Treaty of Utrecht

Important peace treaty in European history, which was signed in 1713 between France and England. Also called Peace of Utrecht (Utrecht being the Dutch city where the treaty was signed). It ended the War of the Spanish Succession. Philip V was recognized as the legitimate king of Spain, thus founding the Spanish branch of the Bourbon dynasty and ending the French king Louis XIV's attempts at expansion.

The Netherlands, Milan and Naples were ceded to Austria, Britain gained Gibraltar and the Duchy of Savoy was granted Sicily.

The Treaty of Utrecht also had an strong impact on history of America (the continent, not the country).

As a result of this treaty, France ceded the following territories to England:

• Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait
• Acadie (without Cape Breton Island, which included the territories now known as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island)
• Newfoundland (which was then reclaimed by both France and England)

The Treaty also recognized the Iroquois as British servants and France was not supposed to fight against them anymore. The Iroquois themselves were not too happy about that because they were not asked about who they wanted to ally themselves with.

The Treaty of Utrecht was the first big loss for France in the new world and forced the French pioneers to explore and populate the region west to the Great Lakes. It is often refered in Québec's history as "le début de la fin" (the start of the end, referring to French presence in North America).