CHAP. XLVI.]

DEATH OF CHARLES VII.

125

been called the QUADRUPLE ALLIANCE, established by the Treaty of Warsaw, January 8th, 1745, between the King of Poland as Elector of Saxony, Great Britain, the Queen of Hungary, and the States-General. The Elector renewed his guarantee of the Pragmatic Sanction, and promised to operate immediately in Bohemia with 30,000 auxiliary troops. So long as this army should be required Great Britain was to pay an annual subsidy of 100,000l., and the United Provinces 50,000l. Poland and Russia were to be invited to accede to the alliance. By some separate and secret articles Augustus III. engaged, not indeed directly, but in effect, to procure the Imperial Crown for the Grand Duke of Tuscany; while the King of England and the Queen of Hungary promised to assist Augustus in his salutary views with regard to Poland, so far as could be done without violating its Constitution; that is, in other words, to assure the Succession to his son.1

Soon after the execution of this treaty an unexpected event changed the face of affairs. The Emperor Charles VII. died January 20th, 1745; an event which virtually annulled the Union of Frankfort. He was succeeded in the Bavarian Electorate by his son, Maximilian Joseph, then only seventeen years of age, and consequently too young to make any pretensions to the Imperial Crown. Maximilian seemed at first inclined to remain faithful to the league with France and Prussia; but the war went so unsuccessfully, and the clamours of his people became so loud in demanding a termination of their miseries, that he listened to the advice of Seckendorf to make peace with the Queen of Hungary at any price. The advance of the Austrians under Bathyani had compelled him to quit Munich soon after his accession, and fly to Augsburg. The French, under Ségur, had also been defeated. Under these circumstances he despatched Prince Fürstenberg to Füssen, where he concluded a peace with the Austrian Count Colloredo, April 22nd, 1745. By this treaty the Queen of Hungary engaged to re-establish the Elector in all his dominions, and recognized the Imperial dignity of his father. The Elector, on his side, renounced for himself and his heirs all claims to the Austrian inheritance, acceded to the guarantee of the Pragmatic Sanction given by the Empire, engaged to observe a strict neutrality, supported the vote of Bohemia in the Imperial election, and promised his own for the Grand Duke of Tuscany."

1 Wenck, t. ii. p. 171; Rousset, Recueil, t. xviii. p. 516.

Wenck, t. ii. p. 180; Menzel, B. v. S. 317. Frederick sums up the results as

follows: "The Emperor dies; his son makes peace with the Queen of Hungary; the Grand Duke is to be Emperor; the Treaty of Warsaw leagues half Europe

126

THE QUADRUPLE ALLIANCE.

[CHAP. XLVI. The objects of the Quadruple Alliance of Warsaw were more clearly announced in a secret treaty between Austria and Saxony, concluded at Leipsic, May 18th, 1745. Silesia was to be recovered for the Queen, Prussia was to be confined in narrower bounds than before the conquest of that Province, and reduced to a state in which she should no longer be dangerous to the two allied Powers. In case of the entire success of their arms, the Duchy of Magdeburg, with the Circle of the Saal, the principality of Crossen, with the district of Züllichau, the Bohemian fiefs in Lusatia belonging to the House of Brandenburg, and the circle of Schwiebus, were to be assigned to the Elector of Saxony; from which apportionment deductions were to be made in proportion as the war with Prussia might prove less successful.1

While nearly all the Powers of Christendom were thus leagued in hostile treaties and engaged in mutual slaughter, there was one Power, standing without the pale, which took no part in their contests, and even endeavoured to reconcile them. Engrossed by their own interests, and confident in their power to repel all attacks from without, the Turks concerned not themselves about the maintenance of the political balance in Europe; an indifference also encouraged by their religion, which forbids them to take too direct a part in the affairs of Christians, or to go to war with any friendly Power except in case of a formal violation of treaties. It seems to have been a whim of the Reis-Effendi Mustapha, Secretary of Legation at Vienna, which prompted him to procure, early in 1745, an offer of mediation to the Christian Powers from the Sublime Porte. Venice was proposed as the place of a Congress; and, as preliminaries, an armistice on the footing of uti possidetis, on condition that the election of Emperor should take place only by a unanimity of votes. Such a condition, which would make the election depend on the King of Prussia, could not, of course, be accepted by the Court of Vienna. The intervention of the Sultan affected to be religious as well as political. He proposed that, if the Pontiff of the Christians would send one of his apostles to deliver his pacific exhortations to the Congress, he, on his side, would despatch a dervise selected by the Mufti. Perhaps, however, the real motive of the Porte for this unheard-of proceeding was the damage suffered by the Turkish commerce through the

against Prussia; Prussian money keeps Russia inactive; England begins to incline towards Prussia."-Hist. de mon Temps, ch. x. sub fin.

Stenzel, Gesch. Preussens, Th. iv.

p. 239.

2 Vergennes, Mémoire sur la Porte Ottomane, published in Politique de tous les Cabinets de l'Europe, t. iii. p. 142 (2nd ed. Paris, 1801).

CHAP. XLVI.]

NEGOTIATIONS.

127

1

quarrels of the Christians. The proffered mediation was respectfully declined by the larger States, though some of the smaller ones, as Naples and Venice, were in favour of it.

The King of Prussia, having no other ally but France, on whose loyal support he could not reckon, remained on the defensive in the campaign of 1745. He entrenched himself in the neighbourhood of Frankenstein and Neisse, at Jauernik, not far from Schweidnitz, and there awaited the approach of the Austrians and Saxons. Prince Charles, who commanded them, advanced by Landshut into the plains of Hohenfriedberg, where he was unexpectedly attacked and defeated by Frederick, near Striegau (June 4th). After the battle of Striegau, or Hohenfriedberg, Charles retreated into Bohemia, followed by the Prussians; but the advantageous position occupied by the Austrians near Königsgrätz, as well as the necessity which Frederick was under of maintaining his communications with Silesia, prevented his deriving any solid advantages from his decisive victory, and penetrating further into Bohemia. Towards the end of September he took up a very strong position near Sorr with 25,000 men. Here he was attacked by the Austrians with much larger forces, September 30th; but the inequality of the ground deprived them of the advantage of their numerical superiority, and Frederick gained a complete victory.

Meanwhile negotiations had been entered into at London to re-establish a peace between the Queen of Hungary and the King of Prussia. Carteret (now Lord Granville) had retired from the English Ministry, and had been succeeded by the Earl of Harrington, a man of more moderate views. The events of the year 1745 had made the English Cabinet very desirous to bring about a peace between Frederick and Maria Theresa. The success of the French arms in Flanders, consequent on their victory at Fontenoy, to be related presently, and the descent of the young Pretender in Scotland in July-an event in our domestic history, the well-known circumstances of which we need not detail-by compelling the withdrawal of some of the British forces from the Netherlands, rendered it desirable that the Queen of Hungary should be at liberty to act with greater vigour towards the Rhine. A secret treaty with the King of Prussia had been signed at Hanover, August 26th. Peace was to be concluded within six weeks between Prussia and Austria on the basis of that of Breslau; Augustus was to make a separate act of cession of Silesia to Frederick, who was to give his vote in the approaching election at 1 Sce Flassan, Dipl. Française, t. v. p. 252; Hammer, Osm. Gesch. B. viii. S. 59.

128

FREDERICK II. OVERRUNS SAXONY. [CHAP. XLVI. Frankfort for the Grand Duke Francis as Emperor. The English Cabinet had had great difficulty to bring Frederick to these terms, yet the Queen of Hungary would not listen to them. She was already sure of her husband's election, and she was unwilling to abandon the hope of recovering Silesia, on which she had set her heart. The expectation, however, that something might eventually be concluded, had prevented Frederick from pursuing his victory at Sorr. But a piece of intelligence, which he obtained through the indiscretion of the King of Poland's Minister, Count Brühl, transmitted to him through the Swedish Minister, at the Court of Dresden, induced him to take more vigorous steps.1 The Queen of Hungary had formed the project of detaching 10,000 men from the army of the Rhine who, in conjunction with the Saxons, were to march upon Berlin; while Prince Charles of Lorraine was to enter Silesia with another army and attack the King of Prussia in his winter quarters. Frederick resolved to anticipate and divert this project by invading Saxony. Towards the end of November he entered Lusatia with his army, and after subduing that Province marched upon Dresden. Augustus, who had refused Frederick's offer to treat separately, fled to Prague ; while Prince Leopold of Dessau, entering Saxony by way of Halle, took Leipsic and Meissen, and established communications with Frederick. Prince Charles now marched to the defence of Dresden; but before he could join the Saxon army it had been defeated by Prince Leopold at Kesselsdorf, December 15th. The remnants of it escaped to Prince Charles, who, in the face of Frederick's now much superior forces, found it prudent to retreat into Bohemia. Dresden surrendered unconditionally to the King of Prussia, December 18th, and all Saxony was laid under contribution.

Maria Theresa was now compelled to listen to the appeals of the King of Poland, as well as to the British Cabinet, which threatened to withdraw its subsidies unless she made peace with Prussia. Frederick himself was desirous of peace, but only on the basis of that of Breslau. His money was almost exhausted, he could not rely upon the proffered help of France, he felt himself unequal to another campaign, and was indeed content with what he had achieved. Two treaties were signed at Dresden on the same day (December 25th, 1745) with Saxony and Austria. By the first Augustus recovered what he had lost during the war, but Saxony had to pay a million dollars, besides the contributions levied.

1 Hist. de mon Temps, ch. xiii.

CHAP. XLVI.]

FRANCIS I. ELECTED EMPEROR.

129 The Queen of Poland, daughter of Joseph I., renounced all her claims to the territories ceded to Prussia by the Peace of Breslau. In the treaty with Austria, Maria Theresa again renounced Silesia and the County of Glatz, the cession of which was guaranteed by England. Frederick, as Elector of Brandenburg, allowed the electoral vote of Bohemia, and adhered to the election of Maria Theresa's consort as Emperor, against which he and the Elector Palatine had at first protested.' The Grand Duke had been elected at Frankfort, September 13th, and crowned October 4th, with the title of Francis I. Austria had regained the ecclesiastical Electors, and could, of course, reckon on Bavaria, Hanover, and Saxony. France had endeavoured to incite Augustus to become a candidate for the Imperial Crown, but without effect. Thus the Empire fell to the NEW HOUSE OF AUSTRIA, that of HabsburgLorraine, and France missed the principal object for which she had gone to war. The Prussians evacuated Saxony within twelve days after the signing of the treaties. A little before, East Friesland, the reversion to which, it will be remembered, had been assigned by the Emperor Leopold to the Elector Frederick III., in compensation of the cession of Schwiebus, fell to the King of Prussia by the death of the last Prince, Charles Edward, May 25th, 1744.2

Meanwhile in Flanders the French had achieved some brilliant success, especially at the BATTLE OF FONTENOY, gained by Marshal Saxe over the Duke of Cumberland and Field-Marshal Königseck (May 11th, 1745), who were endeavouring to relieve Tournai. Louis XV. and the Dauphin were present at this affair. It was followed by the capture of Tournai, Ghent, Bruges, Oudenarde, Nieuport, Ath. Little was done on the side of the Rhine. The Prince of Conti passed that river and the Main, to threaten Frankfort and prevent the election of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and the Pragmatic Army was compelled to retire beyond the Lahn; and after it had formed a junction with the Austrians under the Grand Duke, the French in turn were forced to retreat and recross the Rhine. The campaign in Italy this year had also been productive of events of more than ordinary importance. In the spring the Spaniards, under Gages, dislodged Lobkowitz and the Austrians from the Legation of Bologna, and pursued them into the Modenese. At the same time was negotiated the Treaty of Aranjuez, between France, Spain, Naples, and the Republic of