Treaty of Nijmegen between Spain and France, 1678

Timeline

1. 1673–1678Spanish Netherlands and Franche-Comté · Low CountriesAfter Spain joined the anti-French coalition in 1673, it fought France for a long time in the Spanish Netherlands, Franche-Comté, and along the Rhine frontier. In peace talks after 1677, France used its occupied territories as leverage, demanding that Spain permanently cede Franche-Comté as well as key southern Netherlands strongholds such as Artois and Hainaut; the government of Charles II of Spain sought a peace that would limit its losses amid national decline.
2. 1678Nijmegen · GelderlandFranco-Spanish representatives signed the peace treaty at Nijmegen, formally ending the state of hostility between the two countries. The treaty confirmed France's permanent sovereignty over Franche-Comté, while Spain made extensive cessions in Flanders and Hainaut; France promised partial troop withdrawals and granted Spain limited trade concessions, putting a legally binding cap on Louis XIV's territorial expansion on the continent.
3. 1678–1679Franche-Comté · FranceAfter the treaty was implemented, France formally annexed Franche-Comté and strengthened its control over the borders of present-day northern Belgium and northeastern France. Spanish Habsburg power contracted further in the Netherlands, and the 'Spanish Road' military supply line was damaged; French hegemony grew markedly in northern France and the upper Rhine, but Spain did not relinquish its rule over the remaining Spanish Netherlands, leaving disputes for later wars of succession.