Els entrebancs de la pau. Els acords de Nimega i la crisi del cors mallorquí, 1678-1684

On 19 August 1678, in the city of Nijmegen, France and Spain decided to put an end to the so-called War of Holland, which had started in 1672. The cessation of the war should have involved the immediate disruption of any clash between armies and navies concerned. This, however, was not so easy, given the difficulties in spreading the news about the end of the war through the different territories of both Crowns. And before that, the agreements had to be ratified by their respective monarchs, and later had to be made public around the world. At that time, communication by the existing means was absolutely insufficient for an immediate restoration of peace. So its consequences can be easily predictable: more attacks and prizes. In a supposed still war period, and a load of conflicts when the peace situation was established and a lot of damage should be restored. Inevitable victims of this new situation were the privateers. For them, as legal predators, war was the only reason of their success. The Peace of Nijmegen proved immensely harmful for Majorican privateers and caused to them a serious crisis when it came to their business operations.