[1] Since the closest heirs were from the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families, the succession was of great significance to the European balance of power and was a matter of debate for many years.

Lord Somers, part of the Whig Junto that managed the English government for William, was generally hostile to the provisions of the First Partition Treaty about which he had learned only shortly before its signature.

[4] Few of William's ministers in either England or the Dutch Republic trusted Louis, an impression strengthened when the Marquis d'Harcourt was sent as envoy to Madrid in November 1698 to build Spanish support for a French candidate.

On 14 November 1698, Charles published his will, which made the six-year-old Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria heir to an undivided Spanish Empire and thus ignored the territorial adjustments specified in the First Partition Treaty.

[8] Many Spanish politicians preferred a French candidate since the wars of the last 50 years suggested France was a better ally than opponent, and its location meant it was better equipped to protect Spain than Austria.

[9] After the death of Joseph Ferdinand, Louis's senior foreign policy advisor, the Marquess of Torcy, quickly drew up a draft proposal with revised terms approved in principle by William in June 1699.

However, when the suggested treaty was presented to Emperor Leopold, he initially refused the territorial concessions required and as a result the Dutch delayed formal consent.

When Parliament finally learned of the terms in March 1700, their reaction was one of fury, partly because they were seen as damaging English commercial interests, but also because they had been approved without their knowledge or consent.

The Tory majority subsequently attempted to impeach Somers for his role in the negotiations and while unsuccessful, the process embittered relations between the two parties and had a profound impact on British politics over the next two decades.