• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
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

France-Albret-Burgundy.jpg


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.

PapacyIssue.jpg

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.

Francein1449.jpg

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.

Francein1480.jpg

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.

Francein1488.jpg

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

Chapter Five
Spread of Gallicanism and the Dutch Revolt

France-Albret-Burgundy.jpg

Emperor Gaston I d’Albret-Bourgogne adopted the Castilian style of spreading Gallicanism into Catholic provinces as a means of keeping his authority in the forefront. Provinces that refused to convert to Gallicanism were often left without funding for improvements or occupied by Imperial Armies in order to ensure that the population stayed quiet while Gallican priests tried again and again to unwedge Papal authority from France. The success rate in the North with the exception of Brittany was very low, while the success rate in the south was very high. Tensions seemed to be boiling into a second French Civil war as the north felt oppressed by the Gascon-ruled government in the south.
Despite his popularity within the government and throughout Europe, Emperor Gaston I was isolating Catholics within his own country, and causing conflict between Gallicanists and Catholics. By the time of Gaston I’s death in 1493, 60% of the country was Gallicanistic. Some major cities in the North, such as Brussels, Paris and Brugge remained staunchly Catholic and were assisting the surrounding regions in fighting off Gaston’s attempts to unify France religiously. When Gaston I died in October of 1493, he was succeeded by his son Henri II d’Albret-Bourgogne.
One of Henri II’s first actions was the Edict of Paris in 1494, which made forced conversions illegal, and ended all state-sponsored missionary ventures into France. Despite such an intelligent move in ended the tensions between the North and South, Henri II was a fighter, not a leader. He had been an amazing commander during the previous war, and rose quickly through the ranks. Meanwhile, at schooling, he did poorly at everything else. Brutish and rude, he had few personal friends, and had trouble ruling his Dutch territories. He left much of the actual ruling up to his advisors, and spent much of his time hunting or riding horses.


Tension between France and Gelre
Emperor Henri II and the First Edict of Union

The nation of Gelre was unhappy with this new ruler that had been thrust upon them. They had been happy under the artful rule of Gaston I, even with the religious differences. But they found Henri II to be an incapable ruler, and began to try to rid themselves of him. To combat France in the Netherlands, Gelre joined Utrecht and Friesland in the Dutch Union, and they created a functioning pseudo-state in the Netherlands. Henri II was unhappy with the uppity bit of land trying to revolt from his control. Emperor Henri II expanded his control by exerting an extra leg of influence over the Rhineland. Bringing new vassals under his control through diplomacy and the conservative use of force, France assumed control over more territory indirectly.
With control over the Holy Roman Empire stronger than ever, Emperor Henri II made the First Edict of Union, declaring a massive region of the Holy Roman Empire under the direct control of the French Monarchy. The edict promised limited Home Rule for at least 10 years, but that could be extended after ten years. The Edict also said that Gelre would be annexed to France, and laid claim on the rest of the Netherlands. This infuriated the Dutch Union, which immediately helped Gelre succeed from French control. Emperor Henri II had prepared for this, and had 50,000 imperial troops waiting in Holland and Brabant. Utrecht Proper and Gelre were quickly attacked by Imperial troops. A secondard group marched through Gelre into the northern territories of Utrecht. The war had started in 1500 and by 1501 all of the Netherlands had been occupied. The Dutch Union was broken up, Gelre was annexed, Utrecht lost their northern region and Friesland lost their name-sake territory. Emperor Henri II had led many of the battles, personally joining his troops as they stormed the palace in Gelre. He might have not been an effective administrator, but he was a powerful military commander, and quickly left much of Europe uneasy as he added another 20,000 troops to the Imperial Army. France’s army at the time was twice over the two closest European nations.

FrancewithintheHRE1492.jpg

France and the Holy Roman Empire in 1492

FirstEdictofUnion.jpg

First Edict of Union
Darkest Blue - France
Dark Blue - Territory brought into French control
Blue - Other territories of the Holy Roman Empire

FrancewithintheHRE1501.jpg

France and the Holy Roman Empire in 1501


Diplomatic Success
Dawn of Golden France

Even though Emperor Henri II was not a successful diplomat, he had with him a very powerful group of court diplomats that ensured that France maintained close relationships with her allies and that her enemies were blocked at every chance. One of the most successful deals was the purchase of Corsica from Poland. This purchase, in 1505, gave France a station to harass Papal Italy as well as help Tuscan rebels deal with the Papal deconstruction of the Holy Roman Empire in Italy. The Papacy was attempting to end the Holy Roman Empire’s influence in Catholic Europe by slowly eating away at it from the south. Meanwhile, German states sided with France, and tried to strengthen their ties to France and end relationships with the Papal State.



The Etrurian War
Colonization sparks the French-Papal Conflict

In 1508, Emperor Henri II chartered the first wave of French settlement in the New World. Few of the colonies succeeded to last any amount of time, but in some areas, French influence stuck, and refused to budge. The French colonies were isolated from the colonies of Portugal, who through Papal influence had claimed all of the New World. France did not wish to end the Portuguese control over much of the New World, merely expand their own trade influence and get stable supplies of Sandalwood flowing into Imperial France. Portugal did not push the Papal Bull, but the Papacy did. The Pope personally wrote to Henri II and told him to abandon his attempts of colonizing the New World, and demanded the shipments of Sandalwood be turned over to Portugal. The Papacy then attempted to infiltrate Henri II’s court, and the spy was caught and executed.
With these issues rising, Emperor Henri II called his best, seasoned generals from the Dutch War and moved 90,000 French troops into Northern Italy to prepare for the greatest offensive ever. Spies made sure that France’s claims to Tuscany and Modena were sound, and then in 1510 Emperor Henri II declared himself King of Etruria, the Latin name for the Tuscan region. Then his forces quickly moved into the Papal State’s northern territories. Papal Forces numbered 55,000; while the Imperial Army numbered 90,000 in the region and French allies brought an additional 20,000 troops into the war.
Even though outnumbered and lacking the tactical knowledge of France’s generals, the Papal State fought hard, initially reversing the capture of Modena, though eventually being forced to retreat back as France’s reserve forces were brought to bear against the Papal counter-offensive. The Papal State pulled troops back south in order to regroup and build defenses to hopefully defend Rome from an attack and siege from French forces.
This allowed Henri II to collect and organize his armies in Northern Italy and consolidate his control in Italy. It is assumed that had the Pope put constant pressure on France’s armies, that without control over the region, the invasion would have failed, or would have had far less success. But the Tuscans, happy with the French, helped feed and shelter French troops, and welcomed them as liberators. The story was the same in Lucca, Pisa and Siena. But as France moved deeper into the south, resistance became harder; the population did want to be under French control. Seized a mere nine months after the war started, Rome revolted in the winter of 1510. Luckily for the French, some 15,000 troops were still stationed in the surrounding area, waiting for a new offensive come spring. The city was put to the torch, and the rebellion driven out of the city and south to Papal territories.
Emperor Henri II’s army had a very interesting demographic make-up. France in 1510 was 75% Gallican and 25% Catholic. The soldiers in the Imperial Army were 90% Gallican and 10% Catholic, while the officer corps was 40% Gallican and 60% Catholic. What this mean was that Gallicanism was more popular amongst the lower classes, while the nobility and upper classes remained Catholic. Tolerances in France were on the rise, allowing for Gallican-Catholic marriages and general cooperation. Henri II’s wife, Patrycja, was a Polish Catholic, and spent much of her time with the Catholics of her adopted homeland.
By June of 1511, the war had been lost for the Papal State. Napoli had fallen in May, and with it the last hope of moving the Papacy to Sicily lost as the French Navy surrounded the boot of Italy. In October of 1511, the Papacy surrendered Etruria to France, isolating the Papacy from the Holy Roman Empire.

WarinItaly1.png

The War in 1510

WarinItaly2.png

The War in 1511

FlagofFrance1512.jpg

France's New Flag in 1512


Brazil
French Colonies in the New World

Unlike many European nations, France’s colonies saw great success without the extermination of local populations. This is partially due to the war in Italy draining military resources. But by 1519 France’s colony in Brazil was highly successful, and expanding. Though not as impressive as the colonies of Portugal or England, it brought in the wealth that the Empire required to fund its everyday activities, and thus fulfilled its purpose. It also acted as point for future expansion into Africa and the southern portions of the New World.


End of the d’Albret-Bourgogne Dynasty
The Regency of Luiza Jagiellończyk

Emperor Henri II died without an heir or brothers. He did, however, have connections to a Cadet Branch of the d’Albret-Bourgogne dynasty in Poland, known as Jagello (or in Polish: Jagiellończyk). A Regency Council reigned for five years between 1514 and 1519 while a proper heir was groomed as a French Emperor. The boy chosen was a noble Knight from Poland by the name of Luiza Jagiellończyk in Polish or Louis Jagello in French. The Regency Council did very little other than expand Brazil and move in to claim the Canary Islands from their Berber rulers. They also dealt with a minor revolt in French Catalonia.
In 1519, Luiza Jagiellończyk was crowned Emperor Louis XII Jagello, Emperor of France and claimant of the Holy Roman Empire. A masterful administrator and warrior, following in the footsteps of many French Emperors, he was a bad diplomat. But as the first foreign Emperor of France, he would be effective in ruling a land he had never been in before being crowned.
 
I should have chapter six up tonight or tomorrow... Little bit of action, we get Louis XII and Louis XIII...

Anyways, a bit stressful of game diplomancy-wise here is the run down:

13 Monarchs:
Diplo Score 3 - 7 (Monarchs)
Diplo Score 4 - 2
Diplo Score 5 - 1
Diplo Score 6 - 1
Diplo Score 7 - 1
Diplo Score 8 - 1 (Didn't last long though)
 
Last edited:
That's an interesting French flag, what does the symbolism mean?
 
@rcduggan: I wish I could go into some huge speel about the symbolism, but it is basically a Maltese cross with the d'Albret-Bourgogne coat of arms in the center... it is based off the Flag of the Kingdom of Etruria, which existed during the Napoleonic Wars.

@comagoosie: I forgot to include the final map, which will be posted tomorrow. D&D prevented an update tonight(yesterday). Basically France gained Western Genoa, Modena and Etruria.
 
Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Six
Colonization and the Centralization of Imperial Authority

FlagofFrance1512.jpg


Emperor Louis XII Jagello was a powerful authority in France. A powerful military leader and a detailed planner of infrastructure, he brought new wealth to France by updating her military and government systems to function under his direct authority. The Feudal system was abolished in 1522, to great astonishment from the French nobility. In 1523 the University of France-Bordeaux was founded and the military expanded again to 200,000 men. The new system brought power to peasants and newly freed serfs, who declared Louis XII “Emperor of the People.” Many upset nobles, including the remnants of the d’Albret-Bourgogne dynasty left France and moved into surrounding territories.

Francein1520.jpg

France in 1520

Major Nations and their Dynasties in 1525
France – Jagello (Cadet Branch of the d’Albret-Bourgogne and Jagielloń lines)
Milan – Sforza
Poland – Jagielloń
England – Lancaster
Spain – Trastámara
Aragon – de Barcelona
Holland – d’Albret-Holland
Austria – von Habsburg
Sweden – Vasa

Coming from Poland, Louis XII brought tolerance for the Jews as well as new tolerances for Catholics to France. With much of the government’s workings based solely on his opinion as Emperor, France’s politics would very much alter between Emperors. The France Louis XII envisioned was not really an image of France, rather of a unified and representative Holy Roman Empire, stretching from Prussia in the East to Bordeaux in the West. This vision became known as Charlemagnianism. With this in mind, Louis XII went about forming more alliances with Holy Roman Empire states, and tried strengthening his power within the Empire through control of the electors. He was not open about his One Empire vision for Central Europe, but it was well known that he was ruthless in the pursuit of French power within the Empire.
Even so, he was far more respected than some of the previous French Emperors. Having been born in Posen, a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, he was considered ‘Imperial’ by the definition that he was born in the Empire, unlike previous French Emperors who had been born in Bordeaux, far from the Empire itself. Louis XII made it a tradition to take his pregnant wife to Luxemburg to give birth to his children. This way, his heirs would share the same legitimacy as he did.


Colonial Expansion
France’s Oversea Empire Grows

Emperor Louis XII put much of his time into expanding France’s colonial holding in the New World as well as the old. France’s oldest and largest colony, Brazil, had a burgeoning population of newly freed serfs and ambitious merchantmen looking to cut into the huge forests and plains of the Southern Americas. In 1531, Brazil City, capital of the colony, began construction of a new university, and in 1532, 5,000 men were conscripted from the homeland and brought over to Brazil to protect it from Aragonese Brazil and Castilian Brazil. Of the three claims, the French was the strongest, giving them access to the Northern parts of South America, while the Castilian claim gave them access to the Southern portions of South America. The Aragonese claim was stuck between French Brazil, Castilian Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean. This prevented it from expanding, much to the Chagrin of the King of Aragon.
In 1533 New Normandy was chartered as five separate colonies. These were Bay Colony, Carib Colony, Antilles Colony, Saint Louis, and Isles Colony. With stocks of Grain and room for large plantations, many believed that New Normandy would make France rich. But in 1536 everyone knew it would when gold was struck not once, but twice. This led to a massive wave of immigration from France to the newest colony. Native populations were quickly integrated into French Colonial society, or swept aside.
In 1534 Emperor Louis commissioned two African Colonies, Gabon Colony and Cape Colony. With much of Europe’s attention on America, many had forgotten about Africa. Even so, while the America colonies proved self-sufficient and cheap, African colonies rapidly proved to be highly expensive. Only Cape Colony proved doable. By 1540 diamonds had been found, and mining commenced. Cape Colony expanded while Gabon suffered from unruly natives. By 1541, French settlers had retreated to Ile de Gabon, the original colony built on islands lying to the West of mainland Africa. Africa remained largely uncolonized for the next century. Only French Cape Colony had any success, and only because of cooperation between Emperor Louis XII and local natives.

Brazil.jpg

Brazil in 1532

NewNormandy.jpg

New Normandy Colony


Changes in the European Landscape
Europe in the mid-16th Century

The tiny Kingdom of Savoy had originally fallen into the Albretian sphere of influence in the early 1400’s. It had remained independent, but now landlocked; it relied on the kindness of other countries for access to ports for trade. Despite having lost a war to Albret, Savoy eventually warmed up to the re-united France. Eventually, during the wars with the Papal State, Savoy fell under French direct control. Initially the move for vassalization was opposed by the Savoyian Duke, but with the war in Italy about to begin; France had no choice but to march troops through the small country, occupying it for a short period of time. Savoy was forced to become a vassal of the French state, expanding her control over the region.
Eventually, with time, Emperor Louis XII became interested in his idea of a united Holy Roman Empire. This led him to annex many of his vassal states between 1535 and his death in 1545. Savoy initially put up a fight, rejecting any pact of annexation from France. Emperor Louis XII grew tired of the stubbornness of the tiny vassal and threatened the Duke with invasion and execution. The Duke, though highly offended, accepted the offer, realizing that the enraged Louis XII would spare no amount of force in bringing Savoy under his direct control. At the time the Imperial Army numbered over 200,000; the Savoyian Army numbed roughly 3,000.
Also, beginning in the late 1520’s Catholicism took another blow. Much of Germany, fed up with Papal interference with the Holy Roman Empire as well as the daily lives of their citizens, began to break away from the Catholic Church. Spurred by the speeches and ideals of the priest Martin Luther, Much of Central and Northern Germany left Papal control. The new, decentralized, church began good relations with the Gallican Church. Emperor Louis XII saw the second split as only bettering his authority over the Holy Roman Empire.


France’s Son
The Reign of Louis XIII Jagello

Emperor Louis XII Jagello died in 1545, leaving his seventeen year-old son Emperor. Many nobles advised a regency council, but the Emperor Louis XIII Jagello rejected the idea, having himself crowned Emperor of France in Bordeaux and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in Luxemburg. Quickly, it was recognized that Louis XIII was a powerful spirited man who would drastically alter the face of Europe. He continued the colonial expansion his father had started, eventually connecting Brazil and New Normandy in 1546. Emperor Louis XIII, though, saw more potential for growth in New Normandy, where climate was similar to southern France. Brazil had great coffers of money, but growth-wise it was hard to get the colonies to grow with tropical diseases. Plus with Aragon and Castile there, expansion was difficult.
Emperor Louis XIII also greatly expanded France’s borders in France. His influence over the German nations expanded greatly as he slowly pushed France into Central Germany. He ripped nobles off of their land and compensated them with palaces in France. Dukes that rejected Louis XIII’s demands were uprooted by force and given no compensation. The Duke of Hesse and the Bishop of Strassburg were two of the few rulers that did not put up a fight. The Bishop was allowed to retain his post at the church, and the Duke was granted a Palace in Brittany, which he chose over a governorship of Guyana Colony (which bridged New Normandy and Brazil). The Dukes of Holland, decedents of the d’Albret dynasty, resisted the land grab, and were forced into exile. The Duke of Cleves was beheaded for his resistance and the protests he made against Emperor Louis XIII. The Archbishop of Liege was also beheaded for treason. All in all, most french vassals with the exception of any Electors, were annexed between 1545 and 1549. In 1549 the Duke of Malta left his estate to Louis XIII, granting France the tiny island nation.
The growth in territory also brought a growth in the Imperial Army. By 1559 the Imperial Army would exceed 250,000 men. The Imperial Navy, though, still did not get the funding it needed and was falling behind in growth, remaining at a mere 75 ships. This left French colonies at risk for Pirates and raids, but until 1565, no attention was paid to the Imperial Navy as it languished in port.


Old Enemies
The Second Papal-French War

France’s growth into Catholic countries as well as its funding of Lutheranism within the Holy Roman Empire left a sore taste in the mouth of the Pope. The Papacy and France remained at odds with each other, but in hatred it was usually a one-way street. The Papacy constantly funded spies, assassinations, raids and revolts within French territory. Emperors Louis XII and Louis XIII generally ignored the Papacy, granted as long as the Papacy didn’t actually accomplish anything, they were left alone. The centuries’ old Embargo against the Papacy from Castile and France remained. Lutheran and other Holy Roman Empire states joined in, causing the Papal economy to lag behind the rest of Western Europe. The only ardent supporters of the Papacy remained Aragon and England. But England was divided from the Papacy by the body of Europe, and Aragon had gone bankrupt trying to fund colonial adventures into Saharan Africa.
In 1561 Paris converted to Gallicanism, with only minor nudging from Louis XIII. With the great French Catholic city fallen to the other side, Pope Pius III became enraged. He claimed that the conversion violated the Edict of Paris made by Emperor Henri II in 1494. Emperor Louis XIII responded by saying that not only does the Papacy have no authority to enforce the Edict, but that Paris had converted naturally, through immigration and emigration of populations and from the example set by other Gallican cities. The Pope sent a letter to Emperor Louis XIII claiming that since the Edict was given to Catholic people; it was officially a treaty with the Papacy. Louis XIII responded by claiming if that were true, all treaties with the Papacy were made null and void with the last war with the Papacy.
By 1562, the two leaders are close to personal conflict. Emperor Louis XIII increases the number of troops in Italy, and brings in Armies from other parts of France. The Pope continued to fund revolts, but it was a failed assassination attempt against Louis XIII that caused Louis XIII to send a final letter to Pope Pius III.

His Letter:

His Holiness, Pope Pius III Bishop of Rome;

I will have you hanged.

By the grace of God, Emperor Louis XIII d’Albret-Bourgogne Jagello
Emperor of the French, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Europe

The letter came as a huge surprise, as it was delivered by French sailors who came ashore from the blockade surrounding Rome. Some 90,000 French troops faced a mere 45,000 troops in the Northern portions of Italy. In February Emperor Louis XIII revealed the d’Anjou claim to Sicily, which had been thwarted by the Byzantines, which thus made the claim legitimate to Catholicism. The reasoning behind the French claim was that the d’Anjou line was now extinct in name, but the Jagellos, as decedents of the d’Albrets were also then decedents of the d’Anjous. With his casus belli in place, the armies of France marched south ward, winning each battle and forcing the Pope to flee Rome. The Pope first moved to Aragon, but under pressure from the French, Aragon forced him to leave, and took him to Sicily, then under the control of the Papacy.
By January of 1563 Napoli had fallen to French forces. Emperor Louis XIII then made the displaced Duke of Hesse King of Naples, and brought him in as an independent ruler. Eventually the newly created Kingdom of Naples would be united with its former territories with the exception of Sicily. In March of 1564 the last Papal troops were captured and pacified. In April the Pope was captured in a small village outside of Messina impersonating a priest. He was identified by several Sicilian monks and priests who had been helping Sicily resist Papal authority.
In June of 1564 the war was over. The Pope was hanged in Bordeaux by the authority of the Holy Roman Empire. Attending the execution were all seven Electors, the Emperor of France, the King of Castile, the King of Naples, the Grand-Duke of Luneburg and two emissaries from Poland. No nation spoke out against the execution, for fear of retribution from France. The brutality of the French forces left Rome as a husk of a city, depopulated and mostly burned to cinders. The Curia would refer to Emperor Louis XIII as Emperor Nero II.

Francein1565.jpg

France in 1565
Dark Blue - France Proper
Blue - Holy Roman Empire
Grey-Blue - French Claims in Brazil
 
:eek: France... Breaking off from Rome.... In the fifteenth century.... Wow. Excellent AAR, BTW! Also, could you give us some insight into the teachings/practices of the Gallican Church? I must assume that the Emperor is not regarded as the earthly head, as I doubt Castile would want her peasants being subject to France, in a spiritual sense....
 
LordCowles said:
:eek: France... Breaking off from Rome.... In the fifteenth century.... Wow. Excellent AAR, BTW! Also, could you give us some insight into the teachings/practices of the Gallican Church? I must assume that the Emperor is not regarded as the earthly head, as I doubt Castile would want her peasants being subject to France, in a spiritual sense....
Actually Castile is the Defender of the Gallican faith right now. Generally, from my stand point Gallicanism is basically Catholicism without the Pope. Instead, I see France and Castile basically working together to guide the religion. The Emperor of France is not reguarded as a demi-god rather is the head of the French Branch of Gallicanism, while the King of Castile is the head of the Spanish Branch of Gallicanism. I can definitally go into more depth with it.

As for the Papacy... it warned me... AGAIN! I swear... it is down to a 5 prov Medium state and it is warning me!! It has no allies, it has a pathetic military... I swear.... I am going to have to get rid of it... >_<
 
Wow, good update. Your colonial holdings are spreading fast. Are you going to make a beeline for North America or stay more into South America and the Caribbean?

I'm not surprised that the Pope lost his position of power. Not with the strength of France. Heck, the Pope didn't even have the same power per se when Napoleon was Emperor...so it makes sense. :)