La Gloire: Invasion Of France
La Gloire can be translated as a reputation in the world and the posterity for nobility, honour and glorious feats of arms. With this in mind the question can be interpreted as whether Louis XIV was to use his foreign policy to establish a universal monarchy for himself or alternatively to use it to secure natural frontiers for France thus improving its defences. During his reign Louis was involved in four major wars some of which Louis may be accountable as the provocateur, however, I believe that mainly his motives were purely defensive.
It was apparent to Louis that there were a number of gateways from the Empire through which enemies of France might threaten the state 's security. The three imperial bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun …show more content…
His invasion of the Spanish Netherlands in 1667 and the ensuing War of Devolution frightened the Dutch into a Triple Alliance with England and Sweden, which led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668. Then, in the Dutch War that followed shortly afterward, Louis intended to warn the Dutch that France was a serious European player and to force the Dutch to give him a free hand in the Spanish Netherlands when the issue of the Spanish succession came up. He learned from that war that he could never hope to incorporate a large part of the Netherlands into France against Dutch opposition; but he also continued to fear the manner in which the Dutch might try to influence the government of the Spanish Netherlands for their own economic benefit. Here again was an example of mutual hostility and suspicion in which interpretations of motives in Versailles and in The Hague were opposed. At the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697 the Dutch gained the right to keep a series of Dutch barrier fortresses within the southern Netherlands as a check against French aggression; it was Louis 's seizure of these fortresses in 1701 that precipitated the War of the Spanish …show more content…
In addition, his grandson remained king of Spain, despite all of the efforts of the Grand Alliance to replace him by their candidate, the Austrian archduke
It was apparent to Louis that there were a number of gateways from the Empire through which enemies of France might threaten the state 's security. The three imperial bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun …show more content…
His invasion of the Spanish Netherlands in 1667 and the ensuing War of Devolution frightened the Dutch into a Triple Alliance with England and Sweden, which led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668. Then, in the Dutch War that followed shortly afterward, Louis intended to warn the Dutch that France was a serious European player and to force the Dutch to give him a free hand in the Spanish Netherlands when the issue of the Spanish succession came up. He learned from that war that he could never hope to incorporate a large part of the Netherlands into France against Dutch opposition; but he also continued to fear the manner in which the Dutch might try to influence the government of the Spanish Netherlands for their own economic benefit. Here again was an example of mutual hostility and suspicion in which interpretations of motives in Versailles and in The Hague were opposed. At the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697 the Dutch gained the right to keep a series of Dutch barrier fortresses within the southern Netherlands as a check against French aggression; it was Louis 's seizure of these fortresses in 1701 that precipitated the War of the Spanish …show more content…
In addition, his grandson remained king of Spain, despite all of the efforts of the Grand Alliance to replace him by their candidate, the Austrian archduke