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 THE PRE-REVOLUTION ERA 325 declaration of war, the British fleet completely annihilated the new Spanish fleet off Cape Passaro. At the same time Prince Eugene finished the Turkish War by the battle of Belgrade, and set the Imperial troops free to act unhampered in Italy. Alberoni was compelled to retire, and disappeared into private life. With him disappeared the short-lived energy of Spain. But the young King of France grew up, and with his marriage to a daughter of Stanislaus, the ex-king of Poland, who had been ejected as soon as Charles xn. was unable Fleury and to support him, the question of the French Walpole. succession seemed likely to settle itself — to the exclusion both of the Spanish Bourbons and of the house of Orleans. Louis placed himself in the hands of Cardinal Fleury as his chief minister ; Fleury in France, and Walpole, who became virtually the dictator of British policy, exerted their united influence to maintain the European peace in face of the still active antagonism between Spain and Austria. Fleury however entered upon that secret agreement with Spain known as the Family Compact, which was directed ulti- mately against Austria in the first place and Great Britain in the second, with the object of making the Bourbon family paramount in Europe. We are occasionally told that monarchs and dynasties are of very little real importance, and that history is a matter of inevitable movements and the life of peoples. 2. Dynasties Nevertheless, it is an unhappy truth that move- and Wars, ments are considerably affected by wars, and that during a good many centuries dynastic questions and the personality of monarchs brought about the wars of which the results occasion- ally depended on the military skill of commanders who happened to be in control of the armies. In the period in which we have recently been dealing, the great war of the Spanish succession was directly dynastic. It arose because the house of Hapsburg and the house of Bourbon each desired to possess itself of Spain ; England intervened, because the French king came to recognise the exiled Stuart as King of England. We are now coming to another group of wars. To-day we can look back and see that a great contest between France