a Kingdom with Natural Borders (Bourbon France TL)

[oca2073]

My first attempt at early modern TL, all constructive criticism and tips are appreciated.


1663

With the death of the French Ambassador and his associates in Rome at the hands of the Pope's Corsican guards, the Papacy and the French crown were plunged into a diplomatic crisis. With the proud Louis XIV's ego insulted, he broke off all diplomatic relations, withdrew the French embassy from Rome and immediately occupied the Comtat of Venaissin and Avignon, the papal enclave in southern France. The former action was actually welcomed by Pope Alexander VIII who was much annoyed at the longstanding practice of foreign nations to treat their diplomatic quarters as virtual fiefs in the Eternal City. Indeed, it was a dispute over arbitration and jurisdiction that had led to Charles III de Créquy being dispatched by Louis XIV in the first place. The Duke was now dead at the hands of the Papal Guards.

Pope Alexander VIII attempted to reach a diplomatic resolution to the unfortunate affair but the death of the French ambassador was too great an insult on Louis XIV's pride and he declared that Avignon would now be forevermore French and the annexation had been approved by the Parlement of Aix. While France eventually restored formal diplomatic ties with the Papacy, it would not give up Avignon and while the Pope considered excommunicating Louis XIV, he very rationally decided Avignon was not worth stirring up a hornet's nest. The Papacy would have to employ other means to persuade Louis XIV to end the occupation in the future.

 

[oca2073]

1672

In the next ten years, Louis XIV had waged one war of aggressive expansion (the War of Devolution) against Spain taking numerous border cities and fortresses in Flanders and illegally occupied the Duchy of Lorraine thus intimidating much of Europe and causing many countries to consider forming a Grand Alliance against the French. At the forefront of such efforts was the Papal States which did nothing to improve French-Papal relations. In 1672, taking advantage of the Anglo-Dutch conflict, Louis XIV declared war agains the Dutch Republic, hoping to defeat it and pave the way for an easier future conquest of the Spanish Netherlands. While the Spanish Netherlands was densely populated with fortresses which always made it difficult and time-consuming to take by French armies, having lands north to it would surround the region and make it much more vulnerable. In addition to the lands taken in the War of Devolution, it would make any future conquest much quicker and cost far fewer French lives.

In the invasion of the Dutch Republic, French troops simply bypassed the strongest Dutch fortresses and marched along the Rhine where they were allowed passage by Cologne and Munster. The Dutch army in shambles due to internal divisions within the Republic, the Republic's fear of the Stadtholder William of Orange meant they deliberately kept the army weak to weaken his power. French forces moved quickly and undermanned Dutch forts surrendered one by one. Led by Louis of Condé the Ijssel Line was eventually outflanked with the armies of Cologne and Munster attacking from the east and soon reached Groningen which they besieged.

With William withdrawing the remainder of his army (that he wanted to preserve in future conflicts with his political enemies within the Republic) beyond the Water Line, the city of Utrecht surrendered. It was in this mood, the disaster year of 1672, that the Dutch sued for peace. The diplomatic delegation led by Pieter de Groot offered Louis XIV the Generality Lands (which included Zeelandic Flanders and the border fortresses of Maestricht, Bréda, Bois-le-Duc) as well as 10 million guilders. While Louis XIV's first instinct was to refuse and continue the war, there were disturbing reports of the Papacy plotting an alliance with the Habsburgs to enter the war which had the potential to drag many other countries against the French if the Pope chose to excommunicate him. Louis XIV reasoned he had achieved his objectives even if he hadn't conquered the entirety of the Netherlands. The Spanish Netherlands would be very vulnerable now to future attack and he was acquiring Catholic lands and freeing them from Protestant oppression which burnished his Catholic credentials at a time when the Pope was seeking to attack his reputation.

The peace offer was signed by the end of 1672 and the short-lived Franco-Dutch War was over. And so, France took over the Generality Lands which had themselves been acquired from Spain by the Dutch Republic. Unlike the Seven States of the Republic, the Generality Lands had no representation and were generally treated as internal colonies and its Catholic citizens as second-class citizens with high taxes and conscripted levies. French rule didn't change much of this but at least they were Catholic. Louis XIV divided the new gains into the province of Flanders, Brabant, Gueldres, and Limbourg. The city of Maestricht itself was a shared possession with the Prince Bishopric of Liége.

 

[oca2073]

1679

Olympia Mancini dies of smallpox. Louis XIV is devastated.

1681

Louis le Grand Dauphin marries Anna Maria Luisa de Medici with Louis XIV feeling he needs to create alliances with more Italian powers against the Papacy in the event of an outbreak of war.

1682

The Declaration of the Clergy of France is promulgated which espouses the principles of Gallicanism, reducing the authority of the Pope in favour of civil rulers as well as the bishops. The Pope condemns and annuls the document and refuses to approve the appointment of any French bishops to their sees.

1683

With the Ottomans at the gates of Vienna, Louis XIV decided to take a gamble and invades Strasbourg with the Habsburgs and Holy Roman Empire wholly occupied with events in the east. This action was condemned by the Pope. French armies subsequently occupied the entirety of Alsace including the various remaining islands of territory still owned by German princes of the Holy Roman Empire. This included Salm-Vosges but not Mulhouse which belonged instead to the Swiss Confederacy.

1684

Despite the Spanish defaulting on their obligation to pay Louis of Condé one million francs for old debts according to the Treaty of Pyrenees in 1659, else the County of Charolais would be forfeited, Louis XIV does not want to antagonize the Spanish. By generously waiving the French claim on Charolais, Louis XIV hopes to discourage the Spanish from joining a future war against him.

 

[Mario]

Well, it could be worthy to discuss in first place which borders could be considered 'natural' for France (spoiler: no political entity has 'natural' borders).

Pyrenees and Alps might be clear options in the south, but the rest are not clear, specially in the north: French nationalists used to consider the Rhine as the 'natural' border of Gaul (however the Romans established two Germania provinces west of the Rhine), so it should be also the one for France...but Germans considered the Meuse the 'natural' border between them and the French (as it was during the Middle-ages).

Also the Jura is not an obvious border, as there are Francophone population east of the Jura...but if you consider the Swiss plateau, you are also getting Germanic people there.

 

[oca2073]

Well, it could be worthy to discuss in first place which borders could be considered 'natural' for France (spoiler: no political entity has 'natural' borders).

Pyrenees and Alps might be clear options in the south, but the rest are not clear, specially in the north: French nationalists used to consider the Rhine as the 'natural' border of Gaul (however the Romans established two Germania provinces west of the Rhine), so it should be also the one for France...but Germans considered the Meuse the 'natural' border between them and the French (as it was during the Middle-ages).

Also the Jura is not an obvious border, as there are Francophone population east of the Jura...but if you consider the Swiss plateau, you are also getting Germanic people there.

Obvious no border is "natural", but this is how idealists and budding nationalists of the Ancien Regime will think and find inspiration. Historically, the theory of natural borders was not a thing until the Napoleonic Wars, here the theory will be much more influential on statesmen, ordinary ppl from a much earlier date.

 

[oca2073]

1685-1688

With the Ottomans beaten back from Vienna, Louis XIV was looking for a way to assist his ally against the Habsburgs without losing too much prestige in the eyes of Christendom. He was given a golden opportunity with the death of Charles II, Elector Palatine in May, 1685. Louis claimed the Electoral Palatine for the late Elector's sister Elizabeth Charlotte who also happened to be Duchess of Orleans and sister in law to Louis XIV. The Habsburgs on the other hand supported Philip William of Neuburg who was a cousin to the late Elector. And thus began the War of Palatine Succession.

Louis who had been planning for a long while to revoke the Edict of Nantes was forced to suspend his plans due to the need for resources and taxes for war which the French Huguenots always provided in large sums. Louis was counting on the Habsburgs being too occupied by the Turks to respond. And so he made a second gamble and declared war again, merely two years after he had launched a war of aggression (War of the Reunions) in Alsace.

He was looking to coordinate with the Ottoman forces. But when the Pope (who was leading a Holy League against the Ottomans) threatened excommunication, Louis XIV offered to assist the Austrians against the Ottomans if the rights of his sister in law were upheld. Louis’ second gamble proved successful as he struck the Habsburgs just when they were gaining the initiative against the Turks. The diversion as French armies invaded the Rhineland and then crossed the Rhine forced over 20,000 Habsburg troops to divert back westwards to meet them. After taking the Palatine territories of the Rhineland, Louis' forces marched east and subjected Frankfurt to siege where they defeated the relief Habsburg force. After the surrender of Frankfurt, French armies continued eastwards. The Battle of Frankfurt saw the emergence of Eugene of Savoy as a brilliant, young commander who was quickly promoted up the ranks of the French army. Meanwhile in the Battle of Mohacs in 1687, both sides suffered heavy losses of around 10,000 men as Habsburg and Bavarian forces fought an inconclusive battle against the Ottomans in Hungary. After this, the emperor Leopold I sought to make peace with the French.

The Treaty of Strasbourg in 1688 was harsh for the Habsburgs but they had little choice as the Great Turkish War took obvious precedence. With a Catholic King in England and Spain unwilling to go to war with France (who effectively held the Spanish Netherlands, Charolais, and Franche-Comté hostage) over just a dispute of title-holders in the Holy Roman Empire, Leopold I agreed that the Palatinate lands west of the Rhine would be given to Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orleans and now Electress of Western Palatine. The remainder HRE holdings in Alsace would be ceded to France in recognition of its conquests dating back to 1683 as well as the Palatinate enclave of Ravenstein in the Low Countries. In exchange, Elizabeth Charlotte surrendered all claim to Palatine lands east of the Rhine. It was in Strasbourg of 1688, that Louis famously asserted: the Rhine was the natural frontier of the Franks. The Habsburgs would come to regret the generous Treaty of Strasbourg because just a few months later, the Catholic King of England James II would be overthrown by William of Orange and his wife Mary which would have given them an ally in the war against France.

Nevertheless in 1689, a Grand Alliance was formed between Spain, England, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Dutch Republic to defend each other against any further French aggression.

Palatine lands west of the Rhine

 

[oca2073]

Canal des Deux Mers

A truly monumental project, and a dream since the Roman emperors, from 1666 to 1700, Louis XIV ordered the construction of a canal that connected the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, wide enough so that his largest warships could pass through single-file. This connected the navies of the Mediterranean and Atlantic and put France in a much better strategic position relative to Spain. It connected the Garonne to the Étang de Thau on the Mediterranean and stretched nearly 440 km, with the Garonne river being widened substantially to accommodate larger ships. To augment his workforce, Louis XIV signed an edict ordering all convicts throughout the kingdom to be temporarily assigned to work on the project in lieu of prison, execution, and transportation to the colonies. Construction of the Canal was suspended from 1685-1688 during the War of Palatine Succession.

 

[JackLumber]

A real subversion of expectations would be a France with "natural" borders set on the Meuse in the north and the saone and Rhone in the south.

 

[Comte de Dordogne]

Well, it could be worthy to discuss in first place which borders could be considered 'natural' for France (spoiler: no political entity has 'natural' borders).

Pyrenees and Alps might be clear options in the south, but the rest are not clear, specially in the north: French nationalists used to consider the Rhine as the 'natural' border of Gaul (however the Romans established two Germania provinces west of the Rhine), so it should be also the one for France...but Germans considered the Meuse the 'natural' border between them and the French (as it was during the Middle-ages).

Also the Jura is not an obvious border, as there are Francophone population east of the Jura...but if you consider the Swiss plateau, you are also getting Germanic people there.

The border is said to be "natural" because it is designed to guarantee the integrity of the country. The Rhine is seen as the natural border because it is easier to defend Paris (and therefore France) by being on the Rhine. The same goes for the Alps and the Pyrenees.

 

[Mario]

The border is said to be "natural" because it is designed to guarantee the integrity of the country. The Rhine is seen as the natural border because it is easier to defend Paris (and therefore France) by being on the Rhine. The same goes for the Alps and the Pyrenees.

I can't buy this.

The lower Rhine is not good for defending anything as it is a hard-to-defend plain, the Ardennes are better frontier for that purpose. And well the Rhine is good, the Elbe would be even better...the furthest from Paris would be even better no?

 

[Carnivorous Vegetarian]

A real subversion of expectations would be a France with "natural" borders set on the Meuse in the north and the saone and Rhone in the south.

Or just the Île-de-France, which has well defined borders.

 

[Mario]

The issue here is that French nationalists of the Revolutionary era tried to assimilate 'France' to 'Gaul', but unlike Hispania/Spain or Italy, the Roman Gaul had not clearly defined borders. The Rhine never was considered by the Romans as 'the border of Gaul', as the Romans themselves established the two provinces of Roman Germania in the west bank. It is also hard to determine if some Alpine provinces were or not considered 'Gaul'.

 

[oca2073]

The issue here is that French nationalists of the Revolutionary era tried to assimilate 'France' to 'Gaul', but unlike Hispania/Spain or Italy, the Roman Gaul had not clearly defined borders. The Rhine never was considered by the Romans as 'the border of Gaul', as the Romans themselves established the two provinces of Roman Germania in the west bank. It is also hard to determine if some Alpine provinces were or not considered 'Gaul'.

France is the descendent kingdom of the Franks. Here's what mythical sources (believed in the day) said about where the Franks came from.

Many say that the Franks originally came from Pannonia and first inhabited the banks of the Rhine. Then they crossed the river, marched through Thuringia, and set up in each county district and each city longhaired kings chosen from their foremost and most noble family.

— Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks (6th c. CE)

-Liber Historiae Francorum
Summary: It states that the Franks originated from a group of Trojan refugees, similar to the Italian refugees of the Aeneid, finding themselves on the north coast of the Black Sea, before making their way across the Danubian Plain to the Rhineland. To accomplish this, the book relies heavily on the Gallo-Roman bishop and historian Gregory of Tours, who died in 594, whose history it epitomizes and occasionally augments[6] and parallels.

It's clear the Rhine is at the heart of Frankish founding myths, hardly surprising considering the Franks were a Germanic peoples who became prominent through their contact with the Romans (along the Rhine/Roman border), both fighting for and against them in the early period. This suggests there was some mythical basis as to why French nationalists would constantly talk about the Rhine as a natural frontier.

In addition to this, consider that the heartland of Charlemagne's empire was the Rhineland and the capital was near the Rhine at Aachen. France claims to be the descendent of Francia, in some regards it's the same kingdom. Of course, the Rhine and Rhineland can be central to its mythology.

 

[oca2073]

I can't buy this.

The lower Rhine is not good for defending anything as it is a hard-to-defend plain, the Ardennes are better frontier for that purpose. And well the Rhine is good, the Elbe would be even better...the furthest from Paris would be even better no?

It's not just practical. It's symbolic. A river is easy for anyone to understand as a border, especially the biggest river in Europe. Similar to two big mountain ranges and two seas. If you wish to better formulate French nationalism at an earlier point than OTL (with all the military advantages and legitimacy boost that grants), then the natural borders theory is symbolically really useful.

 

[Mario]

It's clear the Rhine is at the heart of Frankish founding myths, hardly surprising considering the Franks were a Germanic peoples who became prominent through their contact with the Romans (along the Rhine/Roman border), both fighting for and against them in the early period. This suggests there was some mythical basis as to why French nationalists would constantly talk about the Rhine as a natural frontier.

In addition to this, consider that the heartland of Charlemagne's empire was the Rhineland and the capital was near the Rhine at Aachen. France claims to be the descendent of Francia, in some regards it's the same kingdom. Of course, the Rhine and Rhineland can be central to its mythology.

But the most genuine descendant of the Rhine Franks from the Charlemagne's realm are the German-speaking Franconians from Hesse and Northern Bavaria, not the French.

West Francia lost the Frankish dialect and adapted to non-Frankish Latin culture and speaking, so they have the same link with Carolingian Francia that Castille could have with the Visigoths.

 

[oca2073]

But the most genuine descendant of the Rhine Franks from the Charlemagne's realm are the German-speaking Franconians from Hesse and Northern Bavaria, not the French.

West Francia lost the Frankish dialect and adapted to non-Frankish Latin culture and speaking, so they have the same link with Carolingian Francia that Castille could have with the Visigoths.

Yes I KNOW, historically speaking. But we aren't talking about history, we are talking about what works as a national myth in the early modern period. France obviously likes to think of itself as the true successor/descendent of Francia and Charlemagne because of the prestige. If that's the case, the Rhine and Rhineland is central to that myth.

 

[funnyhat]

Well, it could be worthy to discuss in first place which borders could be considered 'natural' for France (spoiler: no political entity has 'natural' borders).

Pyrenees and Alps might be clear options in the south, but the rest are not clear, specially in the north: French nationalists used to consider the Rhine as the 'natural' border of Gaul (however the Romans established two Germania provinces west of the Rhine), so it should be also the one for France...but Germans considered the Meuse the 'natural' border between them and the French (as it was during the Middle-ages).

Also the Jura is not an obvious border, as there are Francophone population east of the Jura...but if you consider the Swiss plateau, you are also getting Germanic people there.

"Natural borders" refers to geography, having some kind of natural obstacle for any invader. It was not about the language the people spoke in the area. (The Swiss Romands were not originally francophone, nor were a lot of people within the "Hexagon".)

Five of the six were straightforward. The north-east was the tricky one. The Rhine was the best option so that was usually the objective.

 

[Albeques]

Obvious no border is "natural", but this is how idealists and budding nationalists of the Ancien Regime will think and find inspiration. Historically, the theory of natural borders was not a thing until the Napoleonic Wars, here the theory will be much more influential on statesmen, ordinary ppl from a much earlier date.

I don't remember were I read it so if could be false, but it was something about Cardinal Richelieu once made a comment about a Rhine border as well.

 

[oca2073]

I don't remember were I read it so if could be false, but it was something about Cardinal Richelieu once made a comment about a Rhine border as well.

Wikipedia says: The first mention of the natural borders appeared in 1642 in an apocryphal statement by Cardinal Richelieu, apparently ppl took the Napoleonic era theory and attributed way back to the aggressive wars of Louis XIV.

 

[Comte de Dordogne]

I can't buy this.

The lower Rhine is not good for defending anything as it is a hard-to-defend plain, the Ardennes are better frontier for that purpose. And well the Rhine is good, the Elbe would be even better...the furthest from Paris would be even better no?

The Lower Rhine is still more defensible than the border that France had at the time of Louis XIV (and more generally France along its history).
And indeed, the further the border is from the centre of power, the better it can be protected.
Of course the defence of the border is part of my argument, the Rhine is not enough to protect France. But the river can serve as a basis for a more solid defence than a border less to the east.
And even if you disagree with this logic or point out that it is not complete, it does not change the fact that some leaders used this argument.