Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument18 October 1748

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

18 October 1748

The 1748 peace treaty that ended the War of the Austrian Succession, a war George II took part in personally.

Ended the war George II personally fought in, shaping the later course of his reign.

Ask George II about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Title page of the printed Treaty of Peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle on 18 October 1748, printed by the Imprimerie Royale in Paris in 1750. Cream paper with black serif type and a crowned royal coat of arms below the text, plus a faded red stamp at left and a handwritten number 95 at lower right.
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 18 October 1748. Printed edition, Imprimerie Royale, Paris, 1750.

About this source

What it is

This printed document is the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in 1748 by Britain, France and the Dutch Republic, with other powers acceding soon after. It ended the War of the Austrian Succession following negotiations at Aachen. The copy shown is a printed edition from 1750, published in Paris.

Why it matters

George II of Britain, Maria Theresa of Austria, and Louis XV of France were all affected by its terms, which included recognising Prussia's hold on Silesia and restoring other territories. The treaty satisfied almost none of the powers involved, leaving disputes that led to the Seven Years' War less than a decade later. It shows the complicated diplomacy and compromises that shaped George II's reign.

Look closer

  • Why might a treaty that pleased no one still be signed by every power involved?
  • What does the treaty's list of unresolved issues tell you about the limits of 18th-century diplomacy?
  • What does this document not tell you about the ordinary people affected by the war?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of George II on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More George II sources

Meet the AI George II →
Document

Primary source

Charter of the Colony of Georgia

George II / Crown of Great Britain · 1732

Document

Primary source

Zadok the Priest

George Frideric Handel · 1727

Painting of an equestrian group on a battlefield. A man in a red coat on a grey horse, wearing a tricorn hat, looks toward the viewer. Beside him a second rider in a red coat holds reins. Behind, more riders and a standard bearer. In the left background, soldiers fight amid smoke, and fallen men lie on the ground.Painting

Primary source

George II at the Battle of Dettingen, with the Duke of Cumberland and Robert, 4th Earl of Holderness

John Wootton · 1743

Book

Primary source

Memoirs of the Reign of George the Second, from his Accession to the Death of Queen Caroline

John Hervey, Baron Hervey

Hand-coloured etching of the 1749 fireworks display on the Thames at Whitehall, showing a large central fireworks tower spraying sparks, rockets bursting in the night sky, illuminated pillars and arches along the riverbank, and many decorated barges and boats on the water. Diagrams of individual firework devices fill the left and right margins, with French and English captions below.Document

Primary source

Music for the Royal Fireworks

George Frideric Handel · 1749

Ready when you are

Start chatting with George II now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions