Terms of the Treaty of Ryswick In war just as in real life, you lose some and you gain some. All parties to the Treaty of Ryswick, which was signed by all the warring parties in September 1697, had to surrender some of the territories they held or had won during the conflict. In exchange for what they gave up, they were rewarded with other territories, to compensate them for their loses. France on its part gave up part of the territories it was holding in Europe. The territories surrendered by France were formerly parts of Spain, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire, as covered by an earlier peace treaty between the warring parties at Nijmegen in 1679.

France surrendered to the Holy Roman Empire, the following cities and towns: Freiburg, Breisach and Philippsburg. In exchange France recovered Pondicherry and Nova Scotia in what is now Canada. She was further awarded the western part of Santo Domingo, which she promptly renamed Saint-Domingue. Saint-Domingue later metamorphosed into Haiti, after it won its independence from France. In exchange for giving France the western one third of Hispaniola, Spain got back from France the following territories: Catalonia, Mons, Luxembourg and Kortrijk. As for King William of Orange, his labors in fighting France to a stand-still were not in vain. France was forced by the Treaty of Ryswick, to recognize him as King William III of England; and thus King Louis XIV of France was barred from giving any further assistance to James II as king, in the tussle between him and William of Orange, for the coveted crown of the English throne.

Consequences of the Treaty of Ryswick The consequences of the Treaty of Ryswick extended and resonated far beyond Europe and the warring parties, to the newly established European colonies, particularly in the Americas, Asia and Africa. The Treaty of Ryswick marks the beginning of balkanization of whole peoples and compact ethnic entities into arbitrary geographical units, to suit the whims and caprices of European colonizing powers. This is well illustrated by what became of the people of Hispaniola. By the Treaty of Ryswick, the indigenous peoples of Ayti who had lived together as neighbors for centuries; became separated into two distinct geographical creations.

The western one third of Hispaniola Island became Saint Dominique under the rule of France, while the eastern two thirds remained under the suzerainty of Spain with the name Santo Domingo. This Treaty of Ryswick was signed in order to make peace between two warring parties, France and Spain; in a dispute which the indigenous peoples, knew nothing about. As the old adage goes, when two elephants fight, the grass under them suffers. This was the fate of Taino people. They became separated into two colonies. A compact ethnic unit with identical customs and traditions now became strangers. Extended family members had to carry traveling papers and passports in order to visit their kith and kin living across an arbitrary boarder.

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