It was well understood, however, by all the parties that the peace of Ryswyck was a truce during which the struggle concerning the Spanish Succession would be transferred from the field of battle to the field of diplomacy, in the hope that some solution might be found.  The question was clearly of supreme importance to the States, for it involved the destiny of the Spanish Netherlands.  England, too, had great interests at stake, and was determined to prevent the annexation of the Belgic provinces by France.  With Charles II the male line of the Spanish Habsburgs became extinct; and there were three principal claimants in the female line of succession.  The claim of the Dauphin was much the strongest, for he was the grandson of Anne of Austria, Philip III’s eldest daughter, and the son of Maria Theresa of Austria, Charles II’s eldest sister.  But both these queens of France had on their marriage solemnly renounced their rights of succession.  Louis XIV, however, asserted that his wife’s renunciation was invalid, since the dowry, the payment of which was guaranteed by the marriage contract, had never been received.  The younger sister of Maria Theresa had been married to the emperor; and two sons and a daughter had been the fruit of the union.  This daughter in her turn had wedded the Elector of Bavaria, and had issue one boy of ten years.  The Elector himself, Maximilian Emmanuel, had been for five years Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, where his rule had been exceedingly popular.  William knew that one of the chief objects of the French king in concluding peace was to break up the Grand Alliance and so prepare the way for a masterful assertion of his rights as soon as the Spanish throne was vacant; and with patient diplomatic skill he set to work at once to arrange for such a partition of the Spanish monarchy among the claimants as should prevent the Belgic provinces from falling into the hands of a first-class power and preserve Spain itself with its overseas possessions from the rule of a Bourbon prince.  He had no difficulty in persuading the States to increase their fleet and army in case diplomacy should fail, for the Dutch were only too well aware of the seriousness of the French menace to their independence.  In England, where jealousy of a standing army had always been strong, he was less successful, and Parliament insisted on the disbanding of many thousands of seasoned troops.  The object at which William aimed was a partition treaty; and a partition was actually arranged (October 11, 1698).  This arrangement, according to the ideas of the time, paid no respect whatever to the wishes of the peoples, who were treated as mere pawns by these unscrupulous diplomatists.  The Spanish people, as might be expected, were vehemently opposed to any partition of the empire of Charles V and Philip II; and, in consequence of the influences that were brought to bear upon him, Charles II left by will the young electoral prince, Joseph Ferdinand,