alternatehistory.com
1337-8: The Low Countries
1337-8: THE LOWLANDS, THE LOWLANDS
"...The Low Countries of the mid-14th century found themselves caught in a frightful web. The westernmost portions were bound by tradition and geography to France and as had been demonstrated only a few years earlier, ignoring that rarely went well. But they were also bound to England for its wool trade, on which their own textile industries depended. The Prince of Wales' wool boycott swiftly proved devastating to the region, weakening the Count of Flanders' always precarious grip on his patrimony. Louis of Nevers responded with typical tone-deafness, pledging further support to Jean of France, and to allow the as-yet-theoretical French invasion fleet to use Flanders as its launching-off point[1]. As usual, Nevers forgot that he was not a popular man in Flanders--the brutal means which had been used to return him to power in the region were not forgotten, nor was the fact that it had been the French King who had supplied them. These new actions only cemented the impression of Nevers as a French dupe...
"The eastern provinces were theoretically Imperial, though chipped, chipped away by the French monarchs and their subjects over the years. The attitude of the previous emperors had varied from bellicose resentment to wary acceptance to this. Ludwig of Bavaria tended towards the former, and was the Prince of Wales' in-law in multiple directions on top of this. Despite this, there was little worry about Ludwig intervening in the looming war between France and England initially--Ludwig had spent a lengthy reign preoccupied by his internal Imperial rivalries and feud with the Papacy, and while these problems had lessened, they had hardly ceased...
"...In early 1337, Nevers' grip on the region was failing, not only in traditional fonts of rebellion like Bruges but even in formerly loyal cities such as Ghent[2]. Despite this, both France's war and foreign policy continued on as if the region were the same as ever... In April, Jean topped his granting of the Duchy of Normandy to his heir, Prince Louis, by purchasing for the child five castles in the Cambresis from the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai, including Cambrai itself[3]. The Emperor was outraged--he had ordered the Prince-Bishop to make no such sale as an Imperial subject and been rebuffed. This was hardly a surprise--the Prince-Bishop was a suffragen of Reims, frequently dependent on the French Crown for his appointment--this present one was a Burgundian by birth, a protege of the Duchess of Anjou, and Chancellor to Louis of Nevers[4]. Still it was a blatant insult to Ludwig's status as Emperor and he took it as such.
"The alarm was not limited to the Emperor--many Imperial Princes in the Low Countries were worried about further French aggrandisement. Jean did nothing to quell their fears, refusing the Duke of Anjou's suggestion to issue a circular insisting on the Crown's good intent[5]. Reportedly, Jean stated 'The Most Christian King needs explain nothing to his lessers' when it was suggested to him, though this might be apocryphal. In truth, Anjou was hardly blameless in the affair--he had arranged the sale himself, by some reports in return for permission to pursue that more famous land deal to the south[6]... Among those offended was William of Hainault, shared father-in-law of the Emperor and the Prince of Wales. Despite being a traditional ally of the French--indeed, his wife was the Duke of Anjou's sister--the sale of the castles both threatened his own lands and interfered with his plans for territorial aggrandisement. William began to serve as a linchpin for a Low Country coalition against France, and reached out to his prestigious son-in-laws. In one swoop, Jean had turned England's hoped for Imperial alliance into a reality[7].
"Even as the external threat to France in the Lowlands increased, the internal threat suddenly reared its head again. In late December, after just over a year of no wool shipments, another urban revolt took place in Flanders, starting in Ghent. By the next year, most of the major cities had followed, and a rebel government had been put into place...[8]"
--The Long War, Vol. 1: The Campaign of Flanders, Alexander Cole (1994)
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[1] This was the case IOTL. As I noted earlier, Nevers was really terrible at running Flanders.
[2] Also OTL. See above.
[3] Philip VI likewise bought these castles for his son IOTL. Because the King of France couldn't buy them for himself. That would be alarming.
[4] This was the case IOTL.
[5] In John's defense, Philip issued such a circular IOTL, and it did not a lick of good.
[6] What is this? We shall see in THE FUTURE!
[7] Well, not quite. The author is telescoping things.
[8] Which also happened IOTL. Louis of Nevers. He was something.
"...The Low Countries of the mid-14th century found themselves caught in a frightful web. The westernmost portions were bound by tradition and geography to France and as had been demonstrated only a few years earlier, ignoring that rarely went well. But they were also bound to England for its wool trade, on which their own textile industries depended. The Prince of Wales' wool boycott swiftly proved devastating to the region, weakening the Count of Flanders' always precarious grip on his patrimony. Louis of Nevers responded with typical tone-deafness, pledging further support to Jean of France, and to allow the as-yet-theoretical French invasion fleet to use Flanders as its launching-off point[1]. As usual, Nevers forgot that he was not a popular man in Flanders--the brutal means which had been used to return him to power in the region were not forgotten, nor was the fact that it had been the French King who had supplied them. These new actions only cemented the impression of Nevers as a French dupe...
"The eastern provinces were theoretically Imperial, though chipped, chipped away by the French monarchs and their subjects over the years. The attitude of the previous emperors had varied from bellicose resentment to wary acceptance to this. Ludwig of Bavaria tended towards the former, and was the Prince of Wales' in-law in multiple directions on top of this. Despite this, there was little worry about Ludwig intervening in the looming war between France and England initially--Ludwig had spent a lengthy reign preoccupied by his internal Imperial rivalries and feud with the Papacy, and while these problems had lessened, they had hardly ceased...
"...In early 1337, Nevers' grip on the region was failing, not only in traditional fonts of rebellion like Bruges but even in formerly loyal cities such as Ghent[2]. Despite this, both France's war and foreign policy continued on as if the region were the same as ever... In April, Jean topped his granting of the Duchy of Normandy to his heir, Prince Louis, by purchasing for the child five castles in the Cambresis from the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai, including Cambrai itself[3]. The Emperor was outraged--he had ordered the Prince-Bishop to make no such sale as an Imperial subject and been rebuffed. This was hardly a surprise--the Prince-Bishop was a suffragen of Reims, frequently dependent on the French Crown for his appointment--this present one was a Burgundian by birth, a protege of the Duchess of Anjou, and Chancellor to Louis of Nevers[4]. Still it was a blatant insult to Ludwig's status as Emperor and he took it as such.
"The alarm was not limited to the Emperor--many Imperial Princes in the Low Countries were worried about further French aggrandisement. Jean did nothing to quell their fears, refusing the Duke of Anjou's suggestion to issue a circular insisting on the Crown's good intent[5]. Reportedly, Jean stated 'The Most Christian King needs explain nothing to his lessers' when it was suggested to him, though this might be apocryphal. In truth, Anjou was hardly blameless in the affair--he had arranged the sale himself, by some reports in return for permission to pursue that more famous land deal to the south[6]... Among those offended was William of Hainault, shared father-in-law of the Emperor and the Prince of Wales. Despite being a traditional ally of the French--indeed, his wife was the Duke of Anjou's sister--the sale of the castles both threatened his own lands and interfered with his plans for territorial aggrandisement. William began to serve as a linchpin for a Low Country coalition against France, and reached out to his prestigious son-in-laws. In one swoop, Jean had turned England's hoped for Imperial alliance into a reality[7].
"Even as the external threat to France in the Lowlands increased, the internal threat suddenly reared its head again. In late December, after just over a year of no wool shipments, another urban revolt took place in Flanders, starting in Ghent. By the next year, most of the major cities had followed, and a rebel government had been put into place...[8]"
--The Long War, Vol. 1: The Campaign of Flanders, Alexander Cole (1994)
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[1] This was the case IOTL. As I noted earlier, Nevers was really terrible at running Flanders.
[2] Also OTL. See above.
[3] Philip VI likewise bought these castles for his son IOTL. Because the King of France couldn't buy them for himself. That would be alarming.
[4] This was the case IOTL.
[5] In John's defense, Philip issued such a circular IOTL, and it did not a lick of good.
[6] What is this? We shall see in THE FUTURE!
[7] Well, not quite. The author is telescoping things.
[8] Which also happened IOTL. Louis of Nevers. He was something.
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