War of Spanish Succession and Afterwards

Currently i am in a debate with a friend of mine (he teaches European History), and he states that France's best bet is OTLs conclusion to the war, while im convinced Frances strength was strong enough to beat them.

Now the reason I am posting is that I would like your input on the matter, how could France have won the war, to what degree is there "victory", and how would the post war world look under the Bourbons thumb?
 
France was really exhausted after the war, as all Europe, and was actually many times at the edge of defeat : before Denain, the tide of war clearly favoured its ennemies.
There were actually many advises of prudence on royal council, many ministers favored the share proposed (but rejected by Carlos II) that let Louis de France inheriting Milan, Savoy and Lorraine.

Eventually, the bet was less on territorial gain than neutralizing the Spanish threat once and for all, by turning its alliance by putting a Bourbon in throne.

I think your friend is right here.
 

katchen

Banned
France's best bet would have been to keep the Second Partition Treaty and avoid the bait dangled by the Spanish grandees of making Philip IV, Louis's son, heir to Spain. Perhaps extracting concessions in the form of unsettled or relatively undersettled portions of the Spanish Empire (Buenos Aires and the La Plata including Paraguay and Patagonia, North America north of the Rio Grande or north of the Tropic of Cancer, possibly Darien and in the Eastern Hemisphere, Ouhran (Oran), Melilla and Ceuta) in return for holding to the treaty and ignoring Charles II's will.
 
Hate to disagree, but I'm of the opinion that Louis XIV could if had his cake and ate it to, so to speak. Remember, the Spanish succession war didn't start in 1700, when Carlos II died, but in 1701, after Louis XIV's aggressive actions. He cut off England and the Netherlands from Spanish trace, occupied various barrier fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands, and confirmed Philip V's right to inherit the French throne. If Louis had acted less aggressively, the war would never have broken out. William III wouldn't have been able to rally Parliament and the States-General to a war, and without Anglo-Dutch support, the Emperor would have been forced to accept the situation.
 
What if the French won Blenheim? Sorry if this is like cliche or implausible:mad::eek::( but getting it out there...

I'm not the best when it comes to military tactics, but if the French won blenheim, then it would leave the route to Vienna wide open. No doubt the Emperor would quickly make peace, forcing the English and Dutch to do the same, at their candidate for the Spanish Throne would be out of the running.
 
I'm not the best when it comes to military tactics, but if the French won blenheim, then it would leave the route to Vienna wide open. No doubt the Emperor would quickly make peace, forcing the English and Dutch to do the same, at their candidate for the Spanish Throne would be out of the running.

France gains the Spanish Netherlands, Spanish Italy, and the Rhineland, with huge influence elsewhere.
 
France gains the Spanish Netherlands, Spanish Italy, and the Rhineland, with huge influence elsewhere.

No. Spain keeps the Spanish Netherlands and Spanish Italy while France's influence is extended in Germany, via Bavaria. There was no question of France gaining Spain's European territories.
 
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