Devolution, War of definition of Devolution, War of in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Devolution, War of, 1667–68, undertaken by Louis XIV for the conquest of the Spanish Netherlands. On her marriage to Louis, Marie Thérèse, daughter of Philip IV of Spain, had renounced her rights of inheritance in return for a large dowry. Blaming Spain for having failed to pay the stipulated dowry, Louis declared war and invoked an old law of Brabant Brabant, duchy of, former duchy, divided between Belgium ( Brabant and Antwerp provs.) and the Netherlands ( North Brabant prov.). Louvain , Brussels , and Antwerp were its chief cities. The duchy of Brabant emerged (1190) from the duchy of Lower Lorraine.
..... Click the link for more information. providing that property might "devolve" upon the children of a first marriage—in this case upon Marie Thérèse (rather than upon Charles II of Spain). The French easily captured (1667) the Spanish Netherlands. The United Provinces, in alarm, formed the Triple Alliance Triple Alliance, in European history, any of several coalitions.

1 The Triple Alliance of 1668 was formed by the Netherlands, England, and Sweden against France after Louis XIV had invaded the Spanish Netherlands in the War of Devolution .
..... Click the link for more information. with England and Sweden (Jan., 1668). The French overran Franche-Comté (Feb., 1668) but came to terms with the Triple Alliance in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 1 Compact of May 2, 1668, that ended the French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands (see Devolution, War of ). France kept most of its conquests in Flanders; Cambrai, Aire, Saint-Omer, and the province of Franche-Comté were returned to Spain; and the remainder of Spain's
..... Click the link for more information. (May, 1668).