Quadruple Alliance of 1718
completion from the emperor’s renunciation ; and that by the
exchange of Sicily for Sardinia, the wars which threaten Italy
may be prevented, inafmuch as the emperor might rightfully
attack Sicily, which he never yet renounced, and which fince the
infraction of the neutrality of Italy by the feizure of Sardinia, he
may rightfully recover by force of arms: befides that the king of
Sicily may become poffeffed of a certain and durable dominion
by the benefit of fo folemn a treaty with his Imperial Majefty,
and guarantied by the chief princes of Europe. Being moved
therefore by fo great reafons they have agreed that the king of
Sicily fhall reftore to his Imperial Majefty the ifland and king-
dom of Sicily with all its dependencies and appendages in the
ftate wherein they now are, immediately, or in two months at
the fartheft from the exchange of the ratifications of the prefent
treaty. And he fhall in favour of the emperor, his heirs, and fucc-
effors of both fexes, renounce all rights and pretenfions whatfo-
ever to the faid kingdom, as well for himfelf as his heirs and fuc-
ceffors, male and female ; the reverfion thereof to the crown of
Spain being entirely taken away.
II. In return his Imperial Majefty fhall yield to the king of
Sicily the ifland and kingdom of Sardinia, in the fame condition
wherein he fhall receive it from the Catholick King, and fhall
renounce all rights and interefts in the faid kingdom for himfelf,
his heirs and fucceffors of both fexes, in favour of the king of
Sicily, his heirs and fucceffors, that he may hereafter perpetually
poffefs the fame with a title of a kingdom, and all other honours
annexed to the royal dignity in the fame manner as he poffeffed
the kingdom of Sicily ; on condition neverthelefs that the rever-
fion of the faid kingdom of Sardinia fhall be referved to the
crown of Spain, whenever it may happen that the king of Sicily
fhall be without heirs male, and all the houfe of Savoy fhall
likewife be deftitute of heirs male. But in the fame manner alto-
gether as the faid reverfion was fettled and ordained for the
kingdom of Sicily by the treaties of Utrecht, and by the act of
ceffion in purfuance thereof made by the king of Spain.
III. His Imperial Majefty fhall confirm to the king of Sicily all
the ceffions made to him by the treaty figned at Turin the 8th
day of November 1703, as well of that part of the Dutchy of
Montferrat, as of the provinces, cities, towns, caftles, lands,
places, rights, and revenues of the ftate of Milan, which he now
doth poffefs, in the manner wherein he actually doth poffefs
them ; and he will ftipulate for himfelf, his defcendents, and
fucceffors, that he never will difturb him, his heirs, or fucceffors,
in the poffeffion aforefaid : on condition neverthelefs that all
other claims and pretenfions which he may poffibly make in
virtue of the faid treaty fhall be and remain void.
IV. His Imperial Majefty fhall acknowledge the right of the
king of Sicily, and his houfe to fucceed immediately to the king-
dom of Spain and of the Indies, in cafe of the failure of king
Philip V. and his pofterity, in manner as is fettled by the renun-
ciations of the Catholick King, the duke of Berry, and the duke
of Orleans, and by the treaties of Utrecht; and his Imperial
Majefty fhall promife as well for himfelf as for his fucceffors and
defcendents, that at no time he will directly or indirectly
oppofe, or any way act contrary to the fame. It is declared never-
thelefs that no prince of the houfe of Savoy who frall fucceed to
the crown of Spain, may poffefs at the fame time any Province
or dominion on the continent of Italy, and that in fuch cafe
thofe provinces fhall devolve to the collateral princes of that
houfe who fhall fucceed therein one after another according to
the proximity of blood.
V. His Imperial Majefty and the king of Sicily fhall give
mutual guaranties for all the kingdoms and provinces which
they actually poffefs in Italy,or which fhall accrue to them by
virtue of this prefent treaty.
VI. His Imperial Majefty and the king of Sicily immediately
after the exchange of the ratifications of thefe conventions fhall
put in execution all and every the conditions therein contained,
and that within the fpace of two months at the fartheft : and the
inftruments of the ratifications of the faid conventions fhall be
exchanged at London within two months from the day of fign-
ing, or fooner if poffible. And immediately after the previous
execution of the faid conditions, their minifters and plenipoten-
tiaries by them to be named fhall, in the place of congrefs they
fhall agree upon, with all fpeed feverally fettle the other points
of their particular peace, under the mediation of the three con-
tracting powers.
His abovenamed Imperial and Catholick Majefty being
extremely inclined to promote the peace propofed, and to avert
the dreadful calamities of war, and out of his fincere defire to
fettle an univerfal pacification, hath accepted the afore-men-
tioned conventions, and all and fingular the articles thereof, and
hereby doth accept the fame, and accordingly has entered into a
particular treaty with the three powers abovefaid on the follow-
ing conditions.
Art.I. That there be and remain between his facred Imperial
Catholick Majefty, his facred Royal Majefty of Great Britain, his
facred royal and moft Chriftian Majefty, and the High and
Mighty Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, and
their heirs and fucceffors, a moft ftrict alliance, in virtue
whereof each of them are bound to preferve the dominions and
fubjects of the others, as likewife to maintain peace, to promote
mutually the interefts of the others as their own, and to prevent
and repel all damages and injuries whatfoever.
II. The treaties made at Utrecht and Baden fhall remain in
their full ftrength and force, and fhall be a part of this treaty,
thofe articles excepted, from which it has been judged for the
publick good to depart ; as likewife thofe articles of the Utrecht
treaties excepted, which were abolifhed by the treaty of Baden.
The treaty of alliance made at Weftminfter the 25th day of May
1716, betwen his facred Imperial and Catholick Majefty, and his
facred Royal Majefty of Great Britain, as likewife the treaty
made at the Hague the 4th day of January 1717, between the
king of Great Britain and the moft Chriftian King, and the
States General of the United Provinces, fhall neverthelefs
remain in full force in every particular.
III. His facred Britannick Majefty, as likewife his facred moft
Chriftian Majefty, and the lords the States General of the United