Inspired loosely by this thread. As I was replying to it, I was doing a little digging regarding certain political policies and groupings during the Dutch Revolt. In that thread I briefly mentioned the Politiques, moderates who emphasized the power and strength of the state over religious questions. In France, the Politiques roughly served as the middle ground during the religious wars. They opposed Ultra-Catholic influence and rallied for peace and unity in France. They believed primarily in a strong monarchy, as only a strong monarch / executive could defend the country from civil disorder. In many ways, the wishes of the Politiques in aspects of a strong central state would come true in the 17th century with Louis XIV's absolutism.
Politiques also existed outside France, and they were a faction of sorts during the Dutch Revolt. William the Silent was a well known Politique, though he moved the Netherlands away from the Catholic Church and towards Calvinism. Jonathan I. Israel, a British historian who focuses on Dutch History held the view that Dutch Politiques had a good influence on the Netherlands: they mitigated more radical strains of Calvinism, and helped keep a climate of (relative) religious toleration that was greater than in other European countries at the time.
My query here concerns François, the Duke of Alençon and Anjou. The youngest son of Henri II and Catherine de Medici. He had a deformed spine and was scarred by smallpox at the age of eight—not exactly befitting of his birth name, Hercule. He changed his name to François in honor of his late brother François II, and was a bit of a lovable rogue. Of Henri II's numerous children, I'd say he was pretty adventurous like his sister Margot. He struggled at times to get along with his brother Henri III and his mother Catherine de Medici, and in 1575 he actually joined the Protestant rebels and played a role brokering a peace with the royal court, the Edict of Beaulieu, known as the Peace of Monsieur. François too was well awarded with the Duchy of Anjou.
In 1579, William the Silent invited Anjou to the Netherlands to become it's hereditary sovereign. This time period overlapped with Anjou's courtship with Queen Elizabeth of England, which is another topic entirely. In 1580, the Dutch Estates General (sans Zeeland and Holland) signed the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours with Anjou. Anjou assumed the title of "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands" and also become sovereign of the Dutch Republic. The Treaty of ratified in 1581, and Anjou arrived in 1582. The Dutch hoped that a French prince might bring French military aid against the Spanish. He was greeted by William at Flushing, and later assumed the titles of Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders. Anjou was not popular with the Dutch or Flemish—many of them saw Catholic France as enemies; Holland and Zeeland also refused to recognize him as sovereign. William the Silent, Anjou's benefactor of sorts came under attack for his policies and so-called "French Politics."
Anjou did not have a great amount of power as sovereign. I'm unsure what his actual powers / role was, but he quickly became dissatisfied. By 1583, he decided he was going to take control of Antwerp, Bruges, Dunkirk and Ostend using the French troops he had at his disposal. To no one's surprise, this ended badly: Antwerp was warned of his upcoming attack, and that he would attempt to seize the city through a Joyous Entry. When he entered Antwerp on January 13, 1583, with his army, the gates were shut behind him. The French troops were pelted from the city windows, and the city's garrison also opened fire upon them at point blank range. Anjou lost some +1500 men and barely escaped with his life. Queen Elizabeth ended her engagement with him, and Catherine wrote that "Would to God you had died young. You would then not have been the cause of the death of so many brave gentlemen." By June, he left the Netherlands—which also ruined William the Silent's political position / reputation, as he continued to support Anjou even after this. After this, Anjou fell ill with malaria and was dead by early 1584.
What would happen if Anjou was more successful in the Netherlands? Let's say regardless of either option, he does not fall ill with malaria and will live past 1584.
Some other interesting questions—if Anjou is able to stabilize his position as sovereign, does his title become the assortment of titles that existed previously: Duke of Brabant, Guelders, Count of Flanders(if Flanders is kept?), Holland, Zeeland, and Drenthe, Lord of Utrecht, Overjissel, Frisia, and Groningen? I assume even if the Dutch have a sovereign, they might be leery of making him into a king. I presume that Anjou would probably occupy a role similar to the Princes of Orange during the Dutch Republic, though he likely would not hold the Stadholderate. I'm gonna lean towards the Dutch seeking a more limited monarchy over a more absolutist constitution given their troubles with Spain. If Anjou proves to be the war hero (or succeeds in his coup) he might be able to impose his vision over the Dutch, but I'm thinking a limited monarchial system is still the main outcome. Perhaps he has some reserve powers, but governs through the Stadholderates / States neral, perhaps with direct control over the Generality Lands and command over the Dutch States Army?
Religion: Although Anjou was sympathetic to the Huguenots and the Dutch Calvinists, I presume he'll stay Catholic. For one, he's a heart-beat away from the French throne. I assume if he ever marries or has children, they'll remain Catholic as well. The Union of Utrecht established religious toleration as a locally determined issue, so I presume Anjou would have some limited freedom of worship (not that he was necessarily religious, but still). Does Anjou's household become a refuge for Dutch Catholics, similar to Elizabeth employing skilled Catholics who were loyal. Does he push for some limited toleration of Catholics as well, or is fine serving as a Catholic prince ruling over a Calvinist nation?
1589:
I debated phrasing this thread with the imposition that Henri III had a son somehow, but this is worth discussing too.
So, let's say Anjou is still alive and sovereign in the Netherlands c. 1589 (or onwards) and Henri III is assassinated as IOTL, or he dies somehow differently IATL, without issue. Either way, Anjou as his youngest brother and the youngest surviving son of Henri II would succeed Henri III as his heir as François III. This puts Anjou in a situation akin to Henri III in 1574, when as King of Poland-Lithuania he suddenly succeeded his brother as King of France. Obviously a personal union between the Netherlands and France is a bit different than one between Poland and France, but I think you're probably looking at an untenable system. No way the the Dutch, in the midst of a struggle against Spain would be fine being subsumed by France. I think they'd likely demand that Anjou make his choice of one of the other, and given his ambition I don't see why he wouldn't go for France... of course the situation is incredibly unsettled there, too. The Dutch may have to find another sovereign, or this merely gives them an opportunity to form a Republic—the end of the 1580s and the death of William the Silent (debatable if it occurs in ATL?) meant that the Dutch soured on inviting a foreign prince in. Anjou leaving in 1589 likely prevents any possible suggestion of bringing England / Leicester in, and Elizabeth will reject the sovereignty anyways. I suppose they could ask Archduke Matthias again, but considering he gave up the post in 1581 after the Dutch deposed Philip II, I see no reason why he'd accept in 1589. Does Anjou succeeding just lead to a delayed Republic? I suppose the only option is if he marries quickly enough after ending his courtship with Queen Elizabeth and manages to have an heir and a spare. Can he sweet talk the States General in accepting his youngest son as their sovereign so that he can abdicate and become King of France? I suppose you could end up with an odd situation of Valois Netherlands and Valois France, but I'm dubious about the Dutch accepting a infant/child as their sovereign, especially if Anjou has failed in winning them over and continues to have significant opposition.
Politiques also existed outside France, and they were a faction of sorts during the Dutch Revolt. William the Silent was a well known Politique, though he moved the Netherlands away from the Catholic Church and towards Calvinism. Jonathan I. Israel, a British historian who focuses on Dutch History held the view that Dutch Politiques had a good influence on the Netherlands: they mitigated more radical strains of Calvinism, and helped keep a climate of (relative) religious toleration that was greater than in other European countries at the time.
My query here concerns François, the Duke of Alençon and Anjou. The youngest son of Henri II and Catherine de Medici. He had a deformed spine and was scarred by smallpox at the age of eight—not exactly befitting of his birth name, Hercule. He changed his name to François in honor of his late brother François II, and was a bit of a lovable rogue. Of Henri II's numerous children, I'd say he was pretty adventurous like his sister Margot. He struggled at times to get along with his brother Henri III and his mother Catherine de Medici, and in 1575 he actually joined the Protestant rebels and played a role brokering a peace with the royal court, the Edict of Beaulieu, known as the Peace of Monsieur. François too was well awarded with the Duchy of Anjou.
In 1579, William the Silent invited Anjou to the Netherlands to become it's hereditary sovereign. This time period overlapped with Anjou's courtship with Queen Elizabeth of England, which is another topic entirely. In 1580, the Dutch Estates General (sans Zeeland and Holland) signed the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours with Anjou. Anjou assumed the title of "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands" and also become sovereign of the Dutch Republic. The Treaty of ratified in 1581, and Anjou arrived in 1582. The Dutch hoped that a French prince might bring French military aid against the Spanish. He was greeted by William at Flushing, and later assumed the titles of Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders. Anjou was not popular with the Dutch or Flemish—many of them saw Catholic France as enemies; Holland and Zeeland also refused to recognize him as sovereign. William the Silent, Anjou's benefactor of sorts came under attack for his policies and so-called "French Politics."
Anjou did not have a great amount of power as sovereign. I'm unsure what his actual powers / role was, but he quickly became dissatisfied. By 1583, he decided he was going to take control of Antwerp, Bruges, Dunkirk and Ostend using the French troops he had at his disposal. To no one's surprise, this ended badly: Antwerp was warned of his upcoming attack, and that he would attempt to seize the city through a Joyous Entry. When he entered Antwerp on January 13, 1583, with his army, the gates were shut behind him. The French troops were pelted from the city windows, and the city's garrison also opened fire upon them at point blank range. Anjou lost some +1500 men and barely escaped with his life. Queen Elizabeth ended her engagement with him, and Catherine wrote that "Would to God you had died young. You would then not have been the cause of the death of so many brave gentlemen." By June, he left the Netherlands—which also ruined William the Silent's political position / reputation, as he continued to support Anjou even after this. After this, Anjou fell ill with malaria and was dead by early 1584.
What would happen if Anjou was more successful in the Netherlands? Let's say regardless of either option, he does not fall ill with malaria and will live past 1584.
- Solution A: Let's talk about Option A, which would probably be the better option, but definitely unlikely if we take Anjou's personality into account. In Solution A, Anjou does not attempt to carry out the French Fury. While his powers as Duke of Brabant / Sovereign are limited, he tries instead to bolster his influence within the Dutch Republic among the Politiques and those who might be leery of him being sovereign. He has the support of one of the Netherland's greatest heroes at this time, William the Silent. His time would be better spent negotiating with Holland and Zeeland and getting them to recognize him as sovereign. Given he was granted the titles of Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders, I presume he might have be able to gain his authority in the northern countries by gaining recognition as Count of Holland and Count of Zeeland, among others. His time would also be better spent improving his military capacity alongside the Dutch forces. I'm unsure how much aid Henri III can truly grant his brother (or if he would) but perhaps he can use his credentials among the Huguenots to recruit some of them into his forces, or even the German Protestant Landsknechts who often fought in France, too. In Solution A, no coup will at least keep Antwerp somewhat loyal to the Dutch Republic, by late 1582 Parma will have some 62,000 troops at his disposal for a new offensive. Anjou's best option will to maintain some sort of defensive line—if he can score a victory against Parma or at least try to prevent some of the massive losses in the south, he'll likely be in a better position to increase his own authority and gain needed recognition from Holland and Zeeland.
- Solution B: Solution A is optimistic, but let's talk about about Option B—which I say is more likely. In Option B, Anjou carries out his coup / French fury and it is successful. His reasons for success can be up to you, but Antwerp not finding out is probably most important. Let's say Anjou is able to successfully carry out the plan and takes direct control of Antwerp, Bruges, Dunkirk, and Ostend. While this does bolster his authority, I feel like in this situation, even with a success, Anjou is likely to encounter opposition from the Dutch. While William the Silent will likely still support him, others are going to rightly point out that Anjou has used French troops to seize Dutch cities for his own selfish reasons. I suppose it could be a situation that cows the Dutch into following him, but considering his limited military resources in the Low Countries c. ~1583, I feel like this plan would only overstretch him. Still, if he is successful, what does Anjou do from here? Much like in option A, he'll still be looking at dealing with Parma at some point—and the Republic at this point has fairly overstretched border, going by this map here. Still, if Anjou carries out his coup, will it help him remain as sovereign... or does it lead to a quicker burial?
Some other interesting questions—if Anjou is able to stabilize his position as sovereign, does his title become the assortment of titles that existed previously: Duke of Brabant, Guelders, Count of Flanders(if Flanders is kept?), Holland, Zeeland, and Drenthe, Lord of Utrecht, Overjissel, Frisia, and Groningen? I assume even if the Dutch have a sovereign, they might be leery of making him into a king. I presume that Anjou would probably occupy a role similar to the Princes of Orange during the Dutch Republic, though he likely would not hold the Stadholderate. I'm gonna lean towards the Dutch seeking a more limited monarchy over a more absolutist constitution given their troubles with Spain. If Anjou proves to be the war hero (or succeeds in his coup) he might be able to impose his vision over the Dutch, but I'm thinking a limited monarchial system is still the main outcome. Perhaps he has some reserve powers, but governs through the Stadholderates / States neral, perhaps with direct control over the Generality Lands and command over the Dutch States Army?
Religion: Although Anjou was sympathetic to the Huguenots and the Dutch Calvinists, I presume he'll stay Catholic. For one, he's a heart-beat away from the French throne. I assume if he ever marries or has children, they'll remain Catholic as well. The Union of Utrecht established religious toleration as a locally determined issue, so I presume Anjou would have some limited freedom of worship (not that he was necessarily religious, but still). Does Anjou's household become a refuge for Dutch Catholics, similar to Elizabeth employing skilled Catholics who were loyal. Does he push for some limited toleration of Catholics as well, or is fine serving as a Catholic prince ruling over a Calvinist nation?
1589:
I debated phrasing this thread with the imposition that Henri III had a son somehow, but this is worth discussing too.
So, let's say Anjou is still alive and sovereign in the Netherlands c. 1589 (or onwards) and Henri III is assassinated as IOTL, or he dies somehow differently IATL, without issue. Either way, Anjou as his youngest brother and the youngest surviving son of Henri II would succeed Henri III as his heir as François III. This puts Anjou in a situation akin to Henri III in 1574, when as King of Poland-Lithuania he suddenly succeeded his brother as King of France. Obviously a personal union between the Netherlands and France is a bit different than one between Poland and France, but I think you're probably looking at an untenable system. No way the the Dutch, in the midst of a struggle against Spain would be fine being subsumed by France. I think they'd likely demand that Anjou make his choice of one of the other, and given his ambition I don't see why he wouldn't go for France... of course the situation is incredibly unsettled there, too. The Dutch may have to find another sovereign, or this merely gives them an opportunity to form a Republic—the end of the 1580s and the death of William the Silent (debatable if it occurs in ATL?) meant that the Dutch soured on inviting a foreign prince in. Anjou leaving in 1589 likely prevents any possible suggestion of bringing England / Leicester in, and Elizabeth will reject the sovereignty anyways. I suppose they could ask Archduke Matthias again, but considering he gave up the post in 1581 after the Dutch deposed Philip II, I see no reason why he'd accept in 1589. Does Anjou succeeding just lead to a delayed Republic? I suppose the only option is if he marries quickly enough after ending his courtship with Queen Elizabeth and manages to have an heir and a spare. Can he sweet talk the States General in accepting his youngest son as their sovereign so that he can abdicate and become King of France? I suppose you could end up with an odd situation of Valois Netherlands and Valois France, but I'm dubious about the Dutch accepting a infant/child as their sovereign, especially if Anjou has failed in winning them over and continues to have significant opposition.