Treaty of Peace and Alliance among the Holy Roman Emperor, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Spain
accommodations from the Holy Roman Emperor, ending British ties
to France. France responded by forming an alliance with Spain to the
exclusion of Great Britain.
While other factors, such as the issue of the French harbor in Dunkirk,
contributed to the decline of the Anglo-French alliance, the issue of
accommodation over Parma truly brought about the Anglo-Austrian
entente. Arguably, the Anglo-Austrian alliance serves as the genesis for
the rivalry between Great Britain and France that carried through the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Alliance Text
In the Name of the moft Holy and Undivided Trinity, Amen.
TO all to whom it does or may any way appertain. Be it
known, that the moft ferene and moft potent Prince and Lord,
Charles VI. Emperor of the Romans, &c. and the moft ferene
and moft potent Prince and Lord, George II. King of Great
Britain, France and Ireland, together with the High and Mighty
Lords the States General of the United Provinces of the Nether-
lands, having taken into confideration the prefent unfettled and
perplexed ftate of affairs in Europe, ferioufly bethought them-
felves of finding proper methods, not only to prevent thofe evils
which muft naturally arife from the cavils and divifions that
were daily increafing, but alfo to eftablifh the public tranquillity
upon a fure and lafting foundation, and in as eafy and fpeedy a
manner as it was poffible : For this end their faid Majefties and
the faid States General, being fully animated with a fincere
defire to promote fo wholefome a work, and to bring it to per-
fection, judged it expedient to agree among thefelves upon cer-
tain general conditions, which might ferve as the bafis for rec-
onciling the animofities, and fettling the differences of the chief
Princes of Europe, which as they are heightened among them-
felves, do greatly endanger the public tranquillity.
For which purpofe, the moft high Prince and Lord, Eugene
Prince of Savoy and Piedmont, &c. and alfo the moft illuftrious
Lord, Philip Lewis, Hereditary Treafurer of the Holy Roman
Empire, count of Zinzendorf, &c. and alfo the moft illuftrious
Lord, Gundacker Thomas, count of the holy Roman Empire,
&c. on the part of his Sacred Imperial and Catholic Majefty ;
and Thomas Robinfon, Efq; minifter of his Majefty of Great
Britain to his faid Imperial and Catholic Majefty, on the part of
his Majefty of Great Britain; and on the part of the High and
Mighty States of the United Provinces of the Netherlands; being
all furnifhed with full powers, after they had held conferences
together, and exchanged their credential letter and full powers,
agreed upon the following articles and conditions.
I. That there fhall be from this time forward, between his
facred Imperial Catholic Majefty, his facred royal Majefty of
Great Britain, the heirs and fucceffors of both,
and the High and Mighty Lords the States General of the
United Provinces of the Netherland, a firm, fincere, and invio-
lable friendfhip, for the mutual advantage of the Provinces and
fubjects belonging to each of the contracting powers: and that
this peace be fo eftablifhed, that each of the contractors fhall be
obliged to defend the territories and fubjects of the others; to
maintain the peace, and promote the advantages of the other
contractors as much as their own ; and to prevent and avert all
damages and injuries of every kind whatfoever, which might be
done to them. For this end, all the former treaties or conven-
tions of peace, friendfhip and alliance, fhall have their full
effect, and fhall preferve in all and every part their full force
and virtue, and fhall even be looked upon as renewed and con-
firmed by virtue of the prefent treaty, except only fuch articles,
claufes, and conditions, from which it has been thought fit to
derogate by the prefent Treaty. And moreover, the faid con-
tracting parties have exprefsly obliged themfelves, by virture of
this prefent article, to a mutual defence, or as it is called guar-
anty of all the kingdoms, ftates, and territorries which each of
them poffeffes, and even of the rights and immunities each of
them enjoys, or ought to enjoy, in fuch manner, that they have
mutually declared and promifed to one another, that they will,
with all their forces oppofe the enterprifes of all and every one
who fhall (perhaps contrary to expectation) undertake to dif-
turb any of the contractors, or their heirs and fucceffors, in the
peaceable poffeffion of their kingdoms, ftates, provinces, lands,
rights, and immunities, which each of the contracting parties
doth or ought to enjoy, at the time of the conclufion of the
prefent treaty.
II. Moreover, as it has been frequently remonftrated on the
part of his Imperial and Catholic Majefty, that the public tran-
quillity could not reign and laft long, and that no other fure way
could be found out for maintaining the balance of Europe, than
a general defence, engagement, and eviction, or as they call it, a
guaranty for the order of his fucceffion, as it is fettled by the
imperial declaration of 1713, and received in the moft ferene
Houfe of Auftria; his facred Royal Majefty of Great Britain and
the High and Mighty Lords the States of the United Provinces of
the Netherlands, moved thereto by their ardent defire to fecure
the public tranquillity, and to preferve the balance of Europe, as
alfo by a view of the terms agreed upon in the following articles,
which are exceedingly well adapted to anfwer both purpofes, do,
by virtue of the prefent article, take upon them the general guar-
anty of the faid order of fucceffion, and oblige themfelves to
maintain it as often as there fhall be occafion, againft all perfons
whatfoever; and confequently they promife, in the moft authen-
tic and ftrongeft manner that can be, to defend, maintain, and
(as it is called) to guaranty, with all their forces, that order of
fucceffion which his Imperial Majefty has declared and
eftablifhed by a folemn act of the 19th of April, 1713, in manner
of a perpetual, indivifible, and infeparable feoffment of truft, in
favour of primogeniture, for all his Majefty’s heirs of both fexs;
of which act there is a copy annexed at the end of this treaty :
which faid act was readily and unanimoufly received by the
orders and eftates of all the kingdoms, archduchies, principali-
ties, provinces and domains, belonging by right of inheritance
to the moft ferene Houfe of Auftria ; all which have humbly and
thankfully acknowledged it, and tranfcribed it into their public
regifters, as having the force of a law and pragmatic fanction,
which is to flubfift for ever in full force. And whereas according