WI French capture New Amsterdam

IOTL the English captured New Amsterdam in 1664 from the Dutch, kicking off the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The settlement was renamed "New York".

Doing some research, it appears the court of the English King Charles II was divided over whether to ally with the French against the Dutch, or the Dutch against the French, with generally the pro-French faction ascendant.

As a POD, what if the English and Dutch remained at peace in the 1660s, and instead New Amsterdam was captured by a French expedition in the 1670s?
 
As a POD, what if the English and Dutch remained at peace in the 1660s, and instead New Amsterdam was captured by a French expedition in the 1670s?

I don't think the French could. The Dutch navy was better than the English navy. It certainly was better than the French navy. Assuming in the 1670s the Dutch and French go to war and the English weren't involved (if they were, they would still be the main candidate to take over New Amsterdam), Ithink the Dutch would be able to defend New Amsterdam. OTL they actualy managed to recapture New Amsterdam during the Franco-Dutch/3rd Anglo-Dutch war.

Besides that, France would not be interested in New Amsterdam. Their focus would be on Europe and if they would target Dutch colonies, they probably would focus on the Carribean or the Asian colonies. If they do manage to capture New Amsterdam, they would exchange it in the peace for something they do care about. Either consessions in Europe, or French colonies occupied by the Netherlands.
 
I don't think the French could. The Dutch navy was better than the English navy. It certainly was better than the French navy. Assuming in the 1670s the Dutch and French go to war and the English weren't involved (if they were, they would still be the main candidate to take over New Amsterdam), Ithink the Dutch would be able to defend New Amsterdam. OTL they actualy managed to recapture New Amsterdam during the Franco-Dutch/3rd Anglo-Dutch war.

Besides that, France would not be interested in New Amsterdam. Their focus would be on Europe and if they would target Dutch colonies, they probably would focus on the Carribean or the Asian colonies. If they do manage to capture New Amsterdam, they would exchange it in the peace for something they do care about. Either consessions in Europe, or French colonies occupied by the Netherlands.
To be fair, more or less exactly that happened the other way round in OTL (Dutch picked Surinam over New Amsterdam) - and can happen in this ATL.

Say the French capture New Amsterdam and the Dutch capture French caribbean islands. Now the Dutch can enforce a 'uti possidetis' peace (which sounds way better than a landgrab) in the colonies and make the swap.
 
To be fair, more or less exactly that happened the other way round in OTL (Dutch picked Surinam over New Amsterdam) - and can happen in this ATL.

Say the French capture New Amsterdam and the Dutch capture French caribbean islands. Now the Dutch can enforce a 'uti possidetis' peace (which sounds way better than a landgrab) in the colonies and make the swap.
Possible, but France must agree with these terms too. For the English New Amsterdam was still a valuable colony. Exchanging it for Surinam would still be a pretty good deal for England. For France it wouldn't. A colony full of Dutch right between two English colonies has no value for the French. I think it would even be more likely for them to return it without getting anything in return than exchange it for a carribean island. or two.

Mind you, I still think the French wouldn't be able to capture it or defend it against the Dutch navy.
 
Best option is to have the successfully settle the location as early as 1524, when Verrazano first found New Angouleme there.
 
Best option is to have the successfully settle the location as early as 1524, when Verrazano first found New Angouleme there.
True. I read an interesting what if about France settling the New Amsterdam area and The Netherlands the Quebec area. I always thought that idea had potential.
 
New Netherlands came with the Hudson Valley. I assume whoever gets New Amsterdam gets teh entire colony. The Hudson Valley liinks up with Quebec via Lake George and Lake Chaplain. And it makes it easier to strike at the Iroquois.

There are considerable strategic advantages for the French in keeping the colony that were not present with the Dutch. In fact it links up better with the existing French colonies on the North American mainland than it does with the English colonies.

The difficulty is getting the expedition there in the first place, but I suppose someone at the Navy Ministry has the bright idea. They did send regular troops to North America repeatedly, they didn't just neglect it in favor of the Caribbean.

If the place is held it will probably butterfly away Louisiana.
 
How feasible would it be in a long term? The French Catholic King captures a small colony filled with angry Protestants surrounded by bigger and more populated English colonies, now what?
 
The angry Protestants aren't an issue. France had lots of angry Protestants in France, that they often used in colonization attempts on the North American mainland. A huguenot colony in North America shouldn't be a problem for France, as they made at least once attempt to found exactly that.

The idea of New Amsterdam as some sort of militant Protestant stronghold also pretty much contradicts everything that has been written about the place.
 
The angry Protestants aren't an issue. France had lots of angry Protestants in France,

And their problems were clearly resolved by then. /s

A huguenot colony in North America shouldn't be a problem for France, as they made at least once attempt to found exactly that.

And all of them survived for... 20 years?

The idea of New Amsterdam as some sort of militant Protestant stronghold also pretty much contradicts everything that has been written about the place.

And because they believe in religious freedom they'll kneel once again to a Catholic King? Just wait until French civil servants superposes the Dutch gentry in the colony... They'll obviously cry for British help.
 
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