Editing Louis XIV (section)

===Peace of Ryswick===
{{Main|Peace of Ryswick}}
The [[Peace of Ryswick]] ended the War of the League of Augsburg and disbanded the Grand Alliance. By manipulating their rivalries and suspicions, Louis divided his enemies and broke their power.

The treaty yielded many benefits for France. Louis secured permanent French sovereignty over all of Alsace, including Strasbourg, and established the Rhine as the Franco-German border (as it is to this day). Pondichéry and [[Acadia]] were returned to France, and Louis's ''de facto'' possession of [[Saint-Domingue]] was recognised as lawful. However, he returned [[Catalonia]] and most of the Reunions.

French military superiority might have allowed him to press for more advantageous terms. Thus, his generosity to Spain with regard to Catalonia has been read as a concession to foster pro-French sentiment and may ultimately have induced King [[Charles II of Spain|Charles&nbsp;II]] to name Louis's grandson [[Philip V of Spain|Philip, Duke of Anjou]], heir to the Spanish throne.{{Sfn|Bluche|1986|p=653}} In exchange for financial compensation, France renounced its interests in the Electorate of Cologne and the Palatinate. [[Lorraine (duchy)|Lorraine]], which had been occupied by the French since 1670, was returned to its rightful Duke [[Leopold, Duke of Lorraine|Leopold]], albeit with a right of way to the French military. William and Mary were recognised as joint sovereigns of the British Isles, and Louis withdrew support for James{{Nbsp}}II. The Dutch were given the right to garrison forts in the Spanish Netherlands that acted as a protective barrier against possible French aggression. Though in some respects the Treaty of Ryswick may appear a diplomatic defeat for Louis since he failed to place client rulers in control of the Palatinate or the Electorate of Cologne, he did fulfil many of the aims laid down in his 1688 ultimatum.{{Sfn|Lossky|1994|p=255}} In any case, peace in 1697 was desirable to Louis, since France was exhausted from the costs of the war.