The Pacte de Famille is one of three separate, but similar alliances between the Bourbon kings of France and Spain.
The first Pacte de Famille
The first of the three Pacto de Familia was agreed on November 7, 1733 between Philip V of Spain and his nephew Louis XV of France, in the Treaty of the Escorial. The War of the Spanish Succession was fought to prevent a union of France and Spain; this meant despite their family ties, the two countries were opponents in the 1718 to 1720 War of the Quadruple Alliance. When Cardinal Fleury became French chief minister in 1726, he sought a closer relationship with Spain; this was made easier by the birth of Louis' heir in 1729, which seemed to ensure the two would remain separate. Louis' wife, Maria Leszczyńska, was the daughter of Stanislaus I, former king of Poland, deposed by Augustus II in 1709. After Augustus' death in February 1733, Louis saw an opportunity to weaken Austria by backing his father-in-law to regain the throne, while Philip wanted to regain Spanish territories in Naples and Sicily, ceded to Austria in 1714. This led to their participation in the War of the Polish Succession in 1733. In the treaty, France also agreed to help Spain retake Gibraltar, while Spain agreed to end commercial concessions given to Britain in 1714. Neither of these conditions were fulfilled at this point but these tensions would eventually lead to the War of Jenkins Ear and the War of the Austrian Succession. Although Stanislas failed to regain the Polish throne, France acquired the strategic Duchy of Lorraine, while Philip won back Naples and Sicily for his son Charles.
The third Family Compact was made on 15 August 1761 by King Charles III of Spain and Louis XV in the Treaty of Paris. Charles III was the son of Philip V, making him Louis's first cousin. At this time France was fighting the Seven Years' War against Great Britain. Charles's alliance reversed the policy of his predecessor, Ferdinand VI, who wished to keep Spain out of the war. The agreement involved Spain's allies Naples and Tuscany. The third Pacte however was a complete disaster - the British soon captured both the Spanish capitals of the East and West Indies - Manila and Havana respectively. Worse was to follow - Spain agreed to attack Britain's long standing ally Portugal and thus invaded in 1762 with a large army. British troops numbering near 10,000 supported the Portuguese, but in spite of three attempts the Spanish along with their French ally were heavily defeated losing in total upwards of 25,000 men. With the war lost, France as compensation ceded the rest of Louisiana to Spain at the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau. At the Treaty of Paris the following year Charles III was able to retrieve Havana and Manilla but ceded all of Florida to the British.
Later Franco-Spanish Pacts
On April 12, 1779, France and Spain signed the Treaty of Aranjuez by which Spain joined the French-initiated war against Great Britain for territory that the two had lost in the Seven Years' War at the Treaty of Paris and earlier at the Treaty of Utrecht for Spain to reacquire Gibraltar. This treaty was seen as a renewal of the third Pacte de Famille and so was not named the fourth Pacte de Famille.
