The War of Devolution (May 24, 1667 – May 2, 1668) was a war between Louis XIV's France and Habsburg Spain fought in the Spanish Netherlands. It was resolved in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... // Events January 20 - Poland cedes Kyiv, Smolensk, and eastern Ukraine to Russia in the Treaty of Andrusovo that put a final end to the Deluge, and Poland lost its status as a Central European power. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... // Events January - The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed. ... For the Beatles song, see Sun King (song) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715), reigned as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at 77 years old. ... This article or section should be merged with Seventeen Provinces The Spanish Netherlands was a portion of the Low Countries controlled by Spain from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. ... There were two Treaties of Aix-la-Chapelle. ...

The war was the first of Louis' wars of territorial aggrandizement. The prize: the rich market cities of the Catholic Low Countries and their long-established textile trade, which competed with French interests; the ports that offered advantageous positions opening on the English Channel and the North Sea; and opportunity to control river traffic at the mouth of the Rhine. Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche, IPA: , the sleeve), also for some time known in England as the British Sea, is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ...

Louis' claims upon the Spanish Netherlands were tenuous. His wife, Marie Thérèse, the daughter of Philip IV of Spain, had renounced her rights of a Spanish inheritance in return for a large dowry at the time of her marriage. The dowry had yet to be paid, however. When Philip finally died in 1665, Louis' lawyers justified Louis' possible claims by arguing that, while Spanish laws of succession meant the throne of Philip IV would pass to his son Carlos II, ancient laws of Brabant ruled that the Spanish Netherlands could "devolve" to Philip's daughter from his first marriage, Louis' wife. The French pressed the claim in 1667; the Spanish contested it. Louis began preparing for war. His able financial minister Colbert reorganized the army and expanded it from 50,000 to 80,000 men. Some suspected Theresas death in 1683 was foul-play. ... Philip IV of Castille (Spanish: Felipe IV) (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665) was the king of Spain, from 1621 until his death, and king of Portugal as Philip III (Portuguese: Filipe III) until 1640. ... Charles II of Spain. ... Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (August 29, 1619 – September 6, 1683) served as the French minister of finance for 22 years under King Louis XIV. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy...

Spain, a cumbersome fragmented nation struggling with the first modern bout of inflation, could put up little resistance to the French assault, under the wise veteran, the vicomte de Turenne. With no main Spanish army in Flanders, the initial stages of the war in 1667 became a series of French sieges against Spanish-held towns and fortresses that were undermanned and with no hope of relief; most of these sieges ended quickly and Turenne, at times with Louis in attendance, took towns such as Charleroi, Tournai, and Douai in a campaign the French remembered as the "promenade militaire." The only long siege was that of Lille, from August 28 to September 25. Turenne Henri de la Tour dAuvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, often referred to as Turenne (September 11, 1611 - July 27, 1675) achieved military fame and became a Marshal of France. ... For the Boston area punk band see Siege (band). ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwè) is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... Categories: Belgium-related stubs | Belgian towns | UN World Heritage Sites | Romanesque architecture ... Douai is a city and commune in the north of France in the département of Nord, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Nord-Pas de Calais Département Nord (59) Mayor Martine Aubry (PS) (since 2001) Area 39. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ...

The great success of the French began to worry the other powers of Europe, especially long-time French allies the Dutch. The Dutch as well as the English, the various German states, and the Swedes had been quite content to have the weak and non-threatening Spanish in control of the strategically vital region. If France gained control of the region it would mean a strong and aggressive state on the Dutch border, and in control of the excellent ports opposite England and the North Sea. Thus the Triple Alliance was formed in January 1668, joining the Netherlands, England, and Sweden. They issued a decree granting Louis the territory he had demanded at the start of the war, but warned that if the French continued their offensive beyond those lines the three would join the Spanish in repelling them. The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... The Triple Alliance of 1668 consisted of England, Sweden, and the United Provinces. ...

French troops under the skilful Prince de Condé (the "Grand Condé") swiftly occupied Franche-Comté in February, but then, with his troops ranged across a long possible front, ill positioned to resist the Triple Alliance, Louis agreed to their demands. France gained some territory in Flanders, but the Spanish Netherlands, as well as Franche-Comté, were returned to Spain. Inwardly he was seething. He had hoped to take the entirety of the Spanish Netherlands and felt betrayed by the Dutch, who, to French eyes, were only independent due to French help in their war of independence. The War of Devolution thus led directly to the Franco-Dutch War of 1672–1678, with Charles II co-opted by Louis' gold to fight against the Dutch. Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (September 8, 1621 - November 11, 1686). ... Capital Besançon Area 16,202 km² Regional President Raymond Forni (PS) (since 2004) Population   - 2004 estimate   - 1999 census   - Density (Ranked 20th) 1,133,000 1,117,059 70/km² (2004) Arrondissements 8 Cantons 116 Communes 1,786 Départements Doubs Haute-Saône Jura Territoire de Belfort Franche-Comt... The Dutch War (1672–1678) was a war fought between France and a quadruple alliance consisting of Brandenburg, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and the United Provinces. ... Events England, France, Munster and Cologne invade the United Provinces, therefore this name is know as ´het rampjaar´ (the disaster year) in the Netherlands. ... Events August 10 - Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Dutch War. ... Charles II or The Merry Monarch (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ...