Editing History of Belgium (section)

=== Wars between France and the Dutch Republic ===
After the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)]], Spain shifted most of its troops out of Belgium to Iberia. From 1659, Madrid increasingly relied on the aid of allied armies to restrain French ambitions to annex the [[Spanish Netherlands]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nolan |first=Cathal J. |title=Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650–1715: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization |date=2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-3133-3046-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/warsagelouisxive00libg/page/n488 444]}}</ref> Under [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] (1643–1715), France pursued an expansionist policy. France frequently held control of territories in the Southern Netherlands, confronted by various opponents including the Netherlands and Austria. There was the [[War of Devolution]] (1667–1668), the [[Franco-Dutch War]] (1672–1678), the [[War of the Reunions]] (1683–1684), and the [[Nine Years' War]] (1688–1697). These were then followed by the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] (1701–1714), much of which was fought on Belgian soil. After the victory of Austria and its allies, under the 1714 [[Treaty of Rastatt]], the Belgian and present-day Luxembourg territories (except the lands under the lordship of the [[Prince-Bishop of Liège]]) were transferred to the [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrian Habsburgs]], thus forming the [[Austrian Netherlands]] (1714–1797).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Belgium |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/59268/Belgium |access-date=3 November 2012 |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia}}</ref>