challenge: Franco-Prussian Union

Very hard to do in the 1700s, because the houses were of different religion; the Bourbons Catholic, the Hohenzollerns Lutheran. Conversion isn't much of a problem, but the claimant would have to decide between France and Brandenburg, and they would pick France in a heartbeat.

You would need an earlier POD in the 1600s, making either France Protestant (which unleashes enormous butterflies in European affairs) or Brandenburg Catholic (which has its own set of butterflies). I think it's easier to make Brandenburg Catholic, perhaps to buddy up with the Hapsburgs or something. Shouldn't be too complicated to unite the dynasties after that, but you would have a completely different Europe.

The French would also have to fight a war to claim Brandenburg, most likely; assuming the Bourbons and Hapsburgs are the two main rivals for control of Europe, there is no way the Hapsburgs will let the French gain control of an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, and gain a base very close to the main Hapsburg center of power, forcing them to fight on another front in any Bourbon-Hapsburg war.
 
A lasting Franco-Prussian alliance in the 19th century might be interesing even if there was no marriage involved...anyhoo, I think the original poster (correct me if I'm wrong) is referring to a union between France and the badass Prussia of the 1700s onward, not a 1600s Brandenburg that will never come to much with its ruler spending most of his time in Paris.

What if we get a Saxon-Prussian dynastic union?

Bruce
 
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Titus_Pullo

Banned
A lasting Franco-Prussian alliance in the 19th century might be interesing even if there was no marriage involved...anyhoo, I think the original poster (correct me if I'm wrong) is referring to a union between 1600s France and the badass Prussia of the 1700s onward, not a Brandenburg that will never come to much with its ruler spending most of his time in Paris.Bruce

This. But I wonder if the British would allow such a union to take place. France by itself is bad news enough, but France and Prussia together? The British would be screaming bloody murder. I wonder what such a war would be called, War of Prussian Sucession, War of French Sucession?

What if we get a Saxon-Prussian dynastic union?

Bruce


This would also be entertaining to see.
 
This. But I wonder if the British would allow such a union to take place. France by itself is bad news enough, but France and Prussia together? The British would be screaming bloody murder. I wonder what such a war would be called, War of Prussian Sucession, War of French Sucession?

It depends on which participant is going to disrupt the balance of power, I believe. If a Prussian ruler marries a French royal, and the French line of succession falls to that French royal, Prussia already has his ruler and it is the French who are gaining a new leader, therefore: The War of the French Succession.

There are exceptions, as in wars to uphold Salic law, but I'm not sure this qualifies as I believe the POD is early enough.
 
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