Treaty of Utrecht 1714

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713) was fought among several European countries; at issue were fears over a possible unification of France and Spain under one Bourbon monarch, which the British, Dutch, some Spanish, and others opposed. The war ended with the signing of the Treaties of Utrecht, which divided the spoils among the prevailing monarchies. This treaty grants the United Kingdom a 30-year monopoly in supplying slaves to the Spanish colonies. Later, France gained this coveted contract; however, her revolutionary-era government would be the first to declare an official end to slavery and the slave trade in 1794.