 Since the closest heirs were from the ruling Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families, the succession was of great significance to the European balance of power and a matter of debate for many years.From 1665, Louis XIV fought a series of wars to achieve defensible borders and establish French military supremacy in Europe, most recently the 1688–1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance.It ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, while Louis accepted he could not achieve his objectives without support.