %urope6 and but one of any conse-
Kuence in 2reat &artary6 1hina6 and the Indies6
countries of immense eCtent6 better peopled6 and
much richer. In a !ord6 there has been no !ar on
account of trade in sia6 frica6 or merica6 but
has been kindled by the %uropeans.
&he marriage of :aCimilian I.6 after!ards em-
peror of 2ermany6 !ith :ary of 3urgundy6 had
been for three ages the occasion of a perpetual dif-
ference bet!een (rance and ustria. &he merican
and siatic trade !as after!ards fresh ground for
discord in %urope. &he system of the balance of
po!er in %urope6 !hich is at present the cause and
preteCt of so many leagues and !ars6 Lrst made
its appearance during the disputes bet!een 1harles
. and (rancis I.
enry III.6 king of %ngland6 !ho6 seeing him-
self bet!een t!o potent rivals6 labored to prevent
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each from acKuiring a superiority6 took for his
&he )ar of DE. @
device an archer6 !ith his bo! bent6 and this motto 7
4 )hom I defend shall be my master " 4 but if enry
held the balance6 it !as !ith an unsteady hand.
enry I. of (rance6 oppressed by the house of
ustria6 !as constantly aided by =ueen %li;abeth6
and the states of olland o!ed their liberty to the
protection of these t!o princes. ,o long as these
three po!ers dreaded the superiority of the house
of ustria6 %ngland and olland continued to be
constant allies of (rance. If this union !as no! and
then !eakened6 it !as never totally destroyed6 their
real interests being so very apparent.
&he #rotestant states of 2ermany !ere also the
natural friends of (rance6 for ever since the time of
1harles . they had reason to fear that the house
of ustria might make a patrimony of the empire6
and conseKuently oppress them. &he ,!edes !ere
invited into 2ermany by them6 by (rance6 nay6 even
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by $ome itself6 !hich stood in a!e of the imperial
authority6 al!ays disputed6 and al!ays prevailing in
Italy. bout the middle of the last century6 %ngland
and olland !ith pleasure beheld the imperial
branch of the house of ustria obliged to give up
usacia to the electors of ,aCony6 the prefecture of
lsace to (rance by the &reaty of :iinster6 and
$oussillon taken by force of arms from the ,panish
branch of that house by ouis >III.
1rom!ell the usurper did not oppose this alli-
ance" for he remained Lrm to the (rench interest6
though he had murdered the brother-in-la! of ouis
io &he )ar of DE.
>III.6 and the uncle of ouis the 2reat. %verybody
almost !ished (rance success against the ustrians6
until ouis >I. became formidable from his con-
Kuests6 !hich he o!ed to his having chosen the
greatest generals and most able ministers of his
time6 as !ell as to the !eakness of his enemies.
In BBD6 he deprived the house of ustria of one-
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half of (landers6 and of (ranche-1omte the fol-
lo!ing year. It !as no! that the utch6 becoming
of some conseKuence from their courage in !ar6 and
their industry in trade6 no longer dreaded their old
masters6 the ustrians6 and began to entertain some
fears of their ancient protectors6 the (rench. &hey
compelled ouis >I.6 by dint of their negotiations6
to accede to the &reaty of iC-la-1hapelle6 and
boasted of their success.
&his !as the Lrst occasion of that monarchGs sud-
den invasion of olland in BDH6 in !hich proect
he easily induced 1harles II.6 king of %ngland6 to
concur" !ho not only !anted money6 but had also
some grounds of complaint against olland. e
preferred the chastisement of the utch to the con-
Kuest of (landers6 !hich he might perhaps have
kept6 as he had some claims on that territory" but
%ngland and olland !ere soon after reunited6 and
ever since al!ays opposed the (rench interest. &he
glory and po!er of ouis >I. increased6 and so
in proportion did the number of his enemies.
&he same system of the balance of po!er so long
opposed against the ustrians !as no! turned
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&he )ar of DE. II
against the (rench. %ver since B@6 )illiam III.6
king of %ngland and stadtholder of olland6 had
been the soul of a party !hich conspired against
(rance6 ,pain6 2ermany6 %ngland6 olland6 and
,avoy" nay even #ope Innocent >I. ouis the
2reat supported himself against all these enemies.
e had6 for a long time6 nearly four hundred thou-
sand men in arms6 and up!ards of one hundred
ships of the line" of !hich6 !hen he came to the
throne6 he had only siC" and though his marine
received such a violent shock at a ogue6 in /@H6
and the India company6 !hich had been established
by the celebrated 1olbert6 !as destroyed" yet he
made a peace at $ys!ick6 neither shameful nor un-
proLtable. &he system of general eKuilibrium6 com-
posed of so many particular vie!s6 produced this
peace6 and engendered a scheme of politics unheard
of before.
&he last prince of the ustrian branch6 !ho no!
sat on the ,panish throne6 had no children6 and !as
in bad health. &he courts of ondon and &he ague
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entered into a compact !ith ouis >I.6 !hom
they did not love6 !hereby6 in conunction !ith him6
they disposed of the ,panish dominions. &hese !ere
shared among several po!ers6 and a part given to
ouis6 for fear he should have put himself in a con-
dition to sei;e the !hole. 1harles II.6 king of ,pain6
resenting such an insult upon his !eakness as that
of dividing his estate even !hile he lived6 named the
H &he )ar of DE.
son of the elector of 3avaria as his heir. &his child
!as a grandson of #hilip III.
&he choice appeared ust and prudent " the house
of ustria might murmur6 but had it not in its
po!er to avenge itself. &he dissensions !hich must
have inevitably follo!ed from the partition6 !ere
no! no longer to be feared " and the eKuilibrium of
%urope !as preserved7 but this young prince died
three months after his being declared heir to the
,panish succession.
second partition treaty !as then set on foot6
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!hereby the :ilanese !as given to the house of
orraine6 and the latter territory ceded to (rance6
part of !hich proect !e have seen carried into eCe-
cution.
&he king of ,pain6 feeling himself dra!ing near
his end6 though in the Mo!er of his age6 proposed to
leave his cro!n to the archduke 1harles6 his !ifeGs
nephe!6 second son of the emperor eopold. ,o
strongly did the system of eKuilibrium predominate6
that he did not dare to leave his dominions to the
eldest son6 being certain that the fear of seeing
,pain6 the Indies6 the empire6 ungary6 3ohemia6
and ombardy united under one prince !ould raise
the rest of %urope in arms. e reKuested the
emperor eopold to send his second son6 1harles6 to
:adrid6 at the head of ten thousand men " but this
proceeding neither (rance6 %ngland6 olland6 nor
Italy !ould have allo!ed6 being all for the parti-
tion. It happened6 in these aJairs of the utmost
&he )ar of DE. F
importance to the interest of t!o great kings6 as it
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often does on very slight occasions in private life"
they had !ords6 and came to an open rupture. &he
2erman pride could not digest the ,panish haughti-
ness " the countess of #elit;6 !ho governed the Kueen
of ,pain6 alienated6 instead of securing6 the aJec-
tions of the people6 !hom she should have attached
to her side" and they !ere still more disgusted by
the arrogance of the court of ienna.
&he young archduke commonly spoke of the
,paniards in a very disrespectful manner" and
thence !as taught6 that princes should be very cau-
tious ho! they eCpressed themselves. is speeches
!ere transmitted to :adrid6 not !ithout rancor6 by
the bishop of erida6 ambassador from ,pain to the
court of ienna6 !ho !as disgusted !ith the 2er-
mans. e !rote invectives against the ustrian
councils much more bitter than ever the archduke
had thro!n out against the ,paniards. 4 &he dis-
position of eopoldGs ministers64 says he in one of
his letters6 4 resembles the horns of the bulls in my
country" they are little6 hard6 and crooked.4 &his
letter !as made public" the bishop !as recalled6
and6 on his return to :adrid6 increased more than
ever the aversion of the ,paniards against the 2er-
mans. :any triMing matters6 for such !ill al!ays
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intermingle themselves among the most important
aJairs6 contributed to bring about the great change
!hich happened in %urope6 and made !ay for that
E &he )ar of DE.
revolution !hereby ,pain and the Indies !as for-
ever lost to the house of ustria.
1ardinal #ortocarero6 and the rest of the ,panish
grandees6 !ho !ere most in favor at court6 united
to prevent the dismembering of the ,panish mon-
archy6 and persuaded 1harles II. to prefer a grand-
son of ouis >I. to a prince very distant from6
and incapable of defending6 them. &his disposition
!as not annulling the solemn renunciation of the
cro!n of ,pain6 !hich had been made by the mother
and !ife of ouis >I.6 because it had been made
only to prevent the t!o kingdoms from being united
under their eldest born6 !ho !as not no! selected.
&hus ustice !as done to the rights of blood6 at the
same time that the ,panish monarchy !as preserved
entire.
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&he king6 !ho !as a scrupulous man6 consulted
the best divines6 and they agreed in opinion !ith his
council. t length6 inLrm as he !as6 he !rote to
#ope Innocent >II.6 stating the case6 and asking his
advice. &he pope6 !ho imagined he sa! the liberty
of Italy established in proportion as the house of
ustria !as !eakened6 advised him in his ans!er to
give the preference to the house of (rance. &he
popeGs letter !as dated 8uly B6 DAA. e !isely
treated the kingGs case of conscience as a matter of
state6 !hile the king himself6 !ho !ith good reason
!as desirous of having ustice on his side6 treated
this very important matter of state as a case of con-
science.
&he )ar of DE. 5
ouis >I. had notice of this step " the court of
ersailles had no other share in this memorable
event " there !as not then even a (rench ambassador
at :adrid " for :arshal dGarcourt had been recalled
siC months before6 his longer continuance there
being disagreeable6 because of the partition treaty6
!hich (rance seemed ready to support by force of
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arms. ll %urope !as mistaken in supposing this
treaty dictated at the court of ersailles. &he eCpir-
ing monarch had consulted only the interest of his
kingdom and the desires of his subects. &his !ill6
!hich caused such an alteration in the aJairs of
%urope6 !as kept so secret that 1ount arrach6 the
imperial ambassador6 still Mattered himself that the
archduke !as the declared successor6 and a!aited
Kuite a !hile the issue of the council assembled
immediately after the kingGs death6 before he !as
undeceived.
&he duke dGbrantes approached him !ith open
arms" the ambassador no longer doubted of the
archdukeGs being a king6 until he heard the duke
dGbrantes6 as he embraced him6 eCpress himself
thus 7 4 I come from taking leave of the house of
ustria.4
&hus6 after t!o hundred years spent in !ar and
negotiations about some frontiers of the ,panish
dominions6 (rance sa! herself6 by a stroke of a pen6
put into possession of the !hole monarchy6 !ithout
treaty or cabal6 nay6 !ithout so much as having
hoped for that succession. It has been in some meas-
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B &he )ar of DE.
tire the custom thus to publish here the plain truth
of a fact hitherto misrepresented by statesmen or
historians6 according as preudices or appearances
misled them. &hat !hich has in so many volumes
been set forth of the sums of money lavished by :ar-
shal dGarcourt6 and his bribing the ,panish min-
isters to come at the !ill6 must be ranked among
political lies and popular errors. &he minister then
at the head of foreign aJairs in (rance has given an
authentic attestation of this truth under his o!n
hand" but the king of ,pain6 in choosing for his
successor the grandson of a king !ho had been so
long his enemy6 had plainly employed his thoughts
on the conseKuences !hich the idea of a general
eKuilibrium must necessarily eCcite.
&he duke of nou6 grandson of ouis >I.6 had
been called to the succession of ,pain only because
there seemed to be no hope of his ever rising to the
throne of (rance " and the same !ill !hich6 in case
of the failure of princes of the blood of ouis >I.6
beKueathed the cro!n to the archduke 1harles6 after-
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!ard emperor by the name of 1harles I.6 eCpressly
stipulates that the empire and ,pain should never
be reunited under the same sovereign.
&hat branch of the house of ustria !hich sat on
the imperial throne6 seeing itself deprived of the
,panish succession6 eCcept as a substitute6 raised
almost all %urope in arms against the house of 3our-
bon. &hat very eopold !ho neither !ould nor
could send ten thousand men into ,pain to secure
&he )ar of DE. D
the throne to his son6 the archduke6 soon brought
a hundred thousand into the Leld. &he duke of
,avoy6 father-in-la! of the duke of 3urgundy and of
the king of ,pain6 shortly after!ard entered into a
confederacy against his sons-in-la!. %ngland and
olland6 !hich had declared for the archduke6 sus-
tained the chief burden of this long !ar6 until at
length that eKuilibrium !hich had been a preteCt
for so many disputes6 became itself the basis of a
peace. &he very thing happened !hich had been
foreseen by 1harles II. &he archduke6 to !hom
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the ,panish monarchy had been provisionally left6
and for !hom a bloody !ar had been kindled6
became emperor in D6 by the death of his elder
brother6 8oseph. &hat faction !hich in %ngland !as
called &ory6 and !hich opposed the )hig adminis-
tration6 made use of this opportunity to dispose
=ueen nne to lavish no more blood and treasure
of the %nglish in a cause !hereby the emperor
1harles I. must acKuire more po!er than ever had
been vested in the hands of 1harles I.6 and by a
continuance6 in !hich she also acted in direct oppo-
sition to the vie!s and real interest of %ngland6 as
!ell as the rest of %urope6 !hich had been appre-
hensive of seeing ,pain and the empire united under
the same cro!ned head. 3ut an incident from !hich
such important conseKuences could never have been
eCpected contributed more than anything else to
bring about the great !ork of peace.
One of the chief causes of the !ill of 1harles II.
ol. FFH
&he )ar of DE.
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had been the haughtiness of a 2erman lady. &he
peace of %urope !as o!ing to the insolence !ith
!hich an %nglish lady treated =ueen nne. &he
duchess of :arlborough put the Kueen into a violent
passion " so that she lost all patience6 and the &ories
turned the aJair to their o!n advantage. &he Kueen
changed her ministers and her measures. %ngland6
after being so long the bitter enemy of (rance6 !as
the Lrst to conclude a peace !ith her at 9trecht 7
and soon after!ard that very useful victory obtained
by :arshal illars6 at enain6 in the neighborhood
of andrecy6 determined the states of olland and
the emperor 1harles I. to make a general peace.
ouis >I.6 after being persecuted for ten years
by evil fortune6 after having been reduced in DA to
such distress that he !as forced to abandon the
support of his grandson6 and having had the morti-
Lcation to Lnd himself not attended to6 unless he
oined !ith the allies against his o!n blood6 had
yet at length the satisfaction to see his grandson
Lrmly settled upon the throne of ,pain.
3ut there !as a necessity for dividing this mon-
archy6 !hich had been given to #hilip . only in
hope that it might not be dismembered. 3y the
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treaties of $astatt and 3aden6 made in DE6 the
emperor !as to keep all the ustrian 0etherlands6
!ith the duchy of :ilan and kingdom of 0aples6
in spite of that ancient la! !hich provides that this
kingdom shall never be held !ith the empire. 1harles
. had submitted to this la! in receiving the investi-
&he )ar of DE. @
ture of 0aples from the pope6 before he had assumed
the imperial cro!n. 3ut this po!erful vassal of the
pope found not much diNculty in obtaining a release
from his oath" and 1harles I.6 after!ard eCperi-
enced as much civility from the court of $ome as
1harles . had done.
,icily6 another branch !hich had been lopped from
the ,panish monarchy6 !as then beKueathed to the
duke of ,avoy6 !ho had after!ard ,ardinia in
eCchange for it. t length :inorca and 2ibraltar6
having been taken by the %nglish6 remained to that
nation. 3y this peace the king of #russia !as put in
possession of the 9pper 2uelderland. &he utch
acKuired for their barrier 0amur6 &ournay6 :enin6
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(urnes6 )arneton6 'pres6 endermonde6 etc. &he
emperor6 besides ceding to them the defence of these
places6 paid them annually t!o million Lve hundred
thousand livres " a convention scarcely to be par-
alleled in history6 that a sovereign should give up
his strong to!ns and his money to his allies6 instead
of garrisoning the places !ith his troops.
&he elector of 3avaria6 father of him !ho !as
after!ard emperor under the name of 1harles II. 6
and his brother6 the elector of 1ologne6 !ere rein-
stated in their principalities and rights6 !hich they
had lost by siding !ith (rance6 and being unfor-
tunate. &he emperor 8oseph had6 of his o!n author-
ity6 and independent of the consent of the three col-
leges6 put them under the ban of the empire. &hus
vast advantages !ere acKuired by all the potentates.
ao &he )ar of DE.
&he principal one6 and yet it !as not suNciently
respected6 !as the preservation of mankind. hun-
dred thousand men at least must have been annually
sacriLced in the course of a !ar !herein siC hundred
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thousand men !ere constantly in arms on both sides
in Italy6 ,pain6 2ermany6 and (landers. It is an
undoubted truth that in ten yearsG time the southern
parts of %urope had lost above one million men in
the Mo!er of their age.
&he t!enty years !hich follo!ed the #eace of
9trecht enabled each nation to repair its losses" a
happy series of years6 the felicity of !hich met !ith
very slight interruption. %ngland increased her
trade by the cession made to her by (rance6 of
0e!foundland and cadia6 also by the ssiento con-
tract6 !hich put her in possession of the negro trade
in ,panish merica6 and6 in Lne6 by the liberty !hich
she eCtorted from ,pain of annually sending a ship
to #orto 3ello6 !hereby she carried on an immense
contraband trade.
(rance had above eighteen hundred merchant
ships employed in DEA" !hereas at the time of the
&reaty of 9trecht6 she had not more than three hun-
dred. er trade and manufactures Mourished.
ne! %ast India company arose out of the ruins of
a system of Lnances !hich in D@ had impoverished
one part of the nation and enriched the other " and
in DH5 it advanced to the government ten millions
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of livres6 and !as possessed of thirty-nine millions in
ships6 storehouses6 and merchantable goods. &his
&he )ar of DE. H
company rebuilt and enlarged the to!n of #ondi-
cherry6 !hich is at present inhabited by a hundred
thousand people6 regularly fortiLed6 and defended
by four hundred and Lfty pieces of canon. &hey
caused the harbor of #ort GOrient in 3rittany to
be cleansed6 and raised the place from a small village
to a trading to!n. &hey !ere possessed of siCty
ships6 from four hundred to eight hundred tons. In
Lne6 during the space of t!enty-eight years they had
been establishing a nursery for seamen6 and a source
of continual abundance " for !hile all the stock pro-
prietors received a considerable interest from the
cultivation of tobacco6 all the proLts of the company
!ere eCpended in making ne! establishments. &hey
could be charged !ith nothing but superMuous
eCpenses6 !hich are strong proofs of !ealth. &he
commerce of the (rench colonies alone produced a
circulation of one hundred millions6 and enriched
the common!ealth by the commodities transported
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from one hemisphere to the other. ,ince the year
DH6 some of these colonies have increased double.
lmost every to!n in (rance !as embellished6
and the !hole kingdom !as apparently more popu-
lous6 having6 during this long era6 received no dis-
turbance from foreign !ars. &he falling out bet!een
the duke of Orleans6 then regent6 and ,pain6 in
D6 !as of but short duration6 nor !as it attended
!ith unfortunate conseKuences. It !as not a Kuar-
rel bet!een nation and nation6 but bet!een t!o
princes " in #aris it !as hardly noticed " the people
HH &he )ar of DE.
there attended to nothing but the great game of
stocks6 !hich made and undid so many great for-
tunes.
&he vie!s of ,pain !ere to recover the provinces
!hich had been rent from her formerly" and this
!as not a time for her to make the attempt. It !as
in vain that her troops made a descent upon the
island of ,ardinia6 !hich then belonged to the
emperor6 and after!ard upon ,icily6 of !hich the
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duke of ,avoy had been put in possession by the
#eace of 9trecht. ll the fruit of these armaments
!as that the emperor 1harles I.6 assisted by an
%nglish sKuadron6 and aided even by the regent of
(rance6 sei;ed upon ,icily for himself6 though by the
#eace of 9trecht it had been ceded to the house of
,avoy6 the princes of !hich6 after having been four
years kings of ,icily6 became kings of ,ardinia6
!hich they still hold.
0ever at any time !ere so many negotiations on
foot as no! " never so many treaties " nor so many
ealousies. &he interest of each nation seemed to
change !ith that of individuals. &he %nglish gov-
ernment6 !hich had been closely united !ith that
ministry !hich during the reign of ouis >I. had
done everything to LC #hilip . upon the throne of
,pain6 no! changed sides 7 matters !ent so far from
follo!ing their natural channel that the court of
:adrid Mung herself into the arms of her rival and
enemy6 the court of ienna6 !ho had so long con*
&he )ar of DE. HF
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tested !ith her the sovereignty of 0aples and lately
deprived her of the island of ,icily.
In short6 this very emperor 1harles I.6 !hose
Lrm intention !as al!ays to prevent the ne! house
of ,pain from having any footing in Italy6 !as so
far prevailed upon6 though of a diJerent inclination6
as to consent that a son of #hilip . and of his sec-
ond !ife6 %li;abeth of #arma6 should be introduced6
!ith siC thousand ,paniards6 into the duchies of
#arma and #lacentia6 though the succession !as not
as yet open" he also gave the eventual investiture
of it6 as !ell as that of the great dukedom of &us-
cany6 by a solemn treaty6 !hich had been long upon
the carpet6 in DH56 to on 1arlos " and he received
t!o hundred thousand ,panish pistoles6 by !ay of
purchase for an engagement !hich !as one day to
cost him so dear. ll the proceedings of this agree-
ment !ere surprising 7 t!o rival houses !ere united
!ithout any conLdence in each other. &he %nglish6
after having done all in their po!er to dethrone
#hilip . and dispossessed him of 2ibraltar and
:inorca6 !hich in spite of ,pain they still keep6 !ere
the mediators of this peace. It !as signed by $ip-
erda6 a utchman6 !ho !as then all-po!erful in
,pain6 and !ho !as disgraced after having signed it.
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)hile the ,panish branch of the house of 3our-
bon thus increased her dominions by a transient
union !ith her enemy6 she had a misunderstanding
!ith the (rench branch6 in spite of the ties of blood
and inte^tst !hereby they should sooner or later
HE &he )ar of DE.
have been reunited. It !as thus the t!o branches of
the house of ustria had been formerly divided.
(rance6 having at that time oined !ith %ngland6
had no real allies " but in the year DHD things began
to move in their natural channel. &he (rench min-
istry strengthened the bonds of friendship subsist-
ing bet!een the t!o houses of (rance" and that
ministry appearing altogether eKuitable and disin-
terested6 became insensibly the mediators of %urope.
!ar broke out bet!een %ngland and ,pain6
occasioned by a commercial dispute. &he ,paniards
laid siege to 2ibraltar6 before !hich to!n they
!asted their time and their forces6 for the %nglish
had rendered it impregnable. (rance !as the me-
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diatriC" she saved the honor of the ,paniards by
prevailing on them to raise the siege6 and reconciling
the disputing parties by treaty.
&he emperor !ould have eluded the promise he
had made of ceding &uscany6 #arma6 and #lacentia
to on 1arlos. &he (rench ministry engaged him
to keep his !ord 7 they also artfully prevailed upon
the %nglish6 though avo!ed enemies to the grandeur
of the house of 3ourbon6 to transport siC thousand
,paniards into Italy6 thereby to secure to on 1arlos
his ne! territory" and6 in Lne6 that prince !as
shortly after conveyed thither6 together !ith his
troops6 by an %nglish Meet. In DF he !as ackno!l-
edged sovereign of #arma6 and heir to the dukedom
of &uscany. &he great duke of (lorence6 the last
of the :edici family6 accepted an heir6 !hich had
&he )ar of DE. H5
been given him !ithout his having been once con-
sulted.
,ome time before6 the (rench ministry had deter-
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mined the emperor in his resolution of suppressing
the %ast India 1ompany6 !hich had been established
at Ostend. It !as the interest of all trading nations6
!hereof (rance !as not then the least considerable.
,he enoyed the serene glory of making up all dif-
ferences bet!een her neighbors6 !hen the death of
ugustus II.6 king of #oland6 gave a total change to
the aJairs of %urope. 1ardinal (leury6 then nearly
fourscore years of age6 made it his !hole study to
preserve this happy peace to (rance6 and to all
%urope. is turn of mind6 his character6 his time of
life6 and his glory6 !hich !as founded in modera-
tion6 all rendered him averse to !ar. )alpole6 the
prime minister of %ngland6 !as eCactly of the same
!ay of thinking7 ,pain !as possessed of all she
had reKuired. &he 0orth !as in profound peace6
!hen the death of ugustus II.6 king of #oland6
replunged %urope into that series of misfortunes
from !hich she is rarely eCempt for ten years
together.
+ing ,tanislaus6 father-in-la! of ouis >.6
already nominated to the cro!n of #oland in DAE6
had been chosen in the most legal and solemn man-
ner " but the emperor 1harles I. obliged the states
to proceed to another election6 !hich !as supported
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by the Imperial and $ussian arms. &he son of the
late king of #oland6 elector of ,aCony6 and nephe!
HB &he )ar of DE.
of 1harles I.6 carried it from his competitor. &hus
the house of ustria6 !hich had found itself unable
to keep ,pain and the )est Indies6 !as yet suN-
ciently strong to !rest #oland from the father-
in-la! of ouis >. (rance sa! the same acci-
dent repeated !hich had happened to #rince
rmand de 1onti6 !ho though solemnly elected6 yet
being !ithout money and troops6 and little better
recommended than supported6 lost that kingdom6 to
!hich he had been called by the voice of the people.
+ing ,tanislaus !ent to ant;ic to support his elec-
tion" but the maority by !hom he had been chosen
soon allo!ed themselves to be borne do!n by the
minority that !ere against him. &his country6 !here
the people are enslaved " !here the nobility sell their
votes " !here there is never money enough in the
public treasury to maintain an army " !here the la!s
are !ithout vigor" !here their liberty is only pro-
ductive of divisions " this same country6 I say6 boasts
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incline to ha;ard any large number of troops in his
defence. e therefore Ltted out a sKuadron6 on
board of !hich !ere embarked Lfteen hundred men
commanded by a brigadier. &his oNcer did not look
upon his commission in a serious light" so that6
udging6 as he approached ant;ic6 that he should
only sacriLce his little army6 !ithout reaping any
advantage6 he retired into enmark.
1ount de #lelo6 ambassador from (rance to the
king of enmark6 beheld !ith indignation a retreat
!hich seemed so mortifying to the nation. e !as
a young man6 !ell versed in polite learning and
philosophy6 inspired !ith sentiments of a heroic
nature6 and deserving of a better fate. e resolved
to succor ant;ic !ith this small force against a
po!erful army6 or to die in the attempt. 3efore he
embarked6 he !rote a letter to 1ount de :aurepas6
the minister of state6 !hich concluded thus 7 4I am
certain I shall never return" to you I recommend
my !ife and children.4 e arrived before ant;ic6
landed his men6 and attacked the $ussian army. e
H &he )ar of DE.
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fell in the Leld6 as he had predicted6 covered !ith
!ounds " and those of his follo!ers that !ere not
killed !ere made prisoners of !ar. is letter6 !hich
!as very aJecting6 and the account of his death6
reached #aris together. It dre! tears from the eyes
of the !hole council 7 he !as unanimously admired
and lamented. I remember6 some time after6 !hen
his !ido! appeared !ith her children in the public
!alks6 the multitude gathered round !ith acclama-
tions of tenderness6 fully eCpressive of the venera-
tion in !hich they held his memory.
ant;ic !as taken 7 the ambassador from (rance
and #oland6 !ho !as then in the place6 !as made
prisoner of !ar6 !ithout any respect being paid to
the privileges of his character. +ing ,tanislaus
escaped6 but not !ithout inLnite danger6 and by
means of more disguises than one" after having
seen a price set by the :uscovite general upon his
head6 in a free country6 of !hich he !as a native6
and in the heart of a nation to the rule of !hich he
had been every !ay legally elected.
&he (rench ministry had totally lost that reputa-
tion so necessary to the support of grandeur6 had
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they not avenged such an insult" but that insult
!ould have been ill-timed6 if not advantageous.
&heir distance from each other prevented the :us-
covites from feeling the indignation of (rance " and
policy directed it should be turned against the
emperor6 !hich !as eJectually done in 2ermany and
Italy.
&he )ar of DE. H@
(rance entered into alliance !ith ,pain and ,ar-
dinia. &hese three po!ers had diJerent interests6
but all united in the one point of !eakening the
house of ustria. &he dukes of ,avoy had been
a long time increasing their dominions by slo!
degrees " sometimes by hiring troops to the emper-
ors6 and sometimes by declaring against them. +ing
1harles %manuel had his eye upon the :ilanese6 and
it had been promised him by the ministries of er-
sailles and of :adrid. #hilip . of ,pain6 or6 more
properly speaking6 his spouse6 %li;abeth of #arma6
had hoped for some better establishment for her
children than #arma and #lacentia. &he king of
(rance had no advantage in vie! but his o!n glory6
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the humbling of his enemies6 and the triumph of his
allies. 0obody then foresa! that orraine !ould
be the fruit of this !ar. )e are almost al!ays
guided by events6 !hereef !e seldom have the direc-
tion. 0ever !as any negotiation brought to so
Kuick a conclusion as that !hich united these three
monarchs. %ngland and olland6 !hich had been
generally accustomed to side !ith ustria against
(rance6 forsook her upon this occasion. &his !as
the eJect of that character for eKuity and modera-
tion !hich the court of (rance had acKuired. It
!as o!ing to the notion conceived by her natural
enemies6 that her vie!s !ere purely paciLc and free
from all ambitious vie!s6 that they kept Kuiet6 even
!hile she !as at !ar. 0othing could have done
more honor to 1ardinal (leury than his being able to
o &he )ar of DE.
persuade the diJerent po!ers that (rance might
!age !ar against the emperor !ithout endangering
the liberties of %urope 7 therefore they looked Kuietly
upon the rapid success of the (rench arms. &hey
!ere masters of the $hine6 and conunctively !ith
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,pain and ,avoy ruled in Italy6 !here :arshal il-
lars died at the age of eighty-four6 after having taken
:ilan. is successor6 :arshal 1oigni6 obtained t!o
victories6 !hile the ,panish general6 the duke de
:ontemar6 gained a battle at 3itonto in the king-
dom of 0aples6 !hence he acKuired a ne! surname.
on 1arlos6 !ho had been ackno!ledged heir to
&uscany6 !as soon declared king of 0aples. &hus
did the emperor lose almost all Italy by having given
a king to #oland " and a son of the king of ,pain !as
in t!o campaigns secured in possession of the t!o
,icilies " kingdoms !hich had been so often taken
and retaken6 and !hich6 for t!o centuries past6 had
been al!ays claimed by the house of ustria.
&his !ar in Italy is the only one !hich !as termi-
nated !ith any solid success to the (rench since the
time of 1harlemagne. &here !as this reason for
it 7 the guardian of the lps6 no! become the most
po!erful prince in these territories6 !as on their
side7 they !ere assisted by the best troops in the
service of the cro!n of ,pain6 and their armies !ere
al!ays !ell supplied. &he emperor !as then glad
to subscribe to such terms of peace as !ere oJered
him by victorious (rance. 1ardinal (leury6 !ho
had !isdom enough to prevent %ngland and oi-
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&he )ar of DE . F
land from taking part in the !ar6 had also the sat-
isfaction of seeing it brought to a happy issue !ith-
out their interposition.
3y this peace on 1arlos !as ackno!ledged king
of 0aples and the t!o ,icilies. %urope had been
long accustomed to see kingdoms given a!ay and
eCchanged. &he inheritance of the house of :edici6
!hich had been formerly a!arded to on 1arlos6
!as no! made over to (rancis6 duke of orraine6 the
emperorGs intended son-in-la!. &he last grand duke
of &uscany asked6 upon his death-bed6 if they did not
intend him a third heir6 and !hat child it pleased the
empire and (rance to make for him. 0ot that the
grand duchy of &uscany looked upon itself as a Lef
of the empire " but the emperor regarded it as such6
as !ell as #arma and #lacentia6 !hich had been
al!ays claimed by the holy see6 to !hich the last
duke of #arma had paid homage" so much do the
rights of princes change !ith the times. 3y this
peace the duchies of #arma and #lacentia6 !hich
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!ere the birthright of on 1arlos6 son of #hilip .
and a princess of #arma6 !ere yielded as his property
to the emperor 1harles I.
&he king of ,ardinia6 duke of ,avoy6 !ho had laid
his account in having the :ilanese6 to !hich his fam-
ily6 !hich had gradually aggrandi;ed itself6 had
some old pretensions6 obtained only a small share of
it the 0ovarese6 the &ortonese6 and the Lefs of
anghes" he derived his claim to this dukedom
from a daughter of #hilip II.6 king of ,pain6 his
FH &he )ar of DE.
ancestor. (rance had also some old pretensions
descended to them from ouis >II.6 the natural heir
of the duchy. #hilip . like!ise had his claims
founded upon the enfeoJments rene!ed to four
kings of ,pain6 his predecessors " but these preten-
sions yielded to convenience and public advantage.
&he emperor kept possession of the :ilanese6 not-
!ithstanding the general la! of the Lefs of the
empire6 !hich enoins that the emperor should
al!ays grant the investiture of them6 as lord para-
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mount " other!ise he might6 in process of time6 s!al-
lo! up all the feudal dependencies of his cro!n.
3y this treaty +ing ,tanislaus renounced the king-
dom to !hich he had been t!ice elected6 and in the
possession of !hich his friends could not preserve
him. e retained the title of king" but he !anted
a more solid indemnity " an indemnity more advan-
tageous to (rance than to himself. 1ardinal (leury
seemed at that time contented !ith the duchy of
3ar6 !hich !as yielded to ,tanislaus by the duke
of orraine6 and the reversion to the cro!n of
(rance" but the then reigning duke of orraine
!as not to yield up his duchy till put in full posses-
sion of &uscany. &hus the giving up of orraine
depended upon many casualties " and very little proLt
arose from the greatest success and most favorable
conunctures. &he cardinal !as encouraged to make
his o!n use of these advantages 7 he demanded or-
raine upon the same terms !ith the duchy of 3ar6
and he obtained it" it only cost him a little ready
&he )ar of DE. FF
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money6 and a pension of four million Lve hundred
thousand livres granted to (rancis until the duchy
of &uscany should devolve to him. &hus the reunion
of orraine !ith (rance6 !hich had before been so
often tried in vain6 !as irrecoverably completed. 3y
this proceeding a #olish king !as transplanted into
orraine6 the reigning dukes of orraine !ere
removed into &uscany6 and a second son of ,pain
mounted the throne of 0aples. &he medal of &raan
thus inscribed6 4 $egna assignata64 4 kingdoms dis-
posed of64 might have been rene!ed by (rance.
&he emperor 1harles I. thought he had gained
considerably by this treaty 7 he had been laboring ever
since the year DF to engage all the states of the
empire6 and the princes6 his neighbors6 to guarantee
the indivisible possession of his hereditary dominions
to his eldest daughter6 :aria &heresa6 !ho had been
married to the duke of orraine6 grand duke of &us-
cany6 in DFB. &he emperor hoped to see his almost
eCpiring race revived in the person of his eldest
daughterGs son6 !hich son might preserve the patri-
mony of the house of ustria6 and reoin it to the
empire. )ith this vie! he had contributed to raise
the elector of ,aCony6 !ho had married one of his
nieces6 to the throne of #oland by force of arms "
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and procured the guaranty of that famous act of
succession6 entitled 4 &he 1aroline #ragmatic ,anc-
tion.4 It !as guaranteed by %ngland6 olland6
$ussia6 enmark6 and the states of the empire" he
even Mattered himself that he should obtain an eKuiv-
ol. FFF
FE &he )ar of DE.
alent to a formal acceptation from the elector of
3avaria6 !hich elector !as on that account to inter-
marry !ith his niece6 daughter of the emperor
8oseph. In short6 he thought he had secured every-
thing6 !hen he had obtained the guaranty of (rance "
although #rince %ugene6 a little before his death6
had told him he should have an army of t!o hun-
dred thousand soldiers6 and no guaranty.
e pressed the (rench ministry6 ho!ever6 to
assure6 by treaty6 the order established in the us-
trian succession" and they consented. &he elector
of 3avaria6 !ho imagined he had la!ful claims upon
the ustrian succession6 in preudice to the daugh-
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ters of 1harles I.6 also entreated the protection of
the court of (rance6 !hich !as at that time of suf-
Lcient !eight to settle all their rights. &hat min-
istry6 in DFD6 gave the emperor to understand that
by this guaranty nothing !as intended that could
inure the pretensions of the house of 3avaria " and
they reminded him6 that in DFH6 !hen he prevailed
upon the states of the empire to accede to this #rag-
matic ,anction6 he had formally declared he !ould
not preudice the rights of any person !hatever.
&hey entreated him to do ustice to the house of
3avaria6 and their remonstrances !ere for that time
made in secret. &hose sparks6 !hich !ere so soon
to cause a most dreadful combustion6 !ere no!
concealed beneath the embers.
ll the princes of 1hristendom !ere at peace6 if
!e eCcept the disputes ust kindling bet!een ,pain
&he )ar of DE. F5
and %ngland about their merican commerce. &he
court of (rance !as still looked upon as the general
arbitrator of %urope.
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&he emperor6 !ithout consulting the empire6 made
!ar upon the &urks. It !as unfortunate for him "
but the mediation of (rance saved him on the very
brink of the precipice to !hich he had been driven.
:. illeneuve6 her ambassador to the #orte6 !ent to
ungary6 and in DF@ concluded a peace !ith the
grand vi;ier6 of !hich his imperial maesty stood in
much need.
lmost at the same time (rance restored peace to
the republic of 2enoa6 menaced !ith a civil !ar 7 she
like!ise subdued and tempered the 1orsicans6 !ho
had thro!n oJ the 2enoese yoke. &he island of
1orsica6 !hich had long since assumed the title of a
kingdom6 had submitted6 about the end of the thir-
teenth century6 to the 2enoese " a richer people6 but
less !arlike. &he 1orsicans6 !ho !ere al!ays
intractable6 !ere no! in open rebellion6 under pre-
tence of their being oppressed 7 their last insurrec-
tion had continued ever since DH5. 2erman6 a
native of the county of :arck6 called &heodore de
0euhoJ6 having travelled all over %urope in search
of adventures6 chanced to be at eghorn in DFB7
he held a correspondence !ith the malcontents6 and
oJered them his service. 3eing employed by them
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for that purpose6 he embarked for &unis6 and
returned to 1orsica !ith a reinforcement of arms6
ammunition6 and money " !hereupon he !as declared
FB &he )ar of DE.
king " he !as cro!ned !ith a laurel !reath6 ackno!l-
edged by the !hole island6 and carried on the !ar.
&he 2enoese senate set a price upon his head " but
being neither able to procure his assassination6 nor
yet to reduce the 1orsicans6 implored the emperorGs
protection. s this appeared a dangerous step6
because the emperor6 looking upon himself as lord
paramount of Italy6 !ould have set himself up as
supreme udge bet!een 2enoa and the rebels6 the
senate had then recourse to (rance6 !ho sent into
that island successively 1ount de 3oissieuC6 and the
marKuis de :aillebois6 after!ard a marshal of
(rance. &heodore !as driven out of the island6 the
malcontents Kuieted6 at least for a!hile6 and all
things !ere peaceably settled.
)hile (rance !as interposing her good oNces
bet!een the 2enoese and 1orsicans6 she !as doing
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the same for ,pain and %ngland6 !ho !ere ust
embarking in a sea !ar6 much more destructive than
the claims about !hich they had Kuarrelled !ere
valuable. In DF56 (rance had employed herself in
settling the disputes bet!een ,pain and #ortugal"
none of her neighbors had any right to complain of
her " all nations looked upon her as their mediatriC
and common parent.
&he )ar of DE. FD
1#&%$ II.
1$%, I. I%,7 (O9$ #O)%$, I,#9&% (O$ &%
,911%,,IO0 &% =9%%0 O( 902$' 1+0O)-
%2% I0 %$ %$%I&$' O:I0IO0, -,I%,I
,%I
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archGs death !as occasioned by overeating himself
at an entertainment. It !as accident that brought
him to the grave6 and reduced the empire to the
brink of destruction. s the death of the king of
#oland6 ugustus II.6 had caused great disturbances6
it is evident that that of 1harles I.6 the last prince
of the house of ustria6 must have produced far
greater revolutions. In the Lrst place6 Italy eCpected
to become independent6 a condition to !hich it had
long aspired. ,everal principalities6 !hich !ere
looked upon as Lefs of the empire6 disclaimed this
subection. $ome especially6 plundered by 1harles
.6 severely treated by his successors6 oppressed and
Meeced by 8oseph6 brother of 1harles I.6 no! Mat-
tered herself !ith the hope of being delivered from
the pretensions of the 2erman emperors6 !ho6 ever
since Otho 6 have imagined themselves successors
to the rights of the ancient 1aesars " and6 indeed6 the
2erman chancery looks upon the other kingdoms of
F &he )ar of DE.
%urope as provinces severed from the empire. In
their protocol they give the title of :aesty to no
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Lrst brother of 1harles . 3y this !ill6 (erdinand6
in default of male issue6 named his eldest daughter6
the archduchess nne6 !edded to a duke of 3avaria6
heiress to his dominions. (rom her the elector
1harles !as descended " and as there !ere no male
heirs left of the house of ustria6 he claimed to
inherit in right of his fourth ancestor.
$ights of a more recent nature !ere alleged by
ugustus III.6 king of #oland and elector of ,aC-
ony " these !ere the rights of his !ife6 eldest daugh-
ter of the emperor 8oseph6 the elder brother of
1harles I. If :aria &heresa looked upon the
#ragmatic ,anction as a sacred and inviolable la!6
the archduchess6 Kueen of #oland6 had another #rag-
EO &he )ar of DE.
matic ,anction previously regulated in her favor by
the father of 8oseph and of 1harles. It had been
settled6 in DAF6 that the daughter of 8oseph should
inherit preferably to the daughter of the younger
brother6 1harles I.6 in case her t!o brothers should
die !ithout male issue. fter 1harles mounted the
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imperial throne6 he abolished this sanction" there-
fore6 after his death6 they might set aside that !hich
he had made. is brotherGs daughters had been in
his po!er6 nor did he marry them till he made them
renounce their rights 7 but a renunciation of such a
nature must be considered as compulsory6 and con-
seKuently illegal. On every side they pleaded rights
of blood6 testamentary dispositions6 family com-
pacts6 the la!s of 2ermany6 and the la! of nations.
&he king of ,pain eCtended his pretensions to the
!hole succession of the house of ustria6 deriving
his right from a !ife of #hilip II.6 daughter of the
emperor :aCimilian II.6 a princess from !hom
#hilip . !as descended by the female line. It !as
indeed an eCtraordinary revolution in the aJairs of
%urope6 to see the house of 3ourbon laying claim to
the !hole inheritance of the house of ustria. ouis
>. might have pretended to this succession by as
ust a title as any other prince6 since he !as
descended in a direct line from the eldest male
branch of the house of ustria6 by the !ife of
ouis >III. and like!ise by the !ife of ouis >I.6
but it !as his business to act rather as an arbitrator
and protector6 than as a competitor" for by that
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&he )ar of DE - E*
means he had it in his po!er to determine the fate
of this succession6 and of the imperial throne6 in
concert !ith one-half of %urope " !hereas6 had he
entered the lists as a pretender6 he !ould have had
all %urope against him. &his cause of so many
cro!ned heads !as published by public memorials
in every part of the 1hristian !orld " there !as not
a prince6 nor hardly a private person6 !ho did not
interest himself in the dispute " and nothing less !as
apprehended than a general !ar. 3ut ho! greatly
!as human policy confounded6 !hen a storm arose
from a Kuarter !here nobody eCpected it
In the beginning of this century6 the emperor
eopold6 availing himself of the right !hich the
2erman emperors had constantly attributed to them-
selves of creating kings6 erected ducal #russia into
a kingdom6 in DA6 in favor of (rederick )illiam6
elector of 3randenburg. t that time #russia !as
only a large desert" but (rederick )illiam II.6 its
second king6 pursued a plan of politics diJerent
from most of the princes of his time 7 he spent above
Lve millions of livres in clearing the lands that !ere
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incumbered !ith !ood6 in building to!ns6 and in
Llling them !ith inhabitants 7 he sent for families
from ,uabia and (ranconia 7 he brought more than
siCteen thousand men from ,al;burg6 and furnished
them !ith all necessary implements of labor. In this
manner6 by forming a ne! state6 and by eCtraordi-
nary economy6 he created6 as it !ere6 a po!er of
another kind7 he laid up constantly about siCty
EH &he )ar of DE.
thousand 2erman cro!ns6 !hich6 in a reign of
t!enty-eight years6 amounted to an immense treas-
ure 7 !hat he did not put into his coJers he spent in
raising and maintaining eighty thousand men6 !hom
he taught a ne! kind of discipline6 though he did not
employ them in the Leld 7 but his son6 (rederick III.6
made a proper use of his fatherGs preparatives 7
ererybody kne! that this young prince6 having been
in disgrace in his fatherGs reign6 had devoted all his
leisure hours to the culture of his mind6 and to
improving those eCtraordinary talents !ith !hich
he had been blessed by nature. &hose talents6 !hich
indeed !ould have highly graced a private subect6
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the public sa! and admired " but neither his political
nor military abilities !ere yet perceived" so that
the house of ustria entertained no more distrust of
him than of the late king of #russia.
e came to the cro!n three months before the suc-
cession of the house of ustria and of the empire
!as open7 he foresa! the general confusion" and6
on the emperorGs decease6 he did not lose a moment6
but marched his army directly into ,ilesia6 one of the
richest provinces !hich the daughter of 1harles I.
possessed in 2ermany. e laid claim to four duchies6
!hich his ancestors had formerly held by purchases6
or by family compacts. is predecessors had repeat-
edly and solemnly renounced all pretensions thereto6
because they !ere not in a condition to make them
good" but6 as the present king had po!er in his
hands6 he !as resolved to reclaim them.
&he )ar of DE. EF
(rance6 ,pain6 3avaria6 and ,aCony !ere all no!
busy about the election of an emperor. &he elector
of 3avaria solicited (rance to procure him at least
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a share of the ustrian succession. e pretended6
indeed6 a title to the !hole inheritance in his !rit-
ings6 but he dared not demand the !hole by his
ministers. :aria &heresa6 ho!ever6 the great duke
of &uscanyGs spouse6 immediately took possession
of all the dominions !hich had been left her by her
father6 and received the homages of the states of
ustria at ienna6 on 0ov. D6 DEA. 3ohemia6 and
the provinces of Italy presented their testimonies of
allegiance by their deputies. 3ut she particularly
gained the aJections of the ungarians by consent-
ing to take the ancient coronation oath of +ing
ndre! II.6 made in HHH6 and couched in these
terms 7 4 If I or any of my successors shall6 at any
time !hatever6 violate your privileges6 be it per-
mitted6 in virtue of this promise6 both to you and
your descendants6 to defend yourselves !ithout being
liable to be treated as rebels.4
&he greater the aversion !hich the ancestors of
the archduchess-Kueen had al!ays sho!n to the per-
formance of such engagements6 the more this pru-
dent step endeared her to the ungarians. &his
people6 !ho had so often attempted to shake oJ
the ustrian yoke6 embraced that of :aria &heresa "
and after they had been t!o hundred years engaged
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in seditions6 Kuarrels6 and civil !ars they suddenly
began to adore their sovereign. &he Kueen !as not
EE &he )ar of DE.
cro!ned till some months after6 !hich ceremony
!as performed at #resburg6 on 8une HE6 DE " yet
her authority !as not the less complete7 she had
already gained the hearts of the !hole nation by that
popular aJability !hich her ancestors had seldom
practised" and she had laid aside that ceremonious
and fastidious air !hich is apt to render princes odi-
ous6 !ithout procuring them any greater respect.
er aunt6 the archduchess6 governess of the 0ether-
lands6 never admitted anybody to eat at her table"
the niece admitted to hers all her ladies and oNcers
of distinction " the deputies of the states !ere at lib-
erty freely to address her " she never refused audi-
ence6 nor suJered anybody to depart from her dis-
contented.
er Lrst care !as to secure to the grand duke6 her
husband6 a partnership of her cro!ns6 under the
name of co-regent6 !ithout diminishing her sover-
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eignty6 or violating the #ragmatic ,anction. ,he
mentioned it to the states of ustria the very day
she received their oath6 and soon after she compassed
her design. &his princess Mattered herself in these
beginnings6 that the dignities !ith !hich she
adorned her husband !ould have smoothed his !ay
to the imperial throne " but she had no money6 and
her troops !ere greatly diminished and dispersed in
the diJerent parts of her vast dominions.
&he king of #russia proposed to her6 at Lrst6 that
she should yield o!er ,ilesia to him " and6 in that
case6 he oJered her his !hole credit6 his assistance6
&he )ar of DE. E5
his arms6 !ith Lve millions of (rench livres6 and
also to guarantee the remainder of her dominions6
and to settle the imperial cro!n upon her husband.
&he most eCperienced statesmen foresa! that6 if the
Kueen of ungary refused such oJers6 2ermany
must be thro!n into a total confusion " but the blood
of so many emperors !hich Mo!ed through the
veins of this princess6 !ould not suJer her even to
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think of dismembering her patrimony7 she !as
!eak6 but intrepid " numbers of ustrians6 !ho sa!
only the out!ard grandeur6 but not the imbecility6
of the court of ienna6 haughtily pronounced that
the elector of 3randenburg !ould be put under the
ban of the empire in siC months. %ven the ministers
of this prince !ere frightened at the sound of the
ustrian name " but the king6 !ho sa! plainly that
this po!er !as at that time no more than a name6
and that the state in !hich %urope then !as6 !ould
infallibly procure him allies6 marched his army into
,ilesia in the month of ecember DEA. &hey !anted
to put this device on his standards6 4#ro eo P
#atria" 4 but he struck out 4#ro eo4 saying that
it !as improper thus to intermiC the name of 2od
!ith the Kuarrels of men " and that his dispute !as
concerning a province6 and not concerning religion.
e ordered the $oman eagle in relief to be LCed on
the top of a gilded staJ6 and borne before his regi-
ment of guards6 a step !hich carried !ith it the
appearance of his being necessarily invincible. e
harangued his army6 endeavoring in every respect to
EB &he )ar of DE.
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resemble the ancient $omans. %ntering ,ilesia6 he
made himself master of almost the !hole province6
of !hich they had refused him a part " but nothing
as yet !as decided.
:arshal 0^euperg marched an army of about
t!enty-four thousand ustrians to the relief of the
invaded province" and the king of #russia found
himself under the necessity of coming to an engage-
ment at :ol!it;6 near the river 0eisse. &hen it !as
that the #russian infantry sho!ed !hat they !ere
able to perform 7 the kingGs cavalry6 less strong by
half than the ustrian6 !as entirely broken " the Lrst
line of his infantry !as taken in Mank" the battle
!as thought to be lost " all the kingGs baggage !as
pillaged6 and this prince6 in danger of being taken6
!as carried a!ay by the cro!d that surrounded him "
but his second line of infantry set everything again
to rights6 by that unshaken discipline to !hich they
are so !ell accustomed " by their incessant Lre6 !hich
is at least Lve times repeated in a minute6 and by
LCing their bayonets to their muskets in a moment.
&hey gained the victory and this event became the
signal of a universal combustion.
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lost all by befriending her against the house of us-
tria. fter the battle of ochstadt6 this very 1harles
lbert6 elector of 3avaria6 then in his infancy6 !as
made prisoner by the ustrians6 !ho stripped him
even of his name of 3avaria. (rance found her
account in avenging him. It seemed easy to procure
for him at one and the same time the empire and a
part of the ustrian succession. &his !as a step
by !hich the ne! house of ustria-orraine !ould
be deprived of that superiority !hich the old one
aJected to have over the other princes of %urope"
it also abolished the old rivalry subsisting bet!een
E &he )ar of DE.
the dependents of 3ourbon and ustria " nay6 it !as
doing more than ever enry I. or 1ardinal $iche-
lieu had hoped to compass.
&his revolution6 the foundation of !hich !as
not yet laid6 !as foreseen in the very beginning by
(rederick III. of #russia6 on his setting out for
,ilesia7 it is so true that he had not concerted any
measures !ith 1ardinal (leury6 that :arKuis de
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3eauveau6 !ho !as then at 3erlin6 !hither he had
been sent to compliment (rederick on his accession
in the name of (rance6 kne! not6 on the Lrst motion
of the #russian troops6 !hether they !ere destined
against (rance or ustria. +ing (rederick said to
him6 on the point of his setting out 7 4 I believe I am
going to play your game " if I thro! aces6 !e !ill
divide.4 &his !as the sole beginning of a negotia-
tion then at a distance.
&he (rench ministry hesitated for some time.
1ardinal (leury6 then in his eighty-Lfth year6 !as
fearful of staking his reputation6 his old age6 and his
country6 on the ha;ard of a ne! !ar. &he #rag-
matic ,anction6 to !hich he had acceded6 and !hich
he had authentically guaranteed6 restrained him " yet
he might have been encouraged to it by former
treaties !ith 3avaria. It is certain that this !ar6 at
!hich they after!ard so !armly inveighed6 !as
loudly demanded by #aris and ersailles. I heard
a man of great distinction say 7 4 1ardinal $ichelieu
pulled do!n the house of ustria6 and 1ardinal
(leury !ill6 if he can6 erect a ne! one.4 &hese
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&he )ar of DE. E@
!ords !ere carried to the ministerGs ears6 and piKued
him sensibly" nor did he give up the grand point
until he found it impossible longer to oppose those
!ho !ere carrying it into eCecution. bout the end
of ecember6 the cardinal gave instructions to the
count de 3elle-Isle to prepare a plan for negotiating
in the empire the means of carrying on a !ar to
LC the elector of 3avaria in the imperial throne6
and secure to him part of the ustrian succession.
&he count demanded eight days to consider it6 and
then produced his scheme6 of !hich he caused three
copies to be made out6 one of !hich !as for the car-
dinal6 another for the department of foreign aJairs6
and the third for himself.
If there could be any dependence on the designs
of men6 never did the eCecution of any proect
appear more certain. &he count6 after!ards duke de
3elle-Isle6 demanded6 that before the month of 8une
Lfty thousand (rench should have passed the $hine6
marching to!ards the anube. e insisted that in
this army there should be at least t!enty thousand
cavalry. e entered6 as !as al!ays his custom6 into
a long detail about the means of marching and sub-
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sisting these troops " and repeated in every page6 that
he !ould rather do nothing than do things by halves.
&hey had nearly siC months to prepare for a revolu-
tion6 !hich the king of #russia had already begun in
the midst of !inter. ,aCony seemed disposed to
oin !ith (rance and #russia " the king of %ngland6
elector of anover6 !as to have been compelled to a
ol. FF-E
5A &he )ar of DE.
neutrality by an army of forty thousand men in
readiness to enter his 2erman dominions on the side
of )estphalia " !hile 3elle-IsleGs army !as to have
seconded ,aCony6 #russia6 and 3avaria6 by advanc-
ing to!ard the anube. &he elector of 1ologne
also attached himself to this interest6 being that of
his brother6 the intended emperor. &he old elector
palatine6 !ho should have obtained for his heirs the
king of #russiaGs renunciation of his rights to the
duchies of 8uliers and 3ergues6 and this under the
protection of (rance6 !as more than all the rest
desirous of seeing 3avaria mount the imperial
throne. %verything united to favor his election7
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he !as to be assisted in sei;ing upon ustrian ,ua-
bia and 3ohemia" for the imperial dignity alone
!ould have been !orth but little. &his alliance !as
to oin ,pain6 in order to put on #hilip6 son of
#hilip .6 and nearly related to 4ouis >.6 in posses-
sion of #arma and the :ilanese. In a !ord6 in DE6
they !anted in a part of %urope6 as they had done
in DFB6 to make a partition of the empire. &he
same thing had been meditated by %ngland and ol-
land6 conointly !ith (rance6 some time before the
death of 1harles II.6 king of ,pain.
:arshal 3elle-Isle !as sent to the king of #rus-
siaGs camp at (rankfort6 and to resden6 to settle the
vast proects !hich6 from the concurrence of so many
princes6 seemed infallible. e in everything agreed
!ith that august monarch6 !ho6 !riting of him6
says 7 4 I never sa! an abler man6 !hether in council
&he )ar of DE . 5
or the Leld.4 e !ent from him into ,aCony6 and
gained there such an ascendency over the king of
#oland6 elector of ,aCony6 that he marched his
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troops before the signing of the treaty. &he mar-
shal negotiated every!here in 2ermany" he !as
the life and soul of that body6 !hich !as con-
certing means of besto!ing empire and hereditary
honors upon a prince !ho could do nothing of him-
self. (rance gave at one and the same time to the
elector of 3avaria money6 allies6 votes6 and armies.
e had promised t!enty-eight thousand of his o!n
troops6 yet could scarcely furnish t!elve thousand6
though assisted !ith (rench money. &he king sent
the army he had promised him " and by letters-pat-
ent created him his general6 !hom he !as about to
give as head to the empire.
&he elector of 3avaria6 thus strengthened6 easily
penetrated into ustria6 !hile :aria &heresa !as
scarcely able to oppose the king of #russia. e soon
made himself master of #assau6 an imperial city
governed by its bishop. &his place separates 9pper
ustria from 3avaria. e advanced as far as int;6
the capital of 9pper ustria6 and some of his
parties skirmished !ithin three leagues of ienna.
&he alarm spread6 and thre! that city into con-
fusion " they prepared as Kuickly as possible against
a siege" one !hole suburb6 and a palace bordering
on the fortiLcations !ere entirely destroyed" the
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anube !as covered !ith vessels laden !ith valuable
eJects6 !hich !ere removing to places of greater
5H &he )ar of DE .
security. &he elector of 3avaria even sent a sum-
mons to 1ount +hevenhuller6 governor of ienna.
%ngland and olland !ere at that time far from
holding in their hands that balance to !hich they had
so long pretended. &he states-general vie!ed in
silence :arshal :ailleboisGs army6 !hich !as then in
)estphalia " as did also the king of %ngland6 !ho
!as in some fears for the safety of his anoverian
dominions6 !here he then resided. e had raised
t!enty-Lve thousand men to succor :aria &heresa "
and at the head of this very army6 enlisted purposely
to assist6 he !as obliged to abandon her6 and sign
a treaty of neutrality. is domestics !ere furnished
!ith passports for themselves and their eKuipages
by the (rench general to carry them to ondon6
!hither the king himself returned by the !ay of
)estphalia and olland. 0ot one of the princes6
!hether !ithin the empire or !ithout6 at his time
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supported that #ragmatic ,anction6 !hich so many
of them had guaranteed. ienna6 poorly fortiLed
on that side !here it !as threatened6 could not have
held out long. &hose !ho !ere best acKuainted
!ith 2ermany6 and the state of public aJairs6 looked
upon the taking of ienna as a certainty " !hereby
the assistance !hich :aria &heresa might other-
!ise have dra!n from the ungarians !ould have
been cut oJ6 her dominions laid entirely open to the
arms of the conKueror6 all claims settled6 and peace
restored to the empire6 and to %urope.
&his princess seemed to gro! more and more cour-
&he )ar of DE. 5F
ageous in proportion as her ruin seemed to be inev-
itable. ,he had Kuitted ienna6 and thre! herself
into the arms of the ungarians6 !hom her father
and ancestors had treated !ith so much severity.
aving assembled the four orders of the state at
#resburg6 she appeared in the midst of them6 hold-
ing in her arms her eldest son6 !ho !as yet in his
cradle6 and addressing them in atin6 a language in
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!hich she eCpressed herself perfectly !ell6 spoke
nearly in these !ords 7 4 (orsaken by my friends6
persecuted by my enemies6 attacked by my nearest
relatives6 I have no resource but in your Ldelity6 your
courage6 and my o!n constancy " to your trust I sur-
render the daughter and son of your kings6 !ho from
you eCpect their safety.4 ll the palatines6 softened6
yet animated by this short speech6 dre! their sabres6
crying out at the same instant 7 4 et us die for our
king6 :aria &heresa 4 4 #ro rege nostro :aria
&heresa mariamur64 &hey al!ays give the title of
king to their Kueen " and never6 in fact6 did princess
better deserve that title. &hey shed tears in taking
the oath to defend her" her eyes alone. !ere dry7
but !hen -she !ithdre! !ith her maids of honor6
those tears !hich the greatness of her soul had hith-
erto suppressed6 burst from her in abundance. ,he
!as at that time !ith child6 and had !ritten6 not
long before6 to her mother-in-la!6 the duchess of
orraine6 these !ords6 4 I as yet kno! not !hether
I shall have a single to!n left6 !herein to be brought
to bed.4
5E &he )ar of DE.
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In this condition she eCcited the ;eal of the un-
garians " %ngland and olland roused in her behalf6
and supplied her !ith money 7 she corresponded all
through the empire" negotiated !ith the king of
,ardinia6 !hile her provinces furnished her !ith
soldiers.
&he !hole kingdom of %ngland !as !armed in
her favor7 the %nglish are not a people !ho !ait
to kno! their sovereignGs opinion before they form
theirs. free gift for that princess !as proposed
by some private persons. &he duchess of :arlbor-
ough6 relict of that duke !ho had fought for 1harles
I.6 assembled the principal ladies of ondon6 !hom
she induced to advance for this cause a hundred
thousand pounds sterling6 forty thousand of !hich
she laid do!n herself. &he Kueen of ungary had
the Lrmness to decline accepting the money thus
generously oJered6 and to !ait for such sums as
might be granted to her by the nation in parliament
assembled. It !as generally believed that the vic-
torious armies of (rance and 3avaria !ould have
advanced to the siege of ienna. It is the opinion of
the king of #russia6 that !hat the enemy fears
should al!ays be carried into eCecution. &his siege
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!as6 ho!ever6 not undertaken6 and the enemy turned
oJ to!ard 3ohemia" perhaps it !as because the
season appeared too far advanced6 or because it !as
intended to preserve a balance of po!er bet!een
the houses of 3avaria and ustria6 by leaving
&he )ar of DE. 55
ienna and ungary to the one6 and the remainder
of the 2erman possessions to the other.
&he (rench army6 commanded by the elector of
3avaria6 and strengthened !ith t!enty thousand
,aCons6 marched to!ard #rague in the month of
0ovember6 DE " and 1ount :aurice of ,aCony6
natural brother of the king of #oland6 took the place
by escalade. &his general6 !ho inherited from his
father his very eCtraordinary bodily strength6 as
!ell as all his valor and s!eetness of temper6 !as
moreover endued !ith the greatest talents for !ar.
(rom his reputation only he !as6 by the unanimous
voice of the people6 elected duke of 1ourland 7 but
$ussia6 having deprived him of the beneLt of an
election6 to !hich he !as presented by a !hole
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province6 he consoled himself in the service of
(rance6 and the social pleasures of a nation !hich
!as not6 as yet6 suNciently acKuainted !ith his
merit.
&o form a proper idea of 1ount ,aCeGs character6
!hose name !ill be handed do!n to latest posterity6
it is suNcient to observe that6 being accused to the
king of #russia at this time of engaging in those
petty disputes !hich almost al!ays divided the gen-
erals of the allied armies6 he ans!ered the charge
in these !ords6 addressed to 2eneral ,chmettau7
4 &hose !ho are acKuainted !ith me kno! that it is
more my talent to break a lance in the Leld than to
spin intrigues in a closet.4
It !as necessary that #rague should be taken in a
5B &he )ar of DE.
fe! days6 or the enterprise be abandoned. &hey
!ere in !ant of provisions" the season !as far
advanced " and the to!n6 though but poorly fortiLed6
could easily resist the Lrst attacks. 2eneral Ogilvy6
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an Irishman by birth6 commanded in the place6 !here
he had a garrison of three thousand men. &he grand
duke of &uscany marched !ith an army of thirty
thousand men to its relief6 0ovember H5. e !as
already !ithin Lve leagues of it6 !hen the same
night the .(rench and ,aCons made an assault upon
the to!n. &hey made t!o attacks on one side6 under
cover of a desperate Lre from their artillery6 !hereby
the !hole garrison !as dra!n thither. In the mean-
time 1ount ,aCe silently applied a ladder to the ram-
parts of the 0e! &o!n6 in a part very distant from
the general scene of action " and the ladder not being
long enough6 they !ere obliged to make up the deL-
ciency !ith hand-barro!s. &he Lrst man that
mounted !as :. 1hevert6 then lieutenant-colonel of
the regiment of 3eauce 7 he !as follo!ed by :ar-
shal 3roglioGs eldest son. &hey reached the ram-
parts6 and found only one sentinel at some distance "
cro!ds soon follo!ed their eCample6 and they made
themselves masters of the place. &he !hole garrison
laid do!n their arms" and Ogilvy6 !ith his three
thousand men6 surrendered prisoners of !ar. 1ount
,aCe saved the to!n from being pillaged " and !hat
!as very eCtraordinary is6 that the conKuerers and
the conKuered !ere miCed together pell-mell for
three days7 (rench6 ,aCons6 3avarians6 and 3ohe-
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imperial throne6 under the name of 1harles II. ll
the electors had put a negative upon the vote of
3ohemia in choosing an emperor6 !hile that province
remained to the Kueen of ungary6 pretending it !as
not !hat a !oman had a right to. &he elector of
3avaria6 no! master of #rague6 might have availed
himself of it" but being under no necessity of so
doing6 suJered it to lie dormant.
:arshal 3elle-Isle6 !ho had follo!ed him from
#rague to (rankfort6 appeare
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