Treaty of Rastatt in European politics, associated with the shift to the balance of power politics. Austria began to negotiate the treaty with France after it had been abandoned by its allies, particularly Great Britain, during negotiations for the Treaty of Utrecht. Great Britain feared a possible connection of Austria and Spain in the person of the Emperor Charles VI, who became emperor in 1711 and claimed the Spanish throne, as it would shift the balance of power politics in Europe to Habsburg Austria. In June 1713, France launched the Rhine campaign against the Holy Roman Empire, conquering Kaiserslautern, Landau and Breisgau. After
France–Switzerland relations France–Switzerland relations Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and France have traditionally been close, notably through important economic and cultural exchanges. Switzerland and France, which is part of the European Union, share about 600 km of border (prompting strong cross-border cooperation) and a language (French is one of Switzerland's four official languages). In 1516, France and Switzerland signed a Treaty of Perpetual Peace (). A military treaty was signed in 1521. France has been appointing ambassadors to Switzerland since the 16th century and Switzerland's first representation abroad, in 1798, was in French capital Paris (closely followed by a consulate in Bordeaux). By