Editing War of Devolution (section)

===Negotiations; winter 1667/1668===
[[File:Johan de Witt 1652.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[Johan de Witt]], Dutch [[Grand Pensionary]]; he had to persuade Louis to withdraw, while keeping him as an ally]]
On 31 July 1667, the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)|Treaty of Breda]] ended the Anglo-Dutch War and negotiations began on a common front against France.{{Sfn|Geyl|1936|p=311}} This was driven by the [[States of Zeeland]], supported by [[Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet|Sir William Temple]], English ambassador in [[the Hague]] and [[Brussels]], and Francois-Paul de Lisola, Leopold's representative in London.{{Sfn|Goldie|Levillain|2018|p=5}}

De Witt summarised the Dutch dilemma as follows; 'to abandon Spain is to make France a present of the Netherlands, to take on her defence alone is folly.'{{Sfn|Macintosh|1973|p=111}} Although he and Charles of England preferred France, the vast majority of their countrymen did not, which meant they had to satisfy domestic opinion by making Louis retreat, but remain friends. According to the French [[Simon Arnauld, Marquis de Pomponne|ambassador in Sweden]], Charles quickly recognised this was almost impossible, and focused on ensuring Louis blamed De Witt.{{Sfn|Rowen|1954|p=6}}

From April 1667 to June 1668, Franco-Dutch trade declined by 30%, due to the imposition of French tariffs.{{Sfn|Macintosh|1973|pp=155}} Combined with the prospect of France as a neighbour, this led to widespread support for an Anglo-Dutch alliance among [[Orangism (Dutch Republic)|Orangists]], the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] and the general populace.{{Sfn|Rowen|1954|p=7}} In England, [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] and [[City of London Corporation|business]] wanted peace, while most preferred Spain for strategic and commercial reasons, including chief minister [[Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington|Lord Arlington]]; an Anglo-Dutch alliance in support of Spain seemed the ideal solution. Finally, it allowed Charles of England to keep Parliament happy, while demonstrating Dutch unreliability and thus increasing the price Louis would pay for his support in the [[Secret Treaty of Dover|1670 Treaty of Dover]].{{Sfn|Hutton|1986|pp=299–300}}

In September, De Witt promised to ensure Spain accepted French terms for ending the war, but Louis insisted he commit to enforcing them if needed. When Mariana refused, he persuaded the [[States of Holland and West Friesland|States of Holland]] to pass resolutions on 10 December and 14 January 1668, approving military action against Spain. This was strongly resisted by the other provinces, and the Orangist opposition in Holland.{{Sfn|Rowen|1954|p=4}}

[[File:Louis-xiv-lebrunl.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[Louis XIV]], ca 1661]]

When Philip died in 1665, Spain's only ally was Leopold; by 1668, their diplomats had built relationships with the Orangists, England, and traditional French supporters like Sweden and Brandenburg. In September 1667, [[Afonso VI of Portugal]] was deposed by his brother [[Peter II of Portugal|Pedro]], who opened discussions on ending the Restoration war.{{Sfn|Mitchell|2019|p=47}} The 1667 agreement with France was annulled and on 13 February 1668, Spain recognised Portuguese independence with the [[Treaty of Lisbon (1668)|Treaty of Lisbon]].{{Sfn|Newitt|2004|p=228}}

To fund the 1668 campaign, Castelo Rodrigo agreed to a loan of 2&nbsp;million guilders from the Amsterdam financial markets; as security, the Dutch would be allowed to occupy Bruges, Ostend and Damme. The prospect of peace with Portugal meant Mariana could reject these conditions; she sent Castelo Rodrigo [[Letter of credit|letters of credit]] for 600,000 escudos and one million bars of silver. This allowed him to begin recruiting, while Brandenburg agreed to supply 12,000 troops.{{Sfn|Mitchell|2019|pp=50–52}}

On 20 January, Louis and Leopold signed a Partition Treaty, agreeing to the division of the Spanish Empire if Charles of Spain died; this included the terms given to De Witt in September.{{Sfn|Davenport|Paullin|1917|pp=144, 152}} The [[Triple Alliance (1668)|Triple Alliance]] was signed by England and the Dutch Republic on 23 January, the third member, [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]], formally joining on 5 May, three days after Aix-la-Chapelle.{{Sfn|Davenport|Paullin|1917|p=166}} It contained a pact of mutual defence, an agreement to ensure Spain accepted French terms, and secret clauses, including military action against France if Louis reneged on this promise.{{Sfn|Rowen|1954|pp=8–10}}

Ruvigny, French ambassador in London, received a copy within days, allegedly from Arlington, which he passed onto Lionne.{{Sfn|Rowen|1954|p=12}} Writing ten years later, largely to justify the subsequent [[Franco-Dutch War]], Louis claimed it was a calculated insult by the 'ungrateful Dutch nation', but his reaction at the time was far more moderate.{{Sfn|Sonino|1989|p=23}} The French recognised the military clause was largely unenforceable; as Turenne observed, 'the Dutch have more ill-will than power, the English neither troops or money'.{{Sfn|Sonino|1989|p=26}} Lionne also pointed out the Alliance's guarantee applied to both sides, obliging Spain to comply with French terms 'without it costing us a sou.'{{Sfn|Macintosh|1973|p=156}}