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Louis the XV, known as the beloved, king of France and Navarre, was dead. Dead in the month of December in the year 1770 four days before Christmas. The cause was still being determined by France’s top medical practitioners, with most favoring the theory that it was a heart attack, yet rumors of an assassination by poison were prevalent even in the first days of the announcement. This is often dismissed as pure conspiracy as later medical evaluations concluded no poison in the deceased monarch’s cadaver. Yet far too many in both France’s laypersons and members of the king’s court persisted in believing in a plot orchestrated by none other than César Gabriel de Choiseul, duc de Praslin, the late Louis’ own foreign minister. It made the most sense at the time especially amongst Choiseul’s growing number of rivals at court. He had long been falling from grace and had been advocating for war against Britain to maintain his standing within the royal government. Backing Spain’s claim to the Falklands isles.


It was well known that the late Louis opposed getting involved in the affair and his death seemed far too conveniently timed to have been a mere coincidence. It was perfectly obvious to the discontent that the minister of foreign affairs was guilty. But upon closer examination of the conspiracy it all seems to fall apart. It would have been a tremendous risk if he were caught that could have resulted in him being executed. Then there’s the fact that it would not guarantee the outcome that Choiseul desired and could have so easily cost him his position as foreign minister (which it eventually did). Finally, there’s the evidence that Choiseul was genuinely grieved over the king’s death and frustrated by the conspiracies surrounding him. These insights into Choiseul’s state of mind are all but confirmed from accounts and testimonies by those who knew him the most as well as letters that he would later write.


But for all the speculation and mystery surrounding the king’s death, there is certainly no denying that Choiseul benefited from the king’s untimely demise. His ministry was kept on by the young successor Louis XVI who was certainly more agreeable with Choiseul’s warmongering then his father was. The young Louis was somewhat seen with contempt by the French court and lower classes. Overweight and timid, he would surely amount to nothing but a weak monarch who would lead France to ruin. Or, in the eyes of his father’s vessels, an opportunity to take advantage and manipulate the young man into their schemes and designs.


The new king was determined to shake off this image of weakness and gave the unpopular minister Choiseul a second wind. Whether he intended to go to war or expected that England would back down from the combined might of Spain and France is unclear. But Choiseul made that point moot anyways since it only took him a day after the king’s death to send a letter to the Spanish king, encouraging him to stand firm against English saber-rattling. Even before Louis XVI was coronated the minister had been preparing to revive the conflict with its century old rival across the channel.


In any case none of it mattered in the end. The new king allowed this type of behavior as it suited his goals. Perhaps his detractors were onto something after all, not that anyone would be so rude to tell that to his majesty’s face. With all the pieces in France falling into place all that left was what the king of Spain, Charles III, decided to do next. He felt doubt in himself, forging a friendship with England had long been a goal of his, and the last war against them ended poorly for Spain and France, war would surely be foolish. Yet here he was on the edge of plunging the entire world into the fires of war once again. Was it worth unleashing that same chaos again over a few barely habitable stones? Yes, England’s claim to a single speck of Spanish soil was unacceptable to him still. What would he tell his nation, neighbors, and all of Europe if he were to cow so easily? That Spain was weak and feeble, no longer able to defend herself and that her empire was ripe for pickings. Her colonies to be squabbled over like some mere table scraps amongst hungry wolves. England had grown arrogant ever since the end of the Seven Years War. Believing themselves to be undisputed masters of the sea and belittling their peers. He would have to break that pride if there was ever to be peace in his realm.


Yet still the decision was not an easy one and time was not on his side. He prayed to God to show him the path he must take but received no answer. He dallied for days over what he should do. This was not the fight he wanted, yet he kept coming back to it. If he delayed anymore France could abandon him and the choice would be made for him. Any hope he had of victory rested in his alliance with the French as much as he loathed to admit it. He realized that it had to be now or never, the only option before him was war. King Charles III did what he hoped he would never have to do, he gave the orders to his generals to attack and made appropriate letters to Choiseul. The die had been cast, the conflict that historians would later deem the “Malouinic War” was about to hear the first shots.


“What a shame, and 1771 seemed like it would be such a good year” – Charles III from the historical play “The Falklanders” 1963.


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This is the start of my first serious attempt at writing a timeline. I've been wanting to make one ever since I've joined this site but I've been procrastinating for maybe ten years now through sheer continuous worldbuilding, research, and laziness. So I'm just going to go for it and focus on just writing from here. So this may not be the most well researched or thought out but as long as I can keep updating it regularly then I'll be happy with it.
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