Franco-Spanish War
Quick Summary
The Franco-Spanish War, which lasted from 1648 to 1659, was a conflict between France and Spain that concluded with the Peace of the Pyrenees on November 7, 1659. This treaty, signed by Louis XIV of France and Philip IV of Spain, is often seen as the beginning of French dominance in Europe. The war saw Spain also engaged in hostilities with England, and French alliances prevented any significant aid from the Holy Roman Emperor to Spain. Following Spain's defeat at the Battle of the Dunes in 1658, peace negotiations accelerated.1
The Peace of the Pyrenees resulted in France gaining Roussillon and Artois, strengthening its northern border. It also ratified French acquisitions in Alsace and Lorraine under specific conditions. Spain had all its Catalan conquests restored, and a marriage alliance was formed between Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse, Philip IV's daughter. This treaty marked a significant shift in European power, establishing Louis XIV as a dominant monarch.1
It is important to distinguish this conflict from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), which was a separate internal conflict within Spain. The Spanish Civil War involved the Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Italy and Germany, against the Republicans, who received aid from the Soviet Union and the International Brigades.23
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
history of EuropeThe European war in Germany, 1635–45…May 19, 1635, they declared war on Spain.
Read More…May 19, 1635, they declared war on Spain.
Read More
FranceThe Fronde of France…a Spanish invasion (for the war was continuing with Spain despite the Peace of Westphalia in 1648), persuaded them in 1649 to make the Peace of Rueil with the government, the terms of which were for the most part favourable to the magistrates’ original demands. At this stage the second…
Read More…a Spanish invasion (for the war was continuing with Spain despite the Peace of Westphalia in 1648), persuaded them in 1649 to make the Peace of Rueil with the government, the terms of which were for the most part favourable to the magistrates’ original demands. At this stage the second…
Read More
SpainThe last years of Philip IV…hands free for a final effort against France, even after Catalonia had surrendered. Once again the temporary weakness of France during the Fronde confirmed the Spanish court in its disastrous military policy. Haro passed up the chance of concluding a very favorable peace in 1656.
Read More…hands free for a final effort against France, even after Catalonia had surrendered. Once again the temporary weakness of France during the Fronde confirmed the Spanish court in its disastrous military policy. Haro passed up the chance of concluding a very favorable peace in 1656.
Read More
- Luis Méndez de Haro
… (1659), which ended the long war with France; nevertheless, Spanish power was on the wane.
Read More… (1659), which ended the long war with France; nevertheless, Spanish power was on the wane.
Read More 
Louis XIIIIn May 1635 France declared war on Spain; and by August 1636 Spanish forces were advancing on Paris. Richelieu recommended evacuation of the city; but Louis, in a surprising display of boldness, overruled him. The king rallied his troops and drove back the invaders. Late in 1638 he suffered a…
Read MoreIn May 1635 France declared war on Spain; and by August 1636 Spanish forces were advancing on Paris. Richelieu recommended evacuation of the city; but Louis, in a surprising display of boldness, overruled him. The king rallied his troops and drove back the invaders. Late in 1638 he suffered a…
Read More
Louis XIVEarly life and marriageThe war begun in 1635 between France and Spain was then entering its last phase. The outcome of the war would transfer European hegemony from the Habsburgs to the Bourbons. A French king had to be a soldier, and so Louis served his apprenticeship on the…
Read MoreThe war begun in 1635 between France and Spain was then entering its last phase. The outcome of the war would transfer European hegemony from the Habsburgs to the Bourbons. A French king had to be a soldier, and so Louis served his apprenticeship on the…
Read More
Jules, Cardinal MazarinCareer as first minister of France.As the war between France and Spain still continued and as grave issues were developing in the north and east, Germany could easily have been involved again in a general war. No one believed in the power of the Emperor to safeguard the empire from this danger.…
Read MoreAs the war between France and Spain still continued and as grave issues were developing in the north and east, Germany could easily have been involved again in a general war. No one believed in the power of the Emperor to safeguard the empire from this danger.…
Read More
Philip IV…Nördlingen (1634)—but France declared open war in 1635, and Spain’s early successes were offset, from 1640, by the separatist rebellions of Catalonia and of Portugal (Portugal becoming independent in 1640 under John IV of the House of Bragança).
Read More…Nördlingen (1634)—but France declared open war in 1635, and Spain’s early successes were offset, from 1640, by the separatist rebellions of Catalonia and of Portugal (Portugal becoming independent in 1640 under John IV of the House of Bragança).
Read More
Cardinal RichelieuFirst minister of FranceAlmost as soon as war broke out with Spain in 1635, Richelieu initiated secret peace negotiations and renewed them repeatedly. His justification for war was the same as that for rigorous domestic discipline: only the statesman, furnished with all available information and equipped for judicious appraisal of events, is…
Read MoreAlmost as soon as war broke out with Spain in 1635, Richelieu initiated secret peace negotiations and renewed them repeatedly. His justification for war was the same as that for rigorous domestic discipline: only the statesman, furnished with all available information and equipped for judicious appraisal of events, is…
Read More
Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, vicomte de TurenneThe Franco-Spanish WarWith the defeat of the rebellion, good troops from other parts of France could be brought to reinforce those in the northeast and to prosecute the struggle there against the Spaniards, with whom Condé was now serving. The turning point came in 1654,…
Read MoreWith the defeat of the rebellion, good troops from other parts of France could be brought to reinforce those in the northeast and to prosecute the struggle there against the Spaniards, with whom Condé was now serving. The turning point came in 1654,…
Read More