ABSTRACT
The treaties of Utrecht, signed in the Dutch city between April and July 1713, were monumental events. The consequences of the treaties were, ultimately, to prove highly significant and shaped understandings of the European states system for a generation and more. Queen Anne's health had deteriorated considerably since the signing of the Utrecht treaty in the previous year and the pressure over the succession issue was building. The Utrecht settlement assumed an important place in British strategic thinking after 1713 but its meaning remained contested. Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke, was unconvinced of the wisdom of sending Whitworth to participate in the final acts of the peace process, fearing that he would be dragged into the minor disputes that tended to characterize Reich politics. The Utrecht treaties had included multiple mentions of the 'balance of power' as a desirable aim for the European states system, along with the desire to preserve an equilibrium within Europe.
