Aix-La-Chapelle, Treaty of
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, TREATY OF
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, TREATY OF (18 October 1748). Also called the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, this treaty ended the War of Austrian Succession (1740–1748), which in Britain's North American colonies was known as King George's War (1744–1748). The signatories were Great Britain, France, the Habsburg Empire, the United Provinces of the Low Countries (Netherlands), Prussia, Spain, Modena, Genoa, and Sardinia. The treaty basically returned the world situation to the status quo of 1744, with Prussia keeping the former Austrian province of Silesia and France regaining the fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This greatly surprised the New England colonists, who had put forth a major effort in 1745 to capture the fort for the British Empire. This disappointment damaged relations between London and the New England colonists. The treaty settled nothing with regard to British and French colonial and commercial rivalries in North America, particularly in the regions along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and provided only a respite before the more significant French and Indian War (1754–1763), which was known as the Seven Years' War in Europe. Aix-la-Chapelle was a part of France when the treaty was signed there; it is now known as Aachen, Germany.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lodge, Richard. Studies in Eighteenth-Century Diplomacy, 1740–1748. London: J. Murray, 1930.
Phillips, Charles L., and Alan Axelrod. "Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle." In Encyclopedia of Historical Treaties and Alliances. Volume 1. New York: Facts on File, 2001.
Sosin, Jack M. "Louisbourg and the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1748." William and Mary Quarterly 3d ser., 14 (October 1957): 516–535.
Daniel K.Blewett
Aix-La-Chapelle, Treaty of
Aix-La-Chapelle, Treaty of
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, TREATY OF. 18 October 1748. This treaty ended the War of the Austrian Succession. It represented a suspension of hostilities between rival European coalitions rather than a stable solution of serious problems. French victories on land in Europe balanced British successes at sea. Britain agreed to restore Louisbourg, captured by its New England colonies, for French withdrawal from the Low Countries. Maria Theresa was confirmed as empress of Austria, but British pressure forced Austria to concede Silesia to Prussia, souring Anglo-Austrian relations. French stature was enhanced, and Prussia was enlarged, by Frederick II's successful aggression against Austria. No solutions were found for Anglo-French imperial rivalries in India and North America, which continued to fester. The German name for the city is Aachen; thus this document is also called the Treaty of Aachen.
SEE ALSO Austrian Succession, War of the; Louisburg, Canada.
revised by Harold E. Selesky
Aix-la-Chapelle, treaty of
Andrew Iain Lewer