Historyzine 002: The many claimants to the Spanish throne

This is episode two of Historyzine.

In this episode we review the delightful podcast TPN Napoleon, hosted by Cameron Reilly and J. David Markham and offer a shout out to ‘The Binge Thinking History podcast which, in episode 3 of that podcast gives some useful background to the English situation at the end of the 17th century.
The main feature of this week is, of course, our running guide to the War of the Spanish Succession and in this episode we attempt to unravel the many strands that are the various claimants to the Spanish throne and finish upon the opening of hostilities in Northern Italy.

Different claimants come and go but the main power blocs interested in grabbing the Spanish Empire for themselves are the Bourbons of France, headed by Louis XIV and the Austrian Habsburgs led by Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor. The United Provinces and England are looking for a succession that maintains a balance of power in Europe so their own security isn’t threatened. The stage therefore is set for a great deal of politicking and quite likely war. I think it was Clausewitz some time later who gave us the maxim that war is just a continuance of diplomacy and so it is in this case.

We’ll have a closer look at one of the great Imperial generals, Prince Eugene of Savoy and chart his rise to glory and his fighting apprenticeship battling against the Ottoman Turks. We’ll also make passing reference to his second favourite pastime (war being his favourite) of building palaces and stocking them full of art treasures.

Sources for the War of the Spanish Succession

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