Peace of Ryswick
Rijswijk, near The Hague, Netherlands
What happened
Envoys of France, the Dutch Republic, England, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire signed a set of treaties to end the Nine Years' War. The formal talks were held at a house called Huis ter Nieuwburg in Rijswijk. France kept Strasbourg but handed back other towns and the Duchy of Lorraine. Louis XIV also accepted William III as King of England and Scotland.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended a long, costly war that had left both sides exhausted. It showed England rising as a great sea power.
What came next
Everyone treated it as a truce, because the question of who would inherit Spain was left open. That question started the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701.
Did you know?
A monument called the Needle of Rijswijk was put up in 1792 in Rijswijk Forest to remember the treaty.
Timeline
- 20 September 1697The first treaties are signed at Rijswijk.
- 30 October 1697The Holy Roman Emperor finally signs.
- 1700Charles II of Spain dies.
- 1701The War of the Spanish Succession begins.