Well it had many lairs. FIrst of all France before RIchelieu and after are actually important for the picture. Prior to his plan of natural borders, France was fighting only Spain and the Italians, mostly for milan. But at the same time protestant had control of 30 percent of the country and was a state in the state. SO you had political problems, rising taxes a big protestant minority with power and a court wich fought itself. So there was not really a plan here.
After Richelieu the natural borders of France where defiend. The Rhine in the easts, the sea in the west, the channel in the north, Savoie to Italy and the Pyrenees towards Spain (Rousillion). The land was also mostly satisfied, the protestant destroyed and expulsed or converted. (Some stayed but too few to matter). The peasants and nobles where also dealt with. But at the same time the war cost rose and rose and so did the taxes. But Louis the XIV. had not yet those Problems, and did his best to achieve those borders actually his sucessor managed to achieve it shortly after his passing. By then the French had basicially bankrupted themselves though (the american wars where too much) and with Louis the XVIII it was over. The only reason why they did not loose anything after Waterloo was the Russians who wanted a stable monarchy in France and a counterbalance to Austria.
If not those gains would have been set back and probaly withouth revanchism (why funnily enough the French still had). (Before Leibzig Autria actually offered up the Rhine border to Napoleon ^^ those traitors xd)
The involment in the 30 years War was to offset the Habsburg control of the Reich wich was on the brink of being sucessfull and only with Gustav Adoplhus did the protestant side pick up momentum. The stalement late on was actually best case scenario for France, as a too strong Sweden would also be dangerous for them.
Maybe have an event with RIchelieu to give France blue claims on the Rhineborder ^^ would be a nice touch I guess.
After Richelieu the natural borders of France where defiend. The Rhine in the easts, the sea in the west, the channel in the north, Savoie to Italy and the Pyrenees towards Spain (Rousillion). The land was also mostly satisfied, the protestant destroyed and expulsed or converted. (Some stayed but too few to matter). The peasants and nobles where also dealt with. But at the same time the war cost rose and rose and so did the taxes. But Louis the XIV. had not yet those Problems, and did his best to achieve those borders actually his sucessor managed to achieve it shortly after his passing. By then the French had basicially bankrupted themselves though (the american wars where too much) and with Louis the XVIII it was over. The only reason why they did not loose anything after Waterloo was the Russians who wanted a stable monarchy in France and a counterbalance to Austria.
If not those gains would have been set back and probaly withouth revanchism (why funnily enough the French still had). (Before Leibzig Autria actually offered up the Rhine border to Napoleon ^^ those traitors xd)
The involment in the 30 years War was to offset the Habsburg control of the Reich wich was on the brink of being sucessfull and only with Gustav Adoplhus did the protestant side pick up momentum. The stalement late on was actually best case scenario for France, as a too strong Sweden would also be dangerous for them.
Maybe have an event with RIchelieu to give France blue claims on the Rhineborder ^^ would be a nice touch I guess.
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