Original scientific paper
The Ragusan (Dubrovnik) Republic and the Spanish War of Succession (1701-1714)
Miljenko Foretić
; Institute for Historical Sciences of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Abstract
Following the Treaty of Srijemski Karlovci in 1699, by which the great anti-Turkish war (1683 - 1699) ended, apart from solving some disputed matters (such as delimitation of borders with Venice, paying off the tributes to Turkey and the treatment of customs duties within the Porte-controlled lands, annual payments of the Austrian patronage and the expenses of the Austrian resident’s sojourn in Dubrovnik) it was coping within the context of the newly-created conditions in the European West, known as the Spanish War of Succession 1701 -1714, that became of importance for the survival of the miniature republic. Involved in the conflict were also some other significant powers having direct or indirect influence on the reality of the Ragusan Republic. Although the tiny Croatian state tried to remain neutral like it did in many similar situations before, under the circumstances it had to occasionally take more explicit stands and meet some of the requirements by the warring parties. As the events developed and the Adriatic - along with the Dubrovnik territorial waters and its ports - was gaining importance, unexpected difficulties emerged for Dubrovnik. The delicacy of its position was that the sides in the conflict accused it of being in favor of the other side. On one side were France and the Kingdom of Naples (till the conquest by the Austrians in 1707), on the other Austria with the Senj warriors (Senjski uskoci). In the conflict France declared hostility to Dubrovnik, confiscating its ships and threatening to bomb the city. This endangered the city’s very foundations: navigation and commerce. The conflict was eased off somehow, without firm guarantees, and the Republic maintained its integrity and sovereignty, at the time of the wide-ranging post-earthquake renewal. Based upon extensive and informing sources of the Dubrovnik archives, as well as upon the abundant domestic and foreign comparative literature, the author made a multi-part and multi-level analysis of this segment from the newer history of the old town of Dubrovnik, of which, in general, nothing was known until now. The author encompassed political, diplomatic and economic implications, as well as literary reflections.
Keywords
diplomacy; Spanish war of Succession
Hrčak ID:
239971
URI
Publication date:
20.6.1993.
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