The Family Pacts during the period 1733–1789 were the alliances signed by the kingdoms of Spain and France against England. They are so called because the monarchical power of both kingdoms was in the hands of the Bourbon family. There were three agreements in total that were valid for 56 years.
The first two pacts were signed during the reign of Felipe V and the third during the time of King Carlos III. The pacts were motivated by the foreign policy adopted by the kingdoms of Spain and France, aimed at recovering territories in Europe and America.
The kings of Spain, Felipe V and Isabel de Farnesio.
King Felipe V (1683–1746) wanted to recover the territories lost by Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, while France - which was also harmed by this treaty - wanted to regain its commercial hegemony in America.
To achieve these purposes, the Spanish and French monarchies in the hands of the Bourbon dynasty used their blood ties. This strategic alliance was finalized through the signing of the three treaties called Family Pacts. They began in 1733 with the signing of the first pact between Felipe V of Spain and King Louis XV of France.
Background
The advent of the Bourbon house of France to the Spanish throne aroused great misgivings in the other European kingdoms, because they considered that the alliance of France and Spain would create an imbalance of power in Europe. England then led an international coalition to put the Bourbon family alliance of France and Spain at bay.
As a precedent to the family pacts between the Spanish and the French was the Treaty of Utrech, signed in Holland on April 11, 1713. This treaty stripped Spain of the islands of Gibraltar and Menorca. Spain also had to cede territories in southern Italy.
In 1713, at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, Felipe V was recognized as king and immediately began an intense foreign policy. Its purpose was to recover the territories in Italy that the Spanish kingdom had lost with the signing of the treaty.
For this he counted on his wife, Queen Elizabeth of Farnese, because she wanted to conquer kingdoms where her children could rule. First, King Philip V tried it alone but was unsuccessful; then he devised the alliance with France.
On the other hand, France had had to cede to Great Britain large territorial extensions in what is now known as Canada; that is, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Saint Kitts, and part of the Hudson Bay.
In addition, the Treaty of Utrecht harmed the French by limiting the vast commercial advantages that France enjoyed in America. On the other hand, the previous Treaty of the Pyrenees prevented the effective union of the territories of the south of France and the north of Spain through the Pyrenees.
Origin of the pacts
The kingdoms of France and Spain reacted to the aggressive British foreign policy and sealed these family monarchical pacts to confront the English. In practice, failure to do so meant tacit recognition of British world hegemony and submitting to its rules.
King Philip V of Spain, who was the grandson of French King Louis XIV, opted for an alliance with France, despite notable differences with the French branch of the Bourbon dynasty.
Then, both branches of the dynasty agreed to the signing of these three agreements, which were recorded in history as the Family Pacts.
First family pact
The signing of this first Family Pact took place in 1733 and occurred in connection with the War of the Polish Succession.
This war, which broke out after the death of King August II, was exploited by King Philip V. Each European power wanted to influence the succession to the Polish throne, which led to various and intense diplomatic movements.
France supported Stanislaus Leczinski, who was Louis XV's father-in-law, against the aspirations of Augustus of Saxony, who had the support of Austria, Russia and Denmark. To reinforce the alliance with Felipe V of Spain, France incorporated the King of Sardinia, Carlos Manuel III.
The first pact was signed on November 7, 1733 in El Escorial, at the request of the Spanish queen Isabel de Farnesio. The queen wanted to recover southern Italy so that her children could rule because her children with Felipe V were not heirs to the throne of Spain, since none of them were first-born.
The fundamental objective of the first pact was to defend itself from any aggression from England or Austria. The pact also stipulated the military occupation of Sicily and Naples by Spain, which were in the hands of Austria. For their part, the French intervened on the Rhine and the King of Sardinia did so in the Duchy of Milan.
Spain's military operations ended with the taking of Naples and Sicily. Felipe V left his son Carlos enthroned, who later became Carlos III of Spain.
The results of this first Family Pact and the subsequent Treaty of Vienna (1738) to agree peace, only favored Spain.
The French objective of establishing Stanislaus Leczinski as king on the Polish throne was not achieved.
Second Family Pact
It is also known as the Treaty of Fontainebleau, and was signed on October 25, 1743 by Felipe V of Spain and King Louis XV of France. In this family pact the military alliance, defensive and offensive, of the kingdoms of France and Spain to fight against England was further strengthened.
The signing of this pact was motivated by the War of the Austrian Succession, after the death of Emperor Charles IV in October of that year. Carlos IV's decision to proclaim his daughter María Teresa as heir, unleashed the offensive of several European powers that saw their interests threatened.
As had happened before with the Polish throne, the European kingdoms struggled to impose a kingship favorable to their interests. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the weakness of the Austrian crown at the time.
Spain supported the pretender of Saxony, who was the father-in-law of King Carlos VII of Naples and Sicily (later Carlos III of Spain). Instead, England intervened in the war in favor of Austria, which managed to keep the Duchy of Milan.
Felipe V managed to get for his son Felipe the duchies of Tuscany, Parma and Piacenza, of which he took possession in 1748.
On the death of King Felipe V, his first-born son Fernando VI assumed a different policy with England called "active neutrality". Fernando VI was the son of the Spanish monarch with his first wife María Luisa de Saboya. The second Family Pact with France was liquidated.
Third Family Pact
This pact is also known as the Treaty of Versailles, because it was signed in the palace of the same name in France in 1761. It served to reaffirm the Bourbon family alliance against the English kingdom. After the reign of Fernando VI (1746–1749), his half brother Carlos III assumed the Spanish throne.
The pact established that any attack on one of the two powers would be taken as an aggression against the other. This pact had the purpose of defending the colonial interests of both kingdoms in America.
It was precisely this alliance that forced Spain to support France against England in the Seven Years' War.
However, the defeat of France and Spain in this conflict forced the Spanish to hand over the territory of Florida (United States) to England, as well as the colony of Sacramento (South of Brazil) and a part of Uruguay to Portugal.
Later Spain and France supported the American colonists against England in the American War of Independence. When the Peace of Versailles was signed in 1783 with England, Spain was able to recover Menorca and Florida.
Despite the military successes, the Spanish economy was greatly diminished and this weakness had serious consequences in the following decades.
References
- The Family Pacts. Retrieved May 25, 2018 from nuevatribuna.es
- First Family Pact (1733). Consulted of constitucionweb.blogspot.com
- The evolution of Spanish foreign policy in Europe during the 18th century. Consulted of historiansiglo20.org
- The 18th century: the first Bourbons. Consulted of iris.cnice.mec.es
- Family pacts. Consulted of hispanidad.info
- Biography of Pacto de Familia (1733-1761). Consulted of lahistoriaconmapas.com