Chapter XIV - Archambaud’s Ambition (1621-1638)
As the Dual Monarchy descended once more into regency, instability was brewing. The confirmation of the Edict of Saint Germain, whilst not the primary cause of discontent, proved to be a rallying cry for an increasingly marginalised and disconnected section of the French nobility.
Though initially supportive of increased noble involvement in political affairs, as the reign of Louis IX progressed, the increasingly confident King proved unwilling to consult the nobles of the realm in matters domestic and foreign; trusting his own will and position as the embodiment of France. As fewer and fewer sessions of the
Conseil du Roi and
États généraux were called, the old
noblesse d’épée of France found their influence waning. In its place was rising an increasingly absolutist crown supported by a vast and growing bureaucracy embodied by the
noblesse de robe.
As the influence and wealth of the old landed elite declined, murmurs of discontent began to emerge in the provinces, quiet at first, but such voices only grew as the Good King passed on, to be replaced by a man who would never match his father’s reputation, and then an unstable regency for a child.
The new regency, headed by Cardinal Lussier, was not the most stable of regimes. The power vacuum left in the absence of a strong, absolutist monarch was plain for all to see, and in their desperate clamour for stability, granting new rights and protections to the Huguenots had in fact done more harm than good. The old elite now had their rallying cry, evidence that only they had the divine right and the skill to be the realm’s administrative officials. It was this clash between old and new nobility that brought about the Fronde.
The Frondeurs found their political heartlands in Anjou, governed by the distant cousins of the Bourgogne monarchs. Charles Prince of Anjou was quickly appointed leader of this upstart rebellion and was soon actively positioning himself as an alternative candidate to his misguided and naturally illegitimate relative who would come to inherit the throne upon his coming of age.
The Frondeurs were quick to seize control of Anjou, gathering an army of 21,000 strong and marching out into the provinces, hoping to gather key allies for a march upon Paris. Had it not been for the quick mindedness of General Claude Villeneuve and the loyalty of the Bourgogne Dukes of Berry, relatives to the crown, the Frondes could have spelt disaster for the regency. Instead, the rebellion petered out into nothingness. This great rebellion of the old nobility swiftly became a disaster, a complete farce. The times were changing and it seems the old elite were no longer the most privileged officials in the French state. No doubt though that their struggle and grievances would continue to simmer across the coming decades. The legacy of the Fronde would long outlive the event itself…
It was in the aftermath of the Frondes that the Dual Monarchy’s latest ruler came of age. Louis X, named for his grandfather, had taken on the teachings of Cardinal Lussier and his father Francois. France and England required a strong, absolutist monarch, an embodiment of the state and her people to succeed.
It was soon after Louis’ official coronation at Reims that he was to receive one of the greatest gifts from his namesake. The years of groundwork and preparation had been laid for this very moment. A re-affirmation of the perpetual union which existed between France and England.
Centuries of debate, centuries of politicking had led to this. No longer could the two crowns of the Dual Monarchy remain separate, a complete reunion of both realms would ensure the realm’s global pre-eminence whilst providing considerably lucrative opportunities to the grandees of the English parliament. As the Act of Reunion passed narrowly through the English Parliament, few of its members understood the significance of their actions. The opportunities brought about by reunification were all too apparent. By utilising the combined power of both realms, the Dual Monarchy’s international status and position would be protected, providing great opportunities for the prosperity of all His Majesty’s subjects. Very few at
Londres truly believed they were voting away the last vestiges of English autonomy, but in time England’s status would become clear…
Evidently, not all of the King’s English subjects were so taken with this renewal of the bond between each realm. The northern lords in particular had long voiced their opposition to French influence, with many of the region’s rulers actively rebelling against the crown. With the passage of the Act of Reunion however, the cry of rebellion had returned. As the speaker announced the results of the pivotal vote in the House of Lords, the Dukes of Northumberland, York, and the Earl of Lonsdale turned their backs in disgust, immediately exiting the chamber. It was soon apparent that these lords would be taking up arms in protest of the recent developments.
It was 1625 when the news came through of the revolt. Three armies totalling nearly 50,000 soldiers soon took control of the north. Mercenaries, professional soldiers, and peasants made up their ranks but at its heart were the lords of the north, traitors each and every one.
The English parliament called for reason to prevail, for the lords to lay down their arms and a peaceful solution to be found which recognised the north’s grievances. Yet soon 23,000 Royal troops were marching up from Londres on the orders of Louis X. This force would soon be bolstered by 20,000 Frenchmen shipped across
la Manche. The first force engaged the smallest rebel force at Scarbourg, soon scattering the rag-tag gang of misguided fools.
The two forces would then descend upon the northern stronghold of York where the largest of the rebel forces had gathered. The battle began on the southern side of the city’s walls on the western banks of the River Ouse. The Duke of York had hoped to hold off the main force for long enough that reinforcements could arrive from Cumbria. Yet with the arrival of Royalist reinforcements from the east, the lines would never hold. A hasty retreat was ordered back inside the gates of the city. Hundreds were slaughtered in the panic even before they could get anywhere near the walls. Louis’ French forces lined up outside the walls in anticipation of the prolonged siege, whilst the English army was sent to rout the rest of the traitors in Cumbria.
Yet it did not take long for the city's antiquated walls to crumble against the might of modern artillery. French troops poured into York. The Battle of Euroic would see the decimation of the northern rebels, yet for those inclined to support the defeated, the Slaughter of York would live long in the memory as a rallying cry for English independence. French troops massacring soldier and civilian alike, the city’s riches looted and carried across
la Manche. York Castle, so long a symbol of northern pride, shattered by cannon fire. Naturally, such stories would be brushed off as fabrication or mere propaganda, but no matter the truth in their words, the tale would prove a powerful reminder of the ‘true’ face of the Dual Monarchy in the ensuing centuries…
The last of the northern rebels would eventually be defeated at Lancaster. The fall of York had shattered the resolve of those who were left. All that remained was to suppress a small copycat uprising in Wales which sought to also free that region from Parisian control. With the failure of the northern revolt, England and France were confirmed as one and the same, both equal under one monarch. The dividing line now whether you believed those last few words...
Yet the reunification of the Dual Monarchy was not the only major development of the early Seventeenth Century. In the east, the Sultan of Rum had finally succeeded in capturing the second Rome and stripping the city out of Byzantine control. No doubt the following centuries will see the Byzantines struggle to retake their lost crown.
Even farther east, it seemed European trading companies were beginning to establish a presence in India, with the Breton East Indian charter securing a trading post near Bharuch. The Castilians would soon follow with a base of their own at Goa.
In the southern New World, the Andalusians had succeeded in breaking the power of the Incas, capturing almost the entirety of the Qaf mountains, and securing their colonial presence in the region.
With the rising European presence in Asia it was becoming increasingly clear to the crown that it had to expand its influence east. To the north, the Scottish crown remained weak and was coming increasingly under the influence of the Swedes. Their trading posts on the African coast would prove an adequate target to kick-start this process of Asiatic expansion.
By late 1631 Anglo-French troops had landed at Gabon whilst the navy set about blockading the Scottish colonies. 8,000 Scottish troops made up of Scottish officials and local mercenaries were decisively defeated at Calabar. With little more resistance to offer, the Scots were powerless to resist King Louis’ demands. The Cameroonian coast was his, and now the Dual Monarchy had a staging post to look east.
In the aftermath of the Scottish War, Anglo-French diplomacy was once again at work. In an effort to exert greater influence on continental politics, a new alliance was signed with the newly-reborn Kingdom of Poland. It was hoped that over time Louis’ new eastern ally could be nurtured into a suitable counterbalance against Holy Roman and Hungarian influence in central Europe.
Yet it was once again colonial affairs that sprung the Dual Monarchy to war. The Bretons had set about claiming the Chesapeake Bay for themselves, establishing the Port of Nevez Lorient. The Anglo-French crown had longstanding designs in this region and its lands had been claimed as part of the territories of Floride and Nouvelle Flandre as confirmed by Papal bull. Such interference was unacceptable and provided the necessary casus belli to intervene.
Negotiations between the French and Breton crowns took place over the following weeks, but Vannes refused to back down, claiming the lands around the Chesapeake Bay in their entirety. Naturally, war would solve this dispute swiftly.
As 1637 rolled around, French troops mobilised, crossing with relative ease into the undefended Breton peninsula. Yet, Brittany was no longer some push-over French vassal, her colonial wealth and Irish holdings had significantly bolstered her strength, evidenced by the 50,000 troops that met the French forces at Armor. But still, these numbers proved no match for the
Armée Royale.
On the seas however, the Anglo-French navy was not enjoying as much success. One of the main strategies of the war was to blockade Ireland in the hopes of landing troops once continental Brittany had been subdued, yet the outnumbered Breton fleet was putting up stiff resistance. Concentrated attacks and hit-and-run tactics were disrupting the ability of the Anglo-French navy to control the seas.
Still, it did not take long for Brittany proper to fall. The peninsula was under complete French control by October. Louis’ forces soon moved east to deal with Vannes’ continental allies, few of whom put up any stern resistance. It was under these circumstances, of French troops crossing the Rhine that the election for the next Holy Roman Emperor would take place. Franconia had proved unable to maintain the fragile peace, and so now the crown returned to the Salian dynasty of Lotharingia, with Sigebert I assuming the mantle of Emperor.
On the seas though, what initially began as an annoyance soon turned into a disaster. At the Battle of Quiberon Bay, the Anglo-French fleet battled against the Bretons, yet as the month of November wore on the outnumbered Bretons scored a massive victory against Louis’ forces. Sinking 31 ships and capturing 12 whilst only losing one of their own which proved to be a captured French ship. The flagships Duke of Aquitaine and Falmouth were sunk and captured respectively. It was a humiliation that crippled the Anglo-French fleet and sent the Admiralty into a frenzy. This had been the culmination of decades of neglect in their eyes. For far too long the army had been favoured over the navy and this was the result.
With the Anglo-French fleet crippled, Breton forces began to close in on Floride and Quebec, leading French diplomats to scramble for a peace deal whilst Louis’ forces retained their edge. Peace would eventually be signed, in the Dual Monarchy’s favour, but the gains from the war hardly met any of the initial objectives. Chesapeake was captured, with Brittany revoking any claims to the region, whilst the islands of Xamaica, St Vincent and Dominica were transferred to Anglo-French control.
And so the Bretons found themself defeated once more, but not without first bloodying the nose of Louis’ forces. If the Dual Monarchy was truly to become a global power far more resources and reforms were necessary to rule the seas. This line of thought proved particularly prominent in the English half of the crown which had a long-held preference for naval matters. But it was up to the crown to follow through and ensure any future investment and dedication to the navy was thorough and absolute in contrast with its previous piecemeal efforts...
