Treaty of London (1700)

The Treaty of London (1700), also known as the Second Partition Treaty, was a secret treaty signed on March 13, 1700, by England (represented by William III) and France (represented by Louis XIV). It aimed to partition the Spanish Empire upon the anticipated death of the childless King Charles II of Spain to prevent the vast Spanish inheritance from falling entirely into the hands of either France or the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

The treaty proposed to grant Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and Spanish colonies in the Americas to Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria. France would receive the kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and other territories in Italy, as well as the province of Guipúzcoa. Archduke Charles of Austria, the second son of Emperor Leopold I, would receive the Duchy of Milan.

However, the treaty was ultimately ineffective. Joseph Ferdinand died unexpectedly in 1699. This nullified the agreement and necessitated further negotiations between England and France, leading to the Treaty of London (1700) (also referred to as the Second Partition Treaty) being renegotiated. The new treaty, signed later in 1700, proposed a different partition plan. Despite these efforts, Charles II, shortly before his death, bequeathed the entire Spanish Empire to Philip of Anjou, Louis XIV's grandson, triggering the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701.