Treaty of The Hague (1720)  The 1720 Treaty of The Hague was signed on 17 February 1720 between Spain and the Quadruple Alliance, established by the 1718 Treaty of London. Its members included Britain, France, the Dutch Republic and Austria. By signing, Spain joined the Alliance, ending the War of the Quadruple Alliance and accepting the terms of the Treaty of London. As previously agreed at Utrecht in 1713, Philip V confirmed his renunciation of the French throne and Spanish claims to their former Italian possessions. In exchange, Emperor Charles VI renounced his claim on the Spanish throne and four year old Charles of Spain was recognised as heir to the Duchies of Parma and Tuscany. In another clause, Savoy and Austria exchanged Sicily for Sardinia. The central principle of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht ending the 1701 to 1714 War of the Spanish Succession was neither France or Austria could be united with Spain. In return, Philip V, grandson of Louis XIV, was confirmed as the first Bourbon king of Spain. He ceded Naples, Sicily, Milan and the Southern Netherlands to Austria, and Sardinia to Savoy, while Britain retained Gibraltar and Menorca. Philip viewed regaining these as vital to his prestige and this became the key foreign policy objective for Spain's new Chief Minister, Cardinal Giulio Alberoni. A native of Parma, Alberoni arranged the 1714 marriage between Philip and Elisabeth Farnese, niece of the Duke of Parma. She also supported this policy; Philip had two sons from his first marriage next in line to the Spanish throne and she wanted to create an Italian inheritance for her own children. When Louis XIV died in 1715, his five year old great-grandson became Louis XV; if he died, the closest legitimate heir was his uncle, Philip of Spain, casting doubt on the renunciation made at Utrecht. Emperor Charles VI, Austrian candidate for the Spanish throne until becoming Holy Roman Emperor in 1711, also refused to formally renounce his claim. The Duke of Orléans, who served as Regent during Louis XV's minority, needed peace to rebuild the economy, which meant ensuring compliance with Utrecht; since this required British support, it led to the 1716 Anglo-French alliance. Austria had delayed implementation of the Dutch Barrier, an objective for which the Dutch Republic effectively bankrupted themselves. In January 1717, they joined France and Britain in the 1717 Triple Alliance, which reiterated the provisions of Utrecht and agreed Savoy and Austria would exchange Sicily and Sardinia.