LOUIS XIV. 293 claim to the Spanish throne on behalf of his wife. He meant not the Upper Rhine, but the whole Rhine, to be the boundary of the French kingdom. This aggressive policy first manifested itself when Philip iv. of Spain died, and the Spanish regency, on the accession of the boy Charles 11. in Spain, refused to recognise Louis's theory, that his wife was the heiress of the Netherland provinces. Louis pro- ceeded to invade the Spanish Netherlands and Franche Comte, took complete possession of the latter, and captured The Triple most of the fortresses in the former. His alarm- Alliance, ingly rapid progress brought about the Triple Alliance between England, Sweden and Holland ; but Louis secured his immediate object by a private agreement with the Emperor Leopold, who had married the younger sister of the French king's Spanish wife. When Charles should die, an event which every one looked for at an early date, the younger sister was to have Spain, and the elder sister was to have the rest. So Louis contented himself with a peace which left him in possession of the captured Nether- lands' fortresses. But Louis had other designs. He intended to be at once the champion and dictator of Catholicism. He intended to restore Catholicism in England, and to destroy the Calvinistic Dutch Republic ; and he also intended France to become entirely Catholic. The King of England was quite Charles, and willing to fall in with his plans, provided that he the Dutch could dupe the English people. He did not dare p to defy the parliament which was learning to keep a jealous eye on expenditure. He wanted cash for his own purposes, and had no qualms about selling himself and his country for the French king's gold. An anti-Dutch programme seemed practicable be- cause of the jealousy subsisting between England and Holland, which had twice fought each other during the last twenty years. Besides, the overthrow of the Republic was to provide his young nephew, William of Orange, with a throne, though he was to occupy it by the grace of England and France. So Louis made his private bargain with Charles Stuart, whose ministers were quite ready to desert Holland, while they were kept in ignorance of the other details. Sweden also was detached
