If Aymar Chaste had defeated Alvaro Bazan, would the French have colonized south of Maine earlier

Infinity

Banned
I was about to leave out the word earlier, but then remembered Haiti. More generally, what's the earliest possible date the French could have won the Franco-Spanish war? What's the furthest south of Fort Pentagouet and Acadia the French could have colonized the continental North Atlantic coast?
28wcxsg.png

To what extent is English colonization reduced? New England is the most immediate loser. Could France have colonized even further south?

How about the Dutch? Is it possible they become more interested in America? Otl, they pillaged Nova Scotia in the earler 17th century, obtaining munitions. I'd imagine the conflict between The Dutch and the French would be greater atl. Extending to mainland Europe, not just North America. Depending how that conflict goes, the English would face more aggressive competition from the Dutch, especially if France and the Netherlands don't destroy each other.

Lastly, if France expediently defeats Spain in the late 16th century, there would be less rivalry between England and Spain. Could Spain colonize more aggressively further north? Kansas and greater Georgia are potentially on the table. Note, I'm using Georgia anachronistically in the sense of the time of James Oglethorpe. Essentially, everything south of the Appalachian mountains and Carolina.

This is what Wikipedia has the subject:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymar_Chaste
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Álvaro_de_Bazán,_1st_Marquess_of_Santa_Cruz
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_Biencourt_de_Poutrincourt_et_de_Saint-Just
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Biencourt_de_Saint-Just
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_de_Saint-Étienne_de_la_Tour
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_de_Champlain
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Dugua,_Sieur_de_Mons
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castine,_Maine

Seems like this PoD has some potential.
 

TruthfulPanda

Gone Fishin'
Does it matter?
Isn't 90% of Main's population in the corner to the SW of the Keenebec Riover?
Is there anything interesting in that part of Main?
Would the border running along the 45th parallel to the river and then down the sea change anything? No state of Main, I suppose, but is that world changing?
 

Infinity

Banned
Does it matter?
Isn't 90% of Main's population in the corner to the SW of the Keenebec Riover?
Is there anything interesting in that part of Main?
Would the border running along the 45th parallel to the river and then down the sea change anything? No state of Main, I suppose, but is that world changing?
France could colonize south of Main. It would have greater naval supremacy atl. New England probably wouldn't exist. This is sort of a French wank and English screw timeline. Conflict between France and Netherlands becomes more significant than conflict between France and England.

One possibility is that Dutch/English interests in the East and West Indies switch. That is, the Dutch gain a foothold in continental North America instead of England. Leaving England with the leftovers i.e the East indies and South Africa.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately I think that would be hard for France without changes in Europe that would allow it to focus on colonization. I suspect also that they need a stronger reason then land to expand southwards before the english. Maybe they send religious minorities their?
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
Maybe they send religious minorities their?


aaaaaaaahhhh, the usual trope of France + just add Huguenots = French colonial greatness hits in an alternate French colonization thread, only four posts in. It's a pretty infectious meme, and it makes millions of French Catholics scream the French equivalent of "what are we, chopped liver?"
 
Considering that it seems not many Frenchmen wanted to go to New France willingly I think it might have been worth a shot.
 
aaaaaaaahhhh, the usual trope of France + just add Huguenots = French colonial greatness hits in an alternate French colonization thread, only four posts in. It's a pretty infectious meme, and it makes millions of French Catholics scream the French equivalent of "what are we, chopped liver?"

The millions that didn’t go to New France IOTL?

Granted, some did go to Acadia and New France, but France just didn’t invest that much into their colonies settler-wise. Huguenots seem like a reasonable choice to boost up numbers.
 
The millions that didn’t go to New France IOTL?

Granted, some did go to Acadia and New France, but France just didn’t invest that much into their colonies settler-wise. Huguenots seem like a reasonable choice to boost up numbers.
Especially since those guys would then NOT have gone to the Netherlands and Prussia and the UK.
 

Infinity

Banned
1565 apparently - http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/spanishmassacre.htm

I read it in the history of Elizabethan England I read a couple of months ago, so just had to Google the date
This first attempt at colonizing North America is 20 years earlier than the original time frame stated. Nevertheless, what's interesting is the stark contrast of latitude between where the French chose to colonize. Florida was too close to Spain. A generation later, presumably out of fear, the French settle an exaggerated distance away. Had the French have chosen Carolina, Virginia or Maryland instead of Florida as their initial location of colonization, they likely would have established a foothold and had a long term strategic advantage comparable to Britain. Even colonizing New England or New Netherlands would have been sufficiently far from Spanish colonies, but still capable of supporting a large population boom.
2jxikg.png

Colonizing Georgia first, would likely lead to early conflict. There would be a better shot at surviving at least the initial onslaught of the Spanish. Evenstill, being so uncomfortably close to Spanish interests would likely provoke their unceasing wrath. A larger buffer is needed. The buffer doesn't have to be half the North American continent though. Somewhere between Acadia and Florida would have been an optimal location for French colonization. This is true of both a 1562 and a later 16th century PoD.
 
Top