WI: Eugene of Savoy fights for le Roi Soleil

[Yanez de Gomera]

Prince Eugene is considered to be among the best xviii century generals. Although he grew up in Paris he ended up loyally fighting for the Imperial side after Louis XIV refused his services.

The French dismissal was likely caused by Eugene's mother's implication in l'affaire des poisons, but, notwithstanding that, he managed to get an audience with the king so it is possible that he could have made a positive impression on Louis and get a commission for some cavalry regiment.

So, what could the effects be? I think that he would still rise to prominence and could even be more successful at the head of an arguably stronger and more organised army.
On one side Austria would not have him and this might cause some difficulties in the war against the Turk, where probably there would not be onesided victories such as Zenta, on the other side I am not very knowledgeable about the nine years' war, so I don't know if there could be occasions for Eugene to shine or of his rise would be slower. I am also wondering whether this can influence the Duchy of Savoy to remain allied with France.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Cornelis]

I have some plans for a french Eugene timeline. One day, maybe...

While he is somewhat embedded in his mother's fall from grace, Eugene is at the top of the social scale : personal dignity of prince, close familial relationship to several royal families, including the Bourbons. We can drew a comparison with his cousin Vendôme : both were princes, but of a second-class, not of the French royal family (Savoy for Eugene, bastard for Vendôme), both were homosexuals with a private life frown upon, both were brilliant generals (Eugène better than Vendôme, arguably). In the French service, Vendôme was colonel at 18, brigadier at 22, major general at 23, lieutenant general at 33. He never became marshal as princes, even second-rates like him, are above marshals of France and can have command over them. Louis XIV could certainly hold grudges but he was not above making men he did not like work for his glory, as Condé or Luxembourg. Even with a low start profile, Eugene will rise quickly, though not maybe as quickly as he did in the Austria army OTL : he has the right mixture of talent and high birth.

The Duke of Rambouillet, commander of the French Army, greeting the Duke of Marlborough, commander of the British Army, after his surrender at Blenheim in 1704.

 

[JonasResende]

There's also Eugène's personal appearance to overcome. In a world where looks played a big part, he was singularly ill-favored (can't remember what all was wrong - pock marks and a humped shoulder IIRC), that when Eugène went to LXIV begging to be allowed to join the army, the king dismissed him with the remark "I do not know what to do with little abbots!" which to me indicates that Louis considered him for a position in the cloth than in armour. And after the interview, "The request was modest, not so the petitioner," Louis remarked. "No one else ever presumed to stare me out so insolently."

 

[avernite]

There's also Eugène's personal appearance to overcome. In a world where looks played a big part, he was singularly ill-favored (can't remember what all was wrong - pock marks and a humped shoulder IIRC), that when Eugène went to LXIV begging to be allowed to join the army, the king dismissed him with the remark "I do not know what to do with little abbots!" which to me indicates that Louis considered him for a position in the cloth than in armour. And after the interview, "The request was modest, not so the petitioner," Louis remarked. "No one else ever presumed to stare me out so insolently."

So the problem is that Eugene did not owe fealty (even if only technically) to Louis, and so he could not accept his character, while the Emperor felt more smug in his superiority and could tolerate a bit more of Eugene's character?

I'm not sure it's true, but it sounds like a good story so I'm sticking to it

 

[Cornelis]

Louis XIV, as his ancestor, kept in his court minor princes of other dynasties, in order to maintain a link with these dynasties, enhance the prestige of his court or even push an advantage in influencing other principalities. The Savoy-Carignan-Soissons is one of these lines (there were, more or less, always a Savoy prince at the French court since the 16th c.) Even with the disgrace of Eugène's mother, he kept the young princes at his court, but he did not need all of them. The reason he let go Eugène so easily is because Eugène's older brother, Louis Thomas, was already in the French service. Why bother with with an arrogant princeling with no fortune, so far from succession in his dynasty, when you control already the heir ? Well, because he is a military genius, but Louis XIV could not know that in 1683. He had already let go Eugène's third older brother Louis Jules the year before - he was at the time colonel in the Austrian army. Eugène was fortunate Louis Jules died so soon after he went into the Emperor's service, he could inherit his regiment and became a colonel in a few months.

 

[Yanez de Gomera]

So, @Cornelis a possible POD would be having Louis Thomas die some time between Louis Jules departing fromantic the court and otl'so meeting between Eugene and Louis XIV?

That said, I would like to see some speculation about how Eugene could have done with an army such as the French one and if he would have had aby diplomatic effects.
On the latter I think that maybe he could convince Vittorio Amedeo to remain loyal to his Bourbon alliance.

Without Eugene could the Turks have done better in the Balkans? I am rather skeptical about this honestly.

 

[darthfanta]

Couldn't Eugene still have joined the French army without asking Louis?

 

[aegis03florin]

Couldn't Eugene still have joined the French army without asking Louis?

I'm not sure.. he wanted to command not to enroll...

 

[darthfanta]

I'm not sure.. he wanted to command not to enroll...

Would he even have been made a general directly had he petitioned Louis?He most likely would have started as a fairly high ranking officer even if he didn't ask Louis.He has both the money and the connections to buy a respectable commission.

 

[Cornelis]

The French army, as every other army in this time, worked on purchase of commissions : companies (captaincies) and regiments (colonetcies) can be bought, other ranks atteigned through seniority or merit. The King had also his regiments and companies and could name whoever he wanted in these units. Flag ranks was seniority/merit-only. If we take a POD of an early death of Louis-Thomas, say in 1682, after Louis-Jules' leaving, his regiment will be inherited by his heirs, including Eugène. At this point, Eugène needed the agreement of the King to assume command, as he had not the prior experience theorically needed. At the worst, Louis XIV will post Eugène as a subordinate in an unit (maybe the musketeers companies) for a year before agreeing to name colonel of the Soissons Regiment, but he could refuse altogether to nominate him : the system worked on the financial contribution of the officers to their regiments. Refusing a proprietor would be a very bad sign to all others in the French army, a thing even Louis XIV could not allow himself to do. The War of the Reunions could give Eugène an occasion of distinction, securing his future in the French Army. In the first years of the Grand Alliance War, he could achieve brigadier and major general ranks. I could very well picture him under the tutelage of Luxembourg (Luxembourg was, like Eugène's mother, compromised in the Poison affair), like Berwick was IOTL. Given his birth and talent, flag rank at 26-27 is expectable.