Black J. From Louis XIV to Napoleon The Fate of a Great Power

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From Louis XIV to Napoleon

Jeremy Black

University of Exeter

From Louis XIV to Napoleon:

The Fate of a Great Power

First published 1999 in the UK and the USA

by UCL Press

11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001.

The name of University College London (UCL) is a registered trade mark used by UCL Press

with the consent of the owner.

UCL Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,

including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book has been requested

ISBN 1-85728-933-1 HB

1-85728-934-X PB

ISBN 0-203-00638-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-17356-2 (Glassbook Format)

For Gill Carey and Nick Lewis

vii

Preface page ix

Abbreviations xi

Maps xiii

1. Introduction: A European and world power 1

2. Louis XIV and Europe: French foreign policy, 1661–1715 33

3. Foreign policy under the regency, Bourbon and Fleury,

1715–1743 70

4. The diplomatic revolution, its background and consequences,

1743–1774 96

5. Intervention in America and the policy of Vergennes, 1774–1787 128

6. The impact of Revolution, 1787–1799 148

7. The foreign policy of Napoleon, 1799–1815 178

8. France and the world 197

9. Conclusions 217

Notes 230

Select Bibliography 271

Appendix 1: The Later Bourbon Kings of France 277

Appendix 2: French Secretaries of State, 1643–1815 278

Index 280

Contents

The absence of a major modern study of this subject is worrying, because France’s political

and military impact in Europe and the world in this period was of great importance. The

purpose of this work is not to provide a blow-by-blow narrative, for such a task would

require a multi-volume approach and would be unlikely to attract the interest of publishers

and readers. Instead, while providing a chronological framework, this study seeks to

concentrate on major themes. These include the objectives of French policy, the degree of

continuity it possessed, and the reasons for its successes and failures. Particular effort is

devoted to considering continuity or otherwise across the period of the French Revolution.

France’s global position is also addressed. This is a question of the conflation of foreign

policy, mercantile interests, colonial roles and military preferences. The trajectory of colonial

policy and strength is considered, as is the question of why France ‘lost out’ to Britain in the

maritime and colonial sphere. It is necessary to integrate this aspect of foreign policy with

that of policy within Europe in order to demonstrate the range of French options. For

example, in 1778 there was a choice between intervening in North America or fulfilling treaty

commitments to Austria in the War of the Bavarian Succession. Had the latter choice been

taken, France might well not have benefited from the weakening of British power caused by

the loss of the Thirteen Colonies.

There were also choices within Europe. Thus, in 1805 Napoleon did not have to turn

against Austria. An emphasis on the choices facing French policy-makers ensures that there

is no suggestion of geopolitical determinism. Indeed modern France was shaped by the

substantial acquisitions of territory made by Louis XIV and Louis XV. No pre-ordained

French foreign policy existed, French foreign relations were unpredictable and fluid, and

French interests were varied and episodic. The role of choice focuses on the importance of

France’s alliances and her failure to produce lasting effective relationships with the Dutch,

Preface