WI the Triple Alliance declared war on France in 1668?

France's oportunistic war against Spain in 1667 faced an unexpected obstacle when England, Sweden and the Netherlands signed an alliance in 1668 and threatened France with intervention. Louis XIV took the menace seriously and signed the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle with Spain in that year, renouncing to the complete occupation of the Spanish Netherlands.

WI France had not taken the threat so seriously, and continued the war instead?
 

Susano

Banned
Yay, another late 17th century WI!

So, basically, the War of the Grand Alliance 20 years earlier. It says much that France could basically brace nearly ALL of Europe in that war, and 20 years earlier the German powers are still more devasted from the Thirty Years War - if they take part at all. So, France might even have reason to ignore that threat, as it could just win that war...
 

Thande

Donor
I have to wonder if it was a bluff on the part of King Charles and the Cabal. England was really not ready to fight a war with France in 1668 (as this attests). I can't speak for the Dutch and the Swedes, but I think we would have backed down if Louis XIV had gone ahead and won a few early cinematic victories.
 
So is a French annexation of the Spanish Netherlands a likely outcome? What about crossing the Rhine and invading the Protestant Netherlands, too?
 

Rockingham

Banned
I have to wonder if it was a bluff on the part of King Charles and the Cabal. England was really not ready to fight a war with France in 1668 (as this attests). I can't speak for the Dutch and the Swedes, but I think we would have backed down if Louis XIV had gone ahead and won a few early cinematic victories.
Well, if the English were unable to defeat the Dutch in coalition with France, as shown by the Franco-Dutch_War, I don't see what chance they would have against France. That said, in the colonial sphere, whatever the French possess at this point will be easy game for the allies...but so will the continent for France. The main obstacle, IMO, is the Swedes....I'm not sure to what extent their army was superior to those of the West, and perhaps I'm overestimating them...they were beaten by the Russians after all.

As see it, the Swedes would be forced to keep most of their force defending their own territories anyway. The Russians and Danes, after all, would liokely jump at the opportunity to take on a distracted Spain, ala the Great Northern War. And, as the Franco-Dutch war link shows, if the French hadn't foolishly stopped their advance to negotiate with the Dutch, they would perhaps have reached Amsterdam.

The primary question in the war is the actions of the Habsburgs and other Germans. The Austrian Habsburgs are unlikley to pass up the opportunity to humilate the French, but would the rest of the Holy Roman Empire follow in their steps?
 
Well, if the English were unable to defeat the Dutch in coalition with France, as shown by the Franco-Dutch_War, I don't see what chance they would have against France. That said, in the colonial sphere, whatever the French possess at this point will be easy game for the allies...but so will the continent for France. The main obstacle, IMO, is the Swedes....I'm not sure to what extent their army was superior to those of the West, and perhaps I'm overestimating them...they were beaten by the Russians after all.

As see it, the Swedes would be forced to keep most of their force defending their own territories anyway. The Russians and Danes, after all, would liokely jump at the opportunity to take on a distracted Spain, ala the Great Northern War. And, as the Franco-Dutch war link shows, if the French hadn't foolishly stopped their advance to negotiate with the Dutch, they would perhaps have reached Amsterdam.

The primary question in the war is the actions of the Habsburgs and other Germans. The Austrian Habsburgs are unlikley to pass up the opportunity to humilate the French, but would the rest of the Holy Roman Empire follow in their steps?

In 1668 Sweden would have faced the same situation as in 1675 and Charles XI wouldnt be the one leading the forces if war came since he was still only around 10 years old
 
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