Editing History of Europe (section)

====War of the Spanish Succession====
{{Main|War of the Spanish Succession}}
The [[War of the Spanish Succession]] (1701–1715) was a major war with France opposed by a coalition of England, the Netherlands, the Habsburg monarchy, and Prussia. [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]] commanded the English and Dutch victory at the [[Battle of Blenheim]] in 1704. The main issue was whether France under King Louis XIV would take control of Spain's very extensive possessions and thereby become by far the dominant power, or be forced to share power with other major nations. After initial allied successes, the long war produced a military stalemate and ended with the [[Treaty of Utrecht]], which was based on a balance of power in Europe. Historian [[Russell Weigley]] argues that the many wars almost never accomplished more than they cost.<ref>Russell Weigley, ''The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo'' (1991).</ref> British historian [[G. M. Trevelyan]] argues:
:That Treaty [of Utrecht], which ushered in the stable and characteristic period of Eighteenth-Century civilization, marked the end of danger to Europe from the old French monarchy, and it marked a change of no less significance to the world at large – the maritime, commercial and financial supremacy of Great Britain.<ref>G.M. Trevelyan, ''A shortened history of England'' (1942) p. 363.</ref>