A note was written about Louis after the
death of Louvois "Since the death of M. de Louvois, the king works an
extra three to four hours every day. He writes many orders in his own
hand." (Buranelli 155). As the war bore on money began to become a
crisis and shortage for the French " the kingdom was already dangerously
threatened by economic distress that had followed bad harvests, and the King's
government was beginning to be severely pinched by lack of money, even though
new fiscal policies where attempting to tap a larger flow of revenue."
(Wolf 472). Louis wanted this to soon be over and he wished for a treaty
to be signed but "It soon became obvious that these victories of 1693 were
not going to force the "enemies" to a conference table" (Wolf
475).
"But after 1693 the situation changed drastically: Louis was
hard pressed by a Europe that was rapidly learning as much about the
organization of war as the French knew it, and each effort to disengage seemed
to leave the possibility of peace farther and farther away. However, just as in
1678 the break between William of Orange and the Bourgeois politicians in the
General Estates gave Louis the chance to break the coalition, so in 1695-96 the
defection of the Duke of Savoy and the subsequent Treaty of Turin made peace
possible. Louis should have reflected that in both cases it was luck that
allowed him to disengage from the war; perhaps he did, for, as we shall see, in
the following few years he desperately tried to prevent another one."(Wolf
488).
"[...] the so called War of the League of Augsburg--lasted
until the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, although the substance of the fighting was
concentrated in the first few years. This experience should have proved
to Louis that he could now undertake no policy aimed at a further acquisition
of territory or influence without risking European war. Louis made no
gains of any importance at Ryswick and meanwhile William of Orange had been
successfully established, after the Revolution of 1688, as King of
England." (Judge 26).
