Flower of the Lilly

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

The guise for this AAR will be a history-book styled look at the creation of Modern France, starting as the Duchy of Albret and then slowly working my way up to the Kingdom of France.

Stats:

Gigau's MEIOU 1393-1821
Settings are normal, but difficulty is low, I play for my own ammusement, I have CS 159 as a source of stress.
There is some cheating, but not much... again see comment above

Rules:
During peaces I cannot exceed the solider cap.
Diplo-annexing is okay, but the decen/cent slider must be on the centralised half


What not to expect:
Regular updates
A colonial Empire

What to expect:
History being thrown to the wind
Irregular updates
Abret will be jingoist, but France will be more stable, the reasons will be clear later.

[germanpeon]

Intriguing. I havent heard of this Duchy of Albret.

[comagoosie]

I have hope that this will be good

Good luck!

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter One
End of the 60 Year’s War and the First Two Phases of the War of French Succession

vs.

In 1393 the first Treaty of Paris was signed between England and France, ending the 60 Years War once and for all. The English attempts to claim the French throne were for naught, and the nation languished under the economic devastation that the failed invasion brought with it. English possessions on mainland Europe were cut down to the environs around Calais and Bordeaux. Many believed that the new era dawning in France would be a prosperous one, but this proved to be very wrong, as the newly re-crowned Dauphin of France would be dead within a few weeks.
King Charles VII of France died after sitting on the throne for seventeen days. It is presumed that he was poisoned, but by whom and for what reason remains a mystery to this day. What is known is that Charles VII had no sons of his own, rather several grandsons spread throughout France.

The Heirs:
Jean II de Lorraine: Duke of Lorraine, member of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the eldest of the Grandsons, but also the most inept.
Jean VI d’Albret: Duke of Albret, notable for being a brilliant military tactician, but was a poor negotiator.
Charles I de Bourgogne: Duke of Burgundy, closely related to Duke Jean II
Mathieu II de Foix: Count of Foix, and noted rival of Duke Jean VI, as the lowest ranking grandson, he was quickly dismissed as an heir.

Others:
Richard II Plantagenet: King of England, and despite not having a claim to the throne by the Treaty of Paris, still had some right to enforce his will to the throne.
John IV Montfort: Duke of Brittany, had no legal claim to the throne, but as one of the more powerful Dukes, could make a bid for the empty throne. But by 1399 he had turned his attention on Ireland.


The French War of Succession
Phase One in the South

The French War of Succession, also called the War of the Lilies would end up being between several countries with shifting alliances and constant warfare for the better part of the Fifteenth Century. With the French throne empty, many nations moved on the crown rather quickly, others buckled down for the wars that would follow. In the South, Duke Jean VI d’Albret made it clear to his rivals in the north that he would eventually have the throne of France for his decedents. But as a small Duchy, he had little ability to enforce this on his fellows, so he moved not on the Duchies in the north, but against the counties in the south.
In the spring of 1393, Duke Jean VI moved his army into neighboring Béarn, territory of the Count of Foix. The battle was rather short, and the city surrendered to Jean VI within a few weeks. Count Mathieu recognized Jean VI’s control over Béarn and then moved on, defeated. With this victory, Duke Jean VI had the resources to move on to bigger fish. The Count of Armagnac was next, having lost all of his territory but his capital county.
The enlarged Duchy of Albret then settled into a phase of building warships, quickly building one of the largest navies in France. This part of his plan was for the invasion of Bordeaux from the English. Quickly mobilizing his forces, Duke Jean VI; now known as Jean VI the Gascon, moved against the port city. The English defenders were outnumbered 4 to 1. England and her allies tried to save the city dropping troops from ships, which were held off by Jean VI’s fleet.
This initial success was turned around when the Portuguese landed troops north of Bordeaux with permission from the local counts in France, and then marched south. Jean VI’s troops, hungry from the prolonged siege, retreated south. Duke Jean VI feared for a counter-attack into his own Duchy, but the Portuguese pulled their troops out and returned them to Portugal, where tensions between the Iberia nations and the Berber nations was leading to a crusade against the Kingdom of Fez. With this in his mind, Jean VI returned to Bordeaux and continued his siege of the city.
Bordeaux fell in the fall of 1397, and was quickly made the capital of the Duchy of Albret. The English, on the verge of civil war, were glad to be rid of the unruly French province. This consolidated Jean VI’s realm, and gave him the ability to raise more troops to continue his fight.


The French War of Succession
Phase One in the North

In the north, Duke Jean II de Lorraine was crowned as King Jean III of France, and effectively had the northern half of the nation under his control. The Duchy Burgundy was greatly against the succession of such a minor Duchy, especially one with close ties to Germany, taking the crown of France. France and Burgundy were soon at war with each other, with neither side making any notable gains during the war. The back-and-forth styles of warfare lead to huge casualties for both nations. Burgundy seemed poised for a break through during the winter of 1396, but it quickly lost ground in the snow of Champagne.
With no possibility of either side winning, in the fall of 1399 a peace was signed and a royal marriage created between the two nations. With northern France secured, King Jean III began to work on the unruly Dukes in the north, notably the Duke of Orleans, who had recently attempted to assassinate Jean III.
The tiny Duchy was quickly swallowed by the warring powers, and put under the direct control of the King of France. It was a swift move, but one that would have drastic consequences later on.


The French War of Succession
Phase Two (The Burgundian War of Succession)

Duke Charles I had lost his only son in the war with France. His grandson, Charles, was the son of his daughter and King Jean III. King Jean III had also been wounded in the war, and on his death bed, named Charles his heir. Duke Charles I in Burgundy passed away shortly afterwards. This left the eighteen-year-old Charles as King of France and Duke of Burgundy (ruling as Charles VIII and Charles II respectively). This came as a shock, as now the two largest factions in the War of the Lilies were united at the hip. Many believed the War to be over, and the only thing left was for Charles VIII to drive over the remaining opposition. Jean VI d’Albret had different plans. He had spent his time enlarging Albret at the expense of the surrounding Duchies and Counties, and had created allies within the system. The tiny Duchy, with aid from Castile and England, went to war with the massive behemoth of Lorrainian France.
Jean VI proved to be a masterful military tactician, out maneuvering his Lorrainian counter-parts at every battle. The region of Guyenne and Aquitaine was quickly pulled into the Duchy of Albret. Charles VIII and Jean VI met several times in person to discuss peace terms, but with the war swinging back and forth, especially in the North, nothing seemed to come of these talks.
The turning point in the Burgundian War of Succession was the death of King Charles VIII on the battlefield. King Charles VIII was succeeded by Charles IX in France, but the brother of Charles I took control of Burgundy, and quickly allied himself with Jean VI d’Albret. With the behemoth effectively cut in half, Charles IX was forced to surrender small sums of territory to Jean VI d’Albret in order to turn his full attention to Burgundy.


Aftermath of the First Two Phases
The division of France into camps

With control of the south fortified, Jean VI d’Albret declared himself King Jean I d’Albret of France-Albret, thus naming King Charles IX de Lorraine King of France-Lorraine. This creates a strong division between Southern French populations and Northern French populations. With so many ‘Frances’ in existence, intolerances began to arise. Northerners saw Southerners as inbred simpletons, fishermen, and farmers. Southerners saw Northerners in a similar light.
Nations outside of France also had their picks of who they wanted to rule France. England and Castile preferred France-Albret for different reasons. Castile enjoyed Albret’s proximity to Castile, making trade easier, as well as a potential ally against Aragon in the future. England preferred France-Albret because, even after their own war, England had harsh feelings against Northern France. The Holy Roman Emperor supported France-Lorraine, though only in word. Unlike France-Albert with Castile and England, Lorraine was not given troops or money. Burgundy, by this time, was no longer considered a legitimate successor to the Kingdom of France outside of France.
After the Second Phase, peace would reign in the region only for a few years, before difficulties broke out into open warfare again, pitting France-Albret against France-Lorraine.

France in 1405


Dark Blue - France-Albret
Blue - Vassals of France-Albret
Green - Duchy of Lorraine (within France-Lorraine)
Dark Green - France-Lorraine
Maroon - Duchy of Burgundy
Cyan - Duchy of Valois-Provance (ally of France-Albret)
Purple - Duchy of Brittany (non-combantant)

------


Thanks for all the support already, sorry about the Vicky map... I am beyond this point already in the game... so I needed a map and I have the blank Vicky map...

[comagoosie]

don't you just hate succession wars.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

don't you just hate succession wars.

Especially since there weren't any succession wars, just a long series of wars between me and France (which is in a union under Lorraine).

[rcduggan]

good start, but does this mean your other AAR is dead?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

good start, but does this mean your other AAR is dead?

Yeah... I tend to hav AAR-ADD... I can make no promises. Plus with the Aragon one, I switched to MEIOU, so there were compadibility issues as well as it became a job. I didn't like the style either. So, I am trying a all-out History Book style AAR.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Two
The Third and Fourth Phases of the War of French Succession

and
vs.

The War of French Succession
Phase Three

The Third Phase of the War of French Succession was started when Charles IX tried to re-exert his authority over Burgundy. Despite Charles IX’s planning, Burgundy quickly turned much of France-Lorraine’s offense back toward Paris. The first region targeted by Burgundy was the Duchy of Lorraine itself. In the Channel theater, France-Lorrainian troops quickly occupied cities such as Picardie.
In the south, France-Albret was finishing a war with Savoy; the war was hastened so that Jean VI could come to the aid of Burgundy from the south. France-Albret and its allies made reasonable gains from Savoy, and then quickly turned their attention back to the Succession. France-Albret quickly occupied the southern half of France-Lorraine, and despite initial setbacks, marched on Paris herself.
The March on Paris was the most glorious moment in the early history of France-Albret. Initially, some 14,000 Lorrainian defenders prevented 12,000 Albretian from even approaching within 5 miles of the city. Jean VI was frustrated with this outcome, but pulled back into his own territory, and brought another 10,000 troops from southern France up to join his main army. Together, these two armies attacked Paris, and quickly routed her defenders.
Meanwhile, Burgundy managed to annex the western half of the Duchy of Lorraine. This had a huge psychological impact on Charles IX. It was obvious that his Kingdom was not an impenetrable fortress as he had thought. His capital was under siege and his ancestral homeland was not only occupied, but snatched up by foreign powers. To make matters worse, Half of Jean VI’s army, under the command of his son, Geraud, had moved into the remaining half of Lorraine, threatening to extinguish Lorraine all together. He quickly tried to counter this new attack, but with all of his troops locked in Normandy between the English Channel and 22,000 men under Jean VII. He recognized too late that France-Lorraine was going to suffer a debilitating loss, including the loss of his Mediterranean ports. The Second Treaty of Paris left France-Lorraine shrunken, but it ended neither France-Lorraine’s control over a portion of Southern France or the Succession War that had divided the region for 20 years.
A year after the Third Phase ended, King Jean VI d’Albret died in Bordeaux, the city he made into his capital. His son, Geraud was crowned King Geraud VII d’Albret of France-Albret. It was King Geraud VII who would lead France-Albret through a war with Aragon. This war proved Geraud VII as the leading Military commander in Europe. He quickly organized the Albretian army and navy and counter-attacked deep into Aragon, eventually taking Barcelona only after fierce fighting and building to building raids to root out Catalan resistance. Along with Aragon, Geraud VII made one other important enemy; the Pope in Rome. Historians have disagreements into the nature of Geraud VII’s enmity with the Catholic Church. Some believe it stems from the war with Aragon. Others are convinced it stems from Geraud VII’s poor church attendance. In either case, the Papal State would prove to be a pain in France-Albret’s side for much of the century.

France after the Third Phase of the Succession

Dark Blue - France-Albret
Blue - Vassals of France-Albret
Green - Duchy of Lorraine (within France-Lorraine)
Dark Green - France-Lorraine
Maroon - Duchy of Burgundy
Cyan - Duchy of Valois-Provance (ally of France-Albret)
Purple - Duchy of Brittany (non-combantant)

The War of French Succession
Phase Four

The Burgundy-Albret alliance left a poor taste in the mouth of France-Lorraine. They claimed that the existence of the alliance was a hypocritical turn from the Second Phase of the Succession. The newly crowned François I de Lorraine was an enigmatic man who had grown up a recluse in Charles IX’s court. His father, Charles IX, had stepped down in favor of his son. François I was bent on ending Burgundy’s rule over the lowlands, recognizing that France-Albret’s rule of Gascony and Aquitaine was a nut he could not crack.
Many historians in Europe point that it is at this time, when François I admitted to his allies that there would never be a successful invasion of France-Albret, that France-Lorraine lost the Succession. In many ways this is very true. After this point, any incursion by Lorrainian troops into France-Albret would amount to very little. It is also at this point that France-Lorraine is on the offensive for the last time.
King François I invaded Burgundy as soon as the Third Phase was a distant memory for many Europeans. This immediately brought France-Albret into the picture. Geraud VII quickly reacted by occupying, like his father, the southern portion of France-Lorraine. Then, rallying his troops in the border vassals, he marched on Paris and Lorraine proper. François I was campaigning in Luxemburg, and moved his own forces to attack Geraud VII head-on. Initially, with the exception of Lorraine proper, François I was able to turn back all of Geraud VII’s attacks. Burgundy, at this point, surrendered Luxemburg and western Lorraine to France-Lorraine.
Geraud VII took a month to re-rally his troops, and along with his remaining allies, pushed back into France-Lorraine with a combined force of roughly 70,000 men. Berri, Paris, Caux, Metz, and Champagne all quickly fell under the control of Geraud VII and his allies. François I realized that the war was lost, and that if he fought for too long, he might end up losing everything. He quickly signed over minimal territories to France-Albret.

France after the Fourth Phase of the Succession

Dark Blue - France-Albret
Blue - Vassals of France-Albret
Green - Duchy of Lorraine (within France-Lorraine)
Dark Green - France-Lorraine
Maroon - Duchy of Burgundy
Cyan - Duchy of Valois-Provance (ally of France-Albret)
Purple - Duchy of Brittany (non-combantant)

Aftermath
Of the Third and Fourth Phases

The Fourth Phase of the Succession left France-Lorraine far-behind its enemy. The competition between the two capitals even began to invade every part of French life during the time period. French as a language had four basic dialects. The three major ones were Gascon, Parisian and Burgundian. The last one was Wallonian. Each of the three major dialects had its major city of usages, from which the standardization was taken from. Gascon had Bordeaux, Parisian had Paris, and Burgundian had Dijon. This furthered the division between the different sides of the Succession. Some people wondered if any side could pull off a victory at this stage in the war. The war had taken roughly 30 years to advance to this stage, and had left tens of thousands dead. Trade suffered in Paris, and nations not in the war such as Savoy, Aragon, Brittany and England were beginning to suffer from the constant warfare of their neighbors.
The constant carrion on the fields led to a new spread of plagues in France-Lorraine as well as Burgundy. France-Albret reaped some benefits, but spent much of that on maintaining its standing army, which after the Fourth Phase had been increased to 50,000 men as well as a fleet of 35 ships (20 in the Atlantic and 15 in the Mediterranean).
Two months after the end of the Fourth Phase of the Succession, Geraud VII d’Albret died from a heart attack, probably related to stress and a bad diet. His brother, Jean VII d’Albret took the throne after him. Jean VII was, like the last two Kings, a masterful military tactician. But he also was an amazing administrator, who would prove useful in settling the recently acquired territories. But also like the last two Kings, Jean VII proved to be a poor diplomat, and was a crude and calculating man who was prone to silence and brooding. His reign, though, would prove pivotal to the success of France-Albret in the Succession as his wife was the sister to the Duke of Burgundy.

[comagoosie]

That maps are looking good

[Mr. Capiatlist]

That maps are looking good

Thank you, hopefully I can move to EUIII maps soon.

[mad general]

what happened to the THE REPUBLIC I liked that 1.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

what happened to the THE REPUBLIC I liked that 1.

I mention it few posts above... I updated my versions and got hooked on MEIOU... Damned, that was a few months ago... The only reason this one is apparently thriving is that I am on Spring break, but I am in Ohio... so I have nothing better to do but game and post.

[rcduggan]

Albret looks to be consolidating their hold on southern France, hopefully you can extend it north to the rest of France.

[Fijj]

Nice maps. Subscribed

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Three
The Fifth Phase of the War of French Succession

vs.

King Jean VII d’Albret was close with his brother in law, Duke Henri II de Bourgogne. The two formed an alliance that would bring about the end of the Succession. At this point, France-Lorraine stood little chance against either France-Albret or Burgundy. But together, France-Albret-Burgundy would be an unstoppable force in France, and would quickly unite the country. This quickly led to planning between Jean VII and Henri II. Henri II had two young sons, Jean VII had three. Henri II, though, saw greater potential in Jean VII’s eldest son, his nephew and thus struck a deal.
The Treaty of Dijon between France-Albret and Burgundy turned heads across Europe. Jean VII used his faux-authority as King of France to elevate Henri II to Grand Duke, and declared his surname as d’Albret-Bourgogne. The treaty also created a union between the two nations. This was guaranteed by Jean VII’s cunning administrative abilities. The titles Grand Duke of Burgundy and Duke of Burgundy remained separate. Henri II would be the first and only Grand Duke to hold both titles. Henri II’s eldest son would assume the title Duke while Jean VII’s eldest would assume the title Grand Duke of Burgundy.
King Louis I de Lorraine was unhappy with this turn of events. His father had been eaten away by the plagues that decimated much of Paris during the inter-phases peace in 1426. But as it were, he could do very little. France-Lorraine had been isolated from Germany after seizing Luxemburg from Burgundy, leaving her completely without allies. At the same time, Castile withdrew their support for France-Albret as did England. Many nations not inside in France pulled back from the constant warfare.
This meant more to France-Lorraine than it did France-Albret. King Louis I realized that his country had fallen seriously behind France-Albret. King Jean VII expanded France-Albret to include Valois-Anjou, Burgundy and was attempting to make its mark on Brittany. The worst offense, though, to King Louis I was King Jean VII implying he was King of France in raising Duke Henri I to Grand Duke Henri I. It came off as simple mathematics that King Louis would either have to win a war against France-Albret, or France-Lorraine was doomed to lose the Succession.
By 1432 the numbers were against France-Lorraine. King Jean VII had expanded France-Albret to include Brittany, as well as expanding the Imperial Army to 84,000 troops as compared to King Louis I’s 39,000. The Albretian Navy had 35 carracks compared to the Lorrainian Navy which had 6 small cogs. It was obvious that the Fifth Phase of the Succession would be the last major Phase if not the last Phase period. The authority of the de Lorraine dynasty was quickly waning in Northern France. With Albretian territory to the North, South, and West, France-Lorraine was effectively surrounded and cut off. Lorraine Proper remained weak, and vulnerable to attack. Despite control over France-Lorraine, much of the emphasis of the union was on the French territories and not on the Lorrainian territories. It seemed that Lorraine would quickly lose favor in France-Lorraine.


Changes in France
Between 1393 and 1433

Nations in 1393:
With dynasty, standing army and status

France (de Lorraine): 70,000 men, Independent Kingdom
Brittany (Montfort): 10,000 men, Independent Duchy
Bourbonnais (de Bourbon): 7,000 men, Independent Duchy
Burgundy (de Bourgogne): 30,000 men, Independent Duchy
Lorraine (de Lorraine): 5,000 men, Union with France
Foix (de Foix): 1,000 men, Independent County
Armagnac (d’Armagnac): 2,000 men, Independent Duchy
Albret (d’Albret): 4,000 men, Independent Duchy
Valois-Anjou (d’Anjou): 8,000 men, Independent Duchy
Valois-Orleans (de Orleans): 2,000 men, Independent Duchy
Valois-Auvergne (d'Auvergne): 1,000 men, Independent Duchy

Nations in 1433:
With dynasty, standing army and status

France-Lorraine (de Lorraine): 39,000 men, Independent Kingdom
Lorraine (de Lorraine): No standing army, Union under France-Lorraine
Valois-Orleans: No standing army, Vassal of France-Lorraine
France-Albret (d’Albret-Bourgogne): 84,000 men, Independent Kingdom
Burgundy (d’Albret-Bourgogne): 45,000 men, Union under France-Albret
Brittany (Montfort): 12,000 men, Vassal of France-Albret
Valois-Anjou (d’Anjou): 10,000 men, Vassal of France-Albret
Valois-Auvergne (d’Albret): 2,000 men, Vassal of France-Albret
Bourbonnais (de Bourbon): 5,000 men, Vassal of France-Albret

Effective:

France-Lorraine (de Lorraine): 39,000 men
France-Albret (d’Albret-Bourgogne): 158.000 men


Fifth Phase of the Succession
End of the Succession

In the spring of 1433 France-Albret invaded France-Lorraine for the last time. King Louis I’s army quickly splintered under the combined armies of France-Albret. King Jean VII made certain that people understood, land that fell to his forces, no matter what banner they were under, would never be given back to France-Lorraine. Paris was the first city to fall, and keeping to his promise, Jean VII ended the center of trade there and moved it to Bordeaux. King Louis I fled France for Lorraine, but arriving there, found it too under the banner of France-Albret. Then he fled to Valois-Orleans, but the Duke there ended the vassalship, and handed King Louis I de Lorraine over to Dauphin Charles, son of Jean VII. Charles had Louis paraded in the streets of Bordeaux. The Gascon people hailed Charles as the ender of the Succession, and as evidence, Jean VII stepped down so that France could finally be united.
In 1436, after 40 years of constant warfare, Dauphin Charles was crowned King Charles X d’Albret-Bourgogne King of France. This brought Burgundy into direct control of France, uniting a large portion of the entire Kingdom under one capital. Few people had any idea what to do with Louis I de Lorraine. The old King Jean VII suggested he be hanged in Paris for treason. Others, including Grand Duke Henri II, advocated drawing and quartering the ex-monarch. King Charles X decided on permanent exile. Louis I de Lorraine was exiled to England, but would later die in 1448 in Denmark. His descendants were never allowed back into France with the surname de Lorraine though some managed back in under assumed surnames.
France settled into a few more years of war, assuming control over Valois-Orleans in order to truly end any resistance to Albretian rule over the whole of France. Like those before him, Charles X was a powerful general, but lacked both the administrative and diplomatic ability to achieve much with the peace that followed during his reign. King Charles X reigned for 6 years after the end of the succession. His son, King Charles XI was elected Holy Roman Emperor, thus granting him the title of Emperor, a title that all future monarchs of France would hold. Even so, Charles XI reigned for only a year and a half. As a child he suffered from typhoid and when as a man he was still very sickly. His short reign led to a Regency Council as several candidates for King were looked at. Thankfully, due to the centralized rule of Imperial France, a new set of succession wars was adverted, because there were fewer Counts and Dukes to claim the throne.

A Re-united France

(The Blue Province under Switzerland is not France, it is a Swiss minor)

[rcduggan]

most of france has been united, under the Albrets... nice!

[comagoosie]

There has been a big change since 1393

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Yes there has been. ^_^

Anyways, updates will now become speratic as I am back at Purdue.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Four
The Reign of Louis XI and the Centralization of French Imperial Authority

The short Regency Council between 1444 and 1449 would give way to the reign of arguably the greatest French Emperor, Emperor Louis XI d’Albret-Bourgogne. Born in 1440, Louis XI was the oldest son of Charles XI, the first Emperor of France. The Regency Council proved effective at creating a brilliant administrator and diplomat, though only a competent military commander. Emperor Louis XI was notable for his conflicts internally as well as his expansion of Imperial Authority during 1460’s and 1470’s. Louis XI managed to create two very important friendships. The first was Queen Juana of Castile. Louis XI had sincerely proposed to her before she took the throne, and had been turned down. He tried again, and once again had been turned down. It is assumed, though, that the two were lovers though, outside of marriage. Had the union been successful, history could have been wickedly altered as a France-Castile combination would have shifted the might of Europe away from the Holy Roman Empire and into France.

Religious Tension in Europe
France and Castile break from the Catholic Church

Queen Juana, beyond a lover, proved to be very helpful in Louis XI’s fight against the Papacy, and Papal authority in France and Iberia. The Duchy of Valois-Anjou had always guaranteed to the Pope that Papal troops could move between Italy and Avignon through Provence. With the acquisition of both Anjou and Provence into France proper in 1466, the Papacy came to Emperor Louis XI and demanded the same rights that Duke Phillip d’Anjou had given them. This history between the Papacy and France was highly sour, and if it not for the population’s support of the Catholic Church, the two would have been completely separate. The Papacy gave several warnings to the Kingdom of France-Albret. These were practically useless; as France-Albret was more worried about uniting France, and the Papal State was at war with the Two Sicilies, bringing much of southern Italy under Papal control. By 1470 both Castile and France were embargoing Papal goods and traders. As Holy Roman Emperor, the actions of Louis XI were revolutionary.
Together, France and Castile were able to hold off Papal demands for two decades between 1455 and 1475. Eventually though, it became obvious to the Emperor and Queen that the Papacy would either have to be met head-on, or they would eventually have to submit to Papal Authority sooner or later. Emperor Louis XI feared that even if he opposed the Pope to his dying breath, it only took one submissive heir later in the line to undo everything he had done. So, he went to Queen Juana I in her capital to speak to her about ending Papal Authority in their countries. This second schism would greatly weaken the Catholic Church, as resistance to its authority was already become wide-spread in Germany.
In June of 1475, Emperor Louis XI declared himself head of the French Church, known as the Gallicanian Church. In August of the same year, Emperor Louis XI personally baptized Queen Juana I into the Gallicanian Church. This sent shock waves to the Pope. The two largest Catholic countries simply left the Catholic Church. The Gallicanian church was named after ancient Gaul, and was initially stronger in Castile than France, but with the work of French missionaries, most of France would eventually join the Emperor’s Church (as it was sometimes referred to as). In France, the movement was strongest in Gascony and Normandy, but under Emperor Louis XI and his grandson, Emperor Gaston I the religion was spread throughout France.
Queen Juana, however, took the new religion to its extreme, punishing faithful Catholics alongside Muslims and other non-Christians. This led directly to increased tensions between Gallicanistic nations and Catholic nations. Louis XI would spend much of his time preventing a war, as his own war machine was still being reformed.

The Legacy of Emperor Louis XI
The Dawn of Modern France

Emperor Louis XI’s reign notably divides Medieval France from Modern France. When his reign began in 1449 France was decentralized, Catholic, and feudalistic. At the end of his reign in 1480 France was a centralized, Gallican, and administrative state. Instead of being the personal territory of men it, in many ways, became a functioning country. In 1476 Louis XI had taken control over three surrounding Church lands. The Archbishop of Liege, the Archbishop of Trois-Évêchés and the Bishop of Straßburg all fell under the direct control of Emperor Louis XI and the Gallican faith.
The decentralization left Louis XI as the ultimate power in France. Dukes and Counts were had their personal fiefs removed, and were compensated with palaces and money. This kept them out of the way of Louis XI’s other reforms, including the Church reforms, military reforms, and an aggressive new Economic policy. Without question, many of the Dukes would have objected to Louis XI taking direct control over their personal armies and guards. Before Louis assumed direct control over the Imperial Army, the combined armies of France numbered 90,000 men (down from the Succession). Of this, 70,000 were under Louis XI. At Louis XI’s death the Imperial Army numbered 160,000. The combined armies of France and her vassals were 175,000.
These reforms extended to Ireland, which was split between the English Sphere of control and the French Sphere. The English Sphere included Dublin and Belfast, but was generally unruly. As Louis XI centralized France, he decentralized his authority over Ireland, putting it back under the control of the Irish while still maintaining some control and influence over it.

France in 1449
Dark Blue is the Personal lands of the Emperors, Light Blue is state lands.
Others are the different Dukes/Counts of France.


France in 1480
Dark Blue is the Personal lands of the Emperors, Light Blue is state lands. Others are the Bishops and Archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire.

Religion Boils over the Lowlands
The Dutch War of Succession and the War between Catholics and Gallicans

Between Emperor Louis XI and Emperor Gaston I was Emperor François I. His reign lasted from 1480 to 1482, but in the short amount of time he managed to change history drastically. First, he pushed claims on the Netherlands, especially Holland (vassal) and Gelre (royal marriages). Secondly he began to intensify the conversion of France to Gallicanism. This new attitude, much like Queen Juana’s, was the spark of hundreds of revolts throughout France. When he died in 1482, François I had already set the course for his son, Gaston I.
Emperor Gaston I d’Albret-Bourgogne was a powerful personality. Many monarchs in Europe had trouble standing his long stories and rants. Like his grandfather, it is assumed Gaston had an affair with Queen Juana, but when she died in 1484, he married Duchess Margaret of Gelre. In 1485, he brought Gelre into a union with France. This was opposed by Portugal who had much weaker claims on Gelre. It seems, in retrospect, that this was an act perpetrated by the Catholic League. The Catholic League had formed in 1478 to oppose Louis XI. In 1485 it contained England, Portugal, Aragon and the Papal State. The League had been aching for a war with France since its creation. The succession of Gelre gave them an excuse to start this war.
In 1485 the Papal State delivered a Bull to Emperor Gaston I and his wife. The Papacy demanded that the union be dissolved, or war would be declared. Gaston I had the ambassador sent back with a letter that simply said, “The League stands no chance against the might of France.” After war was officially declared, Gaston and his generals moved against Calais, Avignon, and across northern Aragon. After seizing Calais, the French fleet battled its way into the English Channel and dropped an invasion army of 40,000 French troops and 20,000 Dutch troops onto England. The English armies, disarrayed from Civil War, and disloyal to their commanders, fled west. This left Canterbury, London, Norwich and Brighton open to attack, and all of them fell before the end of 1486.
The Papacy surrendered in September of 1486, cutting its losses in Avignon and allowing the city to be merged into France. Aragon surrendered in July of 1487, giving Gerona to France just as French soldiers seized Barcelona. England surrendered in December of 1487 after losing Hampton and Plymouth to France. They ceded Calais to France as well as renounced their claims on the French throne.
Portugal surrendered in December of 1488. France’s generals marched 50,000 troops across Castile and into a poorly defended Portugal. The occupation of Portugal proper only took the better part of a year. With the end of the war between France and the League, Catholicism as an entity had taken a hard hit. Hungary and Venice was losing to the Ottoman Empire after their initial success in an impromptu crusade. Now the Papal State had lost to schismatic forces. Some saw this as apocalyptic times rising. Some even went as far to call Gaston I the Anti-Christ, a title he would jokingly use from time to time when dealing with members of the League after the war.

France in 1490

Gaston and the Sciences
Freedom of Thought in Fifteenth Century France

Under the Catholic Church, sciences had been repressed. In direct opposition of the Church, Emperor Gaston I supported scientists all across Europe to come to France. As a child, Gaston had been more interested in building and experimenting with his surroundings than Church. Now, as leader of the Gallicanist faith, he could shape the church to his will. Under Gaston “Gallicanism” almost became synonymous with “Science”. His Natural Sciences advisor, born to Gnostics in Portugal, Marc des Coulons explained to the curious Emperor that it was his theory that God created the Laws of Science as his way of enforcing his will at all times. Gaston I was happy with this theory, and gave des Coulons grants to continue his research into these ‘Laws of Science.’ In 1490 des Coulons published “Les Ecritures prolongées sur les Lois de Sciences comme appliqué par notre Dieu de Seigneur” or “Extended Writings on the Laws of Sciences as applied by our Lord God”. Emperor Gaston I hailed the book, which had little actual Science, as the first step to a world more “Unified with God”. The book, though, did discuss important things such as the Earth rotating around the Sun as well as the possibility of moons around Jupiter, thanks to letters from des Coulon’s friends in Papal dominated Tuscany.