Ok, so what if, Louis XIV decided, instead of abolishing Edict of Nantes, allow Huguenot settlement of Louisiana colony? So, they can go there and have religious tolerance, but not in France and other colonies.
Well the colony will explode in population. In the period France had 800 thousand Protestants and in the OTL 200 thousand left the country. I tend to think that at least 40 to 50 thousand Protestants would go to Louisiana. Making the colony much more solid, probably expanding on its own. As a whole, we would have a Francophone country in North America, because the USA and England will not be able to conquer the region.Ok, so what if, Louis XIV decided, instead of abolishing Edict of Nantes, allow Huguenot settlement of Louisiana colony? So, they can go there and have religious tolerance, but not in France and other colonies.
I think that 40-50 000 are a minimum, because- if they had 800 000 Huguenots at the time ( and I suppose at least 200 000 of crypto-Huguenots ), and if 200 000 of them left France ( to Germany, Netherlands, England etc. ) in spite of ban on leaving France- then I think with permission to leave France at least 200 000 of them would go to Louisianne. Of course, not all at once, so I presume that Louis XIV would give them some deadline, say 10-15 years, to go to Louisianne- while leaving for other countries would be prohibited IMHO. And I think that 20% of them deciding to go into a wilderness across the ocean instead of suffering repression in France- isn't too big number.Well the colony will explode in population. In the period France had 800 thousand Protestants and in the OTL 200 thousand left the country. I tend to think that at least 40 to 50 thousand Protestants would go to Louisiana. Making the colony much more solid, probably expanding on its own. As a whole, we would have a Francophone country in North America, because the USA and England will not be able to conquer the region.
Yes, I know that. But, considering that this is alternate history, I think that Louis XIV has done even more weird things in his life, so this isn't out of realm of possibility.Tbh I’m not sure this idea would work. I mean Huguenot emigration to the New World had been banned for nearly 6 decades by 1685. With the rulers of France being increasingly anti-Huguenot up to that point, I’m not sure what would allow for France to allow Huguenot migration to Louisiana considering the French, IIRC, had emphasized making their North American colonies (outside the Caribbean) very purely Catholic.
If they can survive native american predation,
I'd rather not go down this road again. Certainly, Europeans were often interlopers. Often, they made treaties with the natives, and overstepped their bounds. Often, it was natives who broke treaties. There was a clash of cultures. The natives had a code of gain of territory by conquest, just as the Europeans did. This has all been discussed before here.I appreciate your analysis in general, but the quoted sentence is alarming.
Native tribes are *preying* on European robbers?
In the immortal words of the Virgin Mary, "come again?"
Well, it would be pretty compulsory, with migration to other countries banned as in OTL, with options between Louisiana and dragonades...Unless the 'migration' was compulsory I do not see it working if allowed or even encouraged by Louis XIV. Why go to a tropical wilderness when there are more congenial destinations close by such as the Protestant West German states, the United Provinces, and England. I know some Huguenots ended up in frontier areas such as South Africa or British America (like my ancestors) but they were settling in colonies ruled by co-religionists and with comfortable climates.
It would essentially require Louis XIV be a completely different person to allow even legal emigration by the Huguenots from France, let alone to Louisiana. It was illegal for Huguenots to leave France so basically the dragonades and converting to Catholicism were, tragically, the only legal option. Not that it stopped illegal emigration out of France IOTL but still.Well, it would be pretty compulsory, with migration to other countries banned as in OTL, with options between Louisiana and dragonades...
As I said, this is the alternate history site. And considering what we can read here every day, having Louis XIV change his mind/policy, isn't so implausible.It would essentially require Louis XIV be a completely different person to allow even legal emigration by the Huguenots from France, let alone to Louisiana. It was illegal for Huguenots to leave France so basically the dragonades and converting to Catholicism were, tragically, the only legal option. Not that it stopped illegal emigration out of France IOTL but still.
Is it possible that Louis XIV could expel some crypto/post-Calvinist peasant converts (not the noble protestants who were a threat to the unity of the French state) after some incident or other like the Spanish expelled the Moriscos? Ones that have already acquiesced to the Dragonnades but might have some gripe with the state, their submission being their ticket to Louisiana? Could the Mississippi Company collapsing earlier help?It would essentially require Louis XIV be a completely different person to allow even legal emigration by the Huguenots from France, let alone to Louisiana. It was illegal for Huguenots to leave France so basically the dragonades and converting to Catholicism were, tragically, the only legal option. Not that it stopped illegal emigration out of France IOTL but still.
There was a nominal French presence up the Mississipi, where the climate is more welcoming of Western European and their farming practices. You might see heavier settlements up North, with trading posts in St Louis, but less populationWould there be many takers on the offer? They will be, realistically speaking, the initial settlers in tropical wilderness. The only incentive is that they get to remain under a French flag. On the flip side, they can migrate to other destinations and remain in civilization.
Plus, free and fertile land. Western Europe was quite crowded, not the place to build a new JerusalemWell, it would be pretty compulsory, with migration to other countries banned as in OTL, with options between Louisiana and dragonades...
Agreed, but...There was a nominal French presence up the Mississipi, where the climate is more welcoming of Western European and their farming practices. You might see heavier settlements up North, with trading posts in St Louis, but less population