On This Day

Duke of Savoy signs on to the League of Augsburg, opposing France

The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. A coalition between the Dutch Republic, England, and the Habsburg Monarchy, its primary purpose was to oppose the expansionist policies of Louis XIV of France. With the subsequent additions of Spain and Savoy, the Grand Alliance fought the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War against France that ended with the Peace of Ryswick. It was reformed by the 1701 Treaty of The Hague prior to the War of the Spanish Succession, and dissolved in 1713 following the Peace of Utrecht.

Historical Significance

The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Events Before

  1. Isaac Newton's great work, "Principia," is published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and u

    Isaac Newton's great work, "Principia," is published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation

  2. The Acropolis in Athens is attacked by the Venetian army in an attempt to expel the Turks, damaging the Parthenon

    The Acropolis in Athens is attacked by the Venetian army in an attempt to expel the Turks, damaging the Parthenon

  3. Explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, is murdered by his o

    Explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, is murdered by his own men

  4. American-English official Elihu Yale becomes Governor of Fort St. George, Madras, the East India's Company's major tradi

    American-English official Elihu Yale becomes Governor of Fort St. George, Madras, the East India's Company's major trading port in India

  5. Battle of Mohács: Ottoman invaders of Hungary are routed by forces of the Holy Roman Emperor under Charles of Lorraine

    Battle of Mohács: Ottoman invaders of Hungary are routed by forces of the Holy Roman Emperor under Charles of Lorraine

Events After

  1. Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jo

    Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife, Mary, the daughter of the exiled King James II

  2. Parliament of England adopts the Bill of Rights, establishing the rights of Parliament and placing limits on the Crown

    The constitution of the United Kingdom comprises the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body.

  3. Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō leaves Edo on his epic 150-day journey to Honshu Island in Japan, which he writes about in th

    Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō leaves Edo on his epic 150-day journey to Honshu Island in Japan, which he writes about in the literary masterpiece "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)

  4. Battle of Killiecrankie: Jacobite Scottish Highlanders under Viscount Dundee defeat royalist forces under General Hugh M

    Battle of Killiecrankie: Jacobite Scottish Highlanders under Viscount Dundee defeat royalist forces under General Hugh Mackay

  5. Lord Halifax becomes Speaker of the English House of Lords

    Lord Halifax becomes Speaker of the English House of Lords

More from the 1680s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 26, 1688?
The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. A coalition between the Dutch Republic, England, and the Habsburg Monarchy, its primary purpose was to oppose the expansionist policies of Louis XIV of France. With the subsequent additions of Spain and Savoy, the Grand Alliance fought the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War against France that ended with the Peace of Ryswick.
Why is Duke of Savoy signs on to the League of Augsburg, opposing France significant?
The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

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