The stately quadrille is a term popularly used to describe the constantly shifting alliances between the Great Powers of Europe during the 18th century. The ultimate objective was to maintain the balance of power in Europe, and to stop any one alliance or country becoming too strong. It takes its name from the quadrille

Quadrille

Quadrille is a historic dance performed by four couples in a square formation, a precursor to traditional square dancing. It is also a style of music...

, a dance in which the participants constantly swap partners.

The most widely cited instance of this was in 1756 when Britain and Austria abandoned the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance

Anglo-Austrian Alliance

The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...

 and instead made new alliances with former enemies Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

 and France respectively in what was known as the Diplomatic Revolution

Diplomatic Revolution

The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 is a term applied to the reversal of longstanding diplomatic alliances which were upheld until the War of the Austrian Succession and then reversed in the Seven Years' War; the shift has also been known as "the great change of partners"...

.

Background

Shifting alliances had long been a factor in European politics. It was often regarded as a response to shifting threats in power and threat. During the 16th and early 17th century much of the emphasis in European politics had been on restricting the power of Spain.

In the second half of the century they were replaced by France as Europe's leading power. A number of European coalitions were formed against them culminating in the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

 from 1702 to 1713.

Quadrille

In the years immediately after the war Britain and France, widely considered to have been the leaders of opposing coalitions in the last war, formed an Anglo-French Alliance

Anglo-French Alliance

This article covers the Anglo-French Alliance between 1716 and 1731. For the alliance that has existed since 1904 see Entente CordialeThe Anglo-French Alliance is the name for the alliance between Great Britain and France between 1716 and 1731...

recognising that they shared temporary, mutual interests. In the years that followed they managed to defeat a resurgent Spain (formerly a French ally) in the War of the Quadruple Alliance

War of the Quadruple Alliance

The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...

. Spain sought an alliance with Austria, and gained it in 1725.

By 1731 Britain and France were clearly drifting apart. A diplomatic initiative with Austria was begun by the British government, and a new Anglo-Austrian Alliance

Anglo-Austrian Alliance

The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...

 was created. Spain withdrew its friendship with Austria, and eventually ended up allied to France once more.

In 1733, however the Anglo-Austrian Alliance

Anglo-Austrian Alliance

The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...

 seemed under threat when the British failed to assist the Austrians in the War of the Polish Succession

War of the Polish Succession

The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...

. Austria had to rely heavily on Russia for assistance, and was force to make huge concessions to France in the peace treaty of 1738. Britain realised that its failure to intervene had allowed France to become too strong.

In 1740, Prussia, an emerging power, attacked Austria. Britain and France soon became embroiled in the war. It ended in a stalemate in 1748, but Austria appeared to have lost most in the war. Despite extensive British funding they were growing increasingly disillusioned about the Anglo-Austrian Alliance

Anglo-Austrian Alliance

The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austria crucial to prevent the further expansion of French...

 and began casting around for a replacement.

In 1756 Austria did what was considered unthinkable by many, and abandoned its British connection to form a new alliance with France. Fearing that this would destabilise continental Europe and lead to war, Britain made an alliance with Prussia at the Convention of Westminster, hoping that the new balance of power

Balance of power in international relations

In international relations, a balance of power exists when there is parity or stability between competing forces. The concept describes a state of affairs in the international system and explains the behavior of states in that system...

 would prevent war.

Decline

The concept began to fade in the second half of the 18th century, as Britain and France became the dominant European powers. Its failure to prevent the Seven Years War, in which over a million died, was a major factor. States began to seek a more stable and lasting series of alliances one of the most successful in the second half of the century was the Bourbon Family Compact between France and Spain, which was able to defeat Britain in the American War of Independence.

After the Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

, a Concert of Europe

Concert of Europe

The Concert of Europe , also known as the Congress System after the Congress of Vienna, was the balance of power that existed in Europe from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the outbreak of World War I , albeit with major alterations after the revolutions of 1848...

 was set up to create a forum for discussion rather than creating shifting alliance patterns, which had a tendency to cause major wars.

Further reading

• Clark, Christopher. Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600–1947. Penguin Books, 2007
• Simms, Brendan. Three Victories and a Defeat. Penguin Books, 2008.
• Strachan, Hew. The First World War. Simon & Schuster, 2006