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The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria (then a state of the Holy Roman Empire), and the Dutch Republic. Savoy later joined the coalition as the fifth ally. Although fighting began as early as 1717, war was not formally declared until December 1718. It was brought to an end by the Treaty of The Hague in 1720. == Causes == Charles II of Spain died in 1700 leaving no heirs to succeed him. By his will, he named Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV of France, as his successor. This led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), at the end of which Philip, Duke of Anjou, was recognized as King Philip V of Spain, but on the condition that he be removed from the French line of succession, thereby ensuring that the French and Spanish crowns would never be united. By the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Spain lost all its possessions in Italy and the Low Countries. The Spanish Netherlands, Duchy of Milan, Naples and Sardinia were given to Emperor Charles VI, emperor of the Habsburg-ruled Austria, while Sicily was awarded to the Duke of Savoy and Prussia received the Spanish Gueldres.〔Rhea Marsh Smith, ''Spain: A Modern History'' (University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, 1965) p. 235.〕 These lands had been under Spanish Habsburg control for nearly two centuries, and their loss was perceived as a great blow to the country in both practical and prestige terms. However, the first priority for Spain was the restoration of the country after 13 years of war, which had in part been fought on Spanish territory. The main architect of this operation was Giulio Alberoni. Alberoni was an Italian cardinal and steward of the archbishop of Plasencia.〔Rhea Marsh Smith, ''Spain: A Modern History'', p. 236.〕 In 1714, Alberoni had arranged the marriage of the widowed Philip V to the 21-year-old Italian Elisabeth Farnese. In the process, Alberoni became the personal adviser of the new queen.〔Rhea Marsh Smith, ''Spain: A Modern History'', p. 237.〕 In 1715, Alberoni became prime minister, stabilized the Spanish economy and reformed finances. He also initiated the rebuilding of the Spanish fleet (with 50 ships of the line built in 1718 alone) and reformed the army. In 1717, Alberoni became a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. The Queen, who had several dynastic claims to advance in Italy, stimulated the Italian ambitions of her husband and their sons, supported by Alberoni. In France, Louis XIV died in 1715 leaving only one infant great-grandchild, Louis XV, as his successor, while Philip V, the only surviving grandchild of Louis XIV, and his sons were excluded from succession to the crown of France by the Treaty of Utrecht. Philip V nevertheless claimed the French throne, in the event of the death of the infant Louis. Opposition to Philip's ambitions led France (where Louis XIV's nephew, the Duke of Orléans, served as regent), Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic, to join together in the Triple Alliance on 4 January 1717. Britain, in particular, had become very concerned by Spanish ambitions in the Mediterranean Sea〔Simms p.135〕 and Russian expansion in the Baltic and dispatched fleets to both as a preventative measure. The French navy was badly weakened from the recent war, and could not offer much support. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「War of the Quadruple Alliance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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