Enlightenment · Europe · Politics

1697

Treaty of Ryswick

September 20, 1697

The Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance ended with Louis XIV recognizing William III as King of England and returning most of his conquests. France's relentless expansion had been checked for the first time. The eighteenth century's pattern of coalitions against France was being set, and the struggle for the Spanish succession was already gathering on the horizon.