Rodney Walter, age 17, of Cumberland, Md., for his question:

WHAT WAS THE PEACE OF UTRECHT?

The Peace of Utrecht was one of the great international peace settlements of history. The conference opened in Utrecht, Holland in 1712, at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. In America, this was known as Queen Anne's War, one of the French and Indian Wars.

Representatives from all major European nations met to discuss peace terms. They signed the Peace of Utrecht agreements in 1713.

Many changes in the map of Europe were made as a result of the y Peace of Utrecht. The agreement tried to establish a balance of power and also helped to increase Great Britain's colonial and commercial power.

France agreed that Spain and France would never be united under one ruler. Great Britain acquired Gibraltar and the island of Minorca from Spain. Austria received Milan, Naples and Sardinia from Spain.

In America, France ceded Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the Hudson Bay territory to Great Britain but retained New France (Quebec).