Will Kürlich Kerl
Banned
What happens if Louis XIV of France dies in 1698, one year after the end of the War of the League of Augsburg?
Contrary to Louis XIV, and if the crisis is not adverted, he would support more early and more convingingly his son's claims to Spain, maybe not really trying to go trough the negociations process.
Eventually, he does have the capacity of being a great king (more than the IOTL Louis XV) but would suffer to be sacred in a relativly uneasy time. It can go either quite well, briging a new fresh wind to Versailles (that really suffered from reactionnarism of the late reign of Louis XIV), but he wouldn't have much mistakes to be allowed in the early reign.
Well, his son would probably inherit at this point, and fortunatly all the good courtiers of the era are still alive, because Louis de France wasn't exactly too bright for his own sake.
You know, the more I read about the Grand Dauphin, the less sure I am he was the idiot that's popularly depicted. He doesn't seem to have to gone out of the way to shine--but that's actually a pretty smart political survival instinct when your father is Louis XIV. It's worth noting that whenever he actually got something to do, he went out, did it, and did it well.
As a King, he'll probably do all right. And he's a great deal more likely to start scaling back some aspects of the Versailles culture rather than treating them as a holy writ, the way his poor grandson did...
There's a huge difference between "not an idiot" and actually skilled. Louis XIV's son doesn't seem to have particulartly bright on politicalYou know, the more I read about the Grand Dauphin, the less sure I am he was the idiot that's popularly depicted.
I don't see what he would have risked, having some political personality. Even Orléans had more precised political views.He doesn't seem to have to gone out of the way to shine--but that's actually a pretty smart political survival instinct when your father is Louis XIV.
He didn't had something to do to really speak of.It's worth noting that whenever he actually got something to do, he went out, did it, and did it well.
At best, he would turn into a correct king, and if Louis XIV dies before a feud really devellop between them, he would benefit from a skilled council and courtiers, without being accompanied by too much factionalists and shaming people.As a King, he'll probably do all right.
The problem of his grand son was he didn't treated them in the same spirit than Louis XIV. Where Versailles was a political deployment, asking to keep nobility on a leash, Louis XV simply carried away that in favour of a deletere ambient where nobility was able to produce powerful factions (something they didn't really tried to do with Louis XIV, if they wanted their monies).And he's a great deal more likely to start scaling back some aspects of the Versailles culture rather than treating them as a holy writ, the way his poor grandson did...