2013 and 2015 are the 300th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt and Baden, which put an end to the great European war that is known as the War of the Spanish Succession. The first peace treaty that ended the War of the Spanish Succession was signed at Utrecht on 11 April 1713 and marked a particularly critical moment in the history of Europe. It put an end to a series of devastating religious and dynastic wars which had claimed millions of lives. This agreement is considered a crucial event in the process of cooperation and diplomatic conflict-management among European powers which has continued to the present day.
The project centres on the international dimension of the European conflict and its consequences, not only in the period in question but also for the present of Spain and Europe. It pays particular attention to the use of propaganda and the rhetoric of images during the conflict and the ensuing peace process. It analyses the aspects most closely related to the history of the Spanish monarchy: the problem of succession and dynastic change; the losses of territory and plans for sharing it out; alliances to stem the expansionism of Louis XIV; the colonial, economic and extra-European dimension of the conflict; the occupation of Gibraltar and Menorca; and the civil war in the country and reprisals taken with exiles.
Following the same exhibition argument, each of the venues ( Utrecht, Madrid, Rastatt and Baden), with their own selection of works and a structure adapted to their exhibition space, address different contents relating to the background to and evolution of the war and the negotiation that ended it through an agreement between the Bourbons and the allies in this series of international treaties.
The project centres on the international dimension of the European conflict and its consequences, not only in the period in question but also for the present of Spain and Europe. It pays particular attention to the use of propaganda and the rhetoric of images during the conflict and the ensuing peace process. It analyses the aspects most closely related to the history of the Spanish monarchy: the problem of succession and dynastic change; the losses of territory and plans for sharing it out; alliances to stem the expansionism of Louis XIV; the colonial, economic and extra-European dimension of the conflict; the occupation of Gibraltar and Menorca; and the civil war in the country and reprisals taken with exiles.
Following the same exhibition argument, each of the venues ( Utrecht, Madrid, Rastatt and Baden), with their own selection of works and a structure adapted to their exhibition space, address different contents relating to the background to and evolution of the war and the negotiation that ended it through an agreement between the Bourbons and the allies in this series of international treaties.
