Louis XIV of France waged a series of successful wars in order to extend the French territory. He conquered Alsace and Lorraine (1678–1681) that included the free imperial city of Straßburg and invaded the Electorate of the Palatinate (1688–1697) in the War of the Grand Alliance. Louis established a number of courts whose sole function was to reinterpret historic decrees and treaties, the Treaties of Nijmegen (1678) and the Peace of Westphalia (1648) in particular in favor of his policies of conquest. He considered the conclusions of these courts, the "Chambres de réunion" as sufficient justification for his boundless annexations. Louis' forces operated inside the Holy Roman Empire largely unopposed, because all available imperial contingents fought in Austria in the Great Turkish War. The Grand Alliance of 1689 took up arms against France and countered any further military advances of Louis. The conflict ended in 1697 as both parties agreed to peace talks after either side had realized, that a total victory was financially unattainable. The Treaty of Ryswick provided for the return of the Electorate of the Palatinate to the empire.