AHC: Preserve the Angevin Empire

Gaius Julius Magnus

Gone Fishin'
Find a way to preserve the Angevin Empire and find a way for it to emcompass All of modern day France and the British Ilse. Also try and include some colonies.
 
Find a way to preserve the Angevin Empire and find a way for it to emcompass All of modern day France and the British Ilse. Also try and include some colonies.

Have Louis VII fail to remarry and produce a heir...that would allow Henry the Young to inherit the throne of France himself thereby unifying the English domains with the French...granted itd be years before it is all stable, but that would be the best jump off point
 
The nature itself of Angevine "empire" prevents its preservation.

It was a mosaic of demesnes hardly tied together by dynastic union, and having different culture, institutions, languages, economic interests.

It's simple : at its height, the Plantagenets or were in civil war with which one at the head of a portion, or one part was neglected enough to make it rebellious and/or autonomous.

Now, you can preserve part of it. You'll need to give up the main part however, in order to keep England as the gravity political center : Pale, Normandy, Brittany and 1350's Guyenne are the maximum in my opinion.

Having it too small would only be a greater England, and having it larger would make it France with English demesnes.
 
The nature itself of Angevine "empire" prevents its preservation.

It was a mosaic of demesnes hardly tied together by dynastic union, and having different culture, institutions, languages, economic interests.
Like the Hapsburg domains, you mean? Well, in that case it should be good for at least three or four centuries...
 
1)The medieval Habsburg domains were at least kept by linguistic and cultural coherence.

Unless, of course, if you assume that english, welsh, gaelic, occitan, french and basque are the same language and cultural aeras.

2)You maybe talk about post-feudal Habsburg domains, that had an institutional coherence, because not feudal, that didn't had Angevine "Empire"?
 
I don't think its inherently impossible to preserve a diverse domain - sure, there are no common institutions except the king (in whatever hat he's wearing, using his highest title here).

And so? All that we're trying to preserve is something where one man has titles and overlordship - not turn it into a centralized polity. Although the "make it include all of France and the British Isles" part doesn't work there, obviously, unless we can have the rulers of Ireland (however many that is) and Scotland as vassals rather than included in the sense of the UK+I combination of OTL.

A bigger problem than the fact the southern half speaks a different language than the northern half:

The Kings of France are going to find having an overmighty vassal as a major problem, and try to check that.

As will quarrels within the family.
 
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