Eternity RPC Board
06-11-2018, 05:46 PM
After the death of Louis Henri I in 1740, the Kingdom of Burgundy found itself in a complicated situation. The heir to the crown, Louis Joseph, was only four years old, and Louis Henri's wife, German Princess Caroline from the House of Hesse-Rotenburg took control as Regent. This broke the traditional alliance between the Kingdom of Burgundy and the Kingdom of Toulouse, both ruled by different branches of the French Bourbon dinasty. Louis I, the King of Toulouse, was wary of Burgundy being suddenly under the influence of Germany, and dark clouds seemed to appear in the horizon.
Charles Armand, Count of La Trémoille, was appointed Chief Minister by the Regent, and he tried to sustain the kingdom's independence, through declaring a neutrality policy regarding Burgundy's three main neighbor states. In 1752, Louis Joseph was crowned as Louis Joseph I, King of Burgundy, at age 16. La Trémoille was also able to promote the marriage between Louis Joseph I and Princess Charlotte from the House of Rohan, and then establishing a formal alliance between the Kingdom of Burgundy and the Kingdom of Normandy, in order to contain the Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth. Such policy was not supported by everyone in Burgundy, but it proved successful as Burgundy experienced almost thirty years of peace until today.
When Louis I (also unofficially known as Louis XII of France), the first King of Burgundy, came to the throne, he confirmed the Salic Law, which established a male line to the crown, which had been established by English-French King Louis X. King Louis Joseph I, however, had failed to have a heir, as his son Louis Henri had died at age 3, and he had only two surviving daughters, Marie and Louis Adélaïde de Bourbon. Marie had married his cousin Louis Augustin, Count of Vichy, while his sister Louise Adélaïde was unmarried, but both were excluded from the line of succession.
As consequence, the first on the line of succession was Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Charleroi, age 55. Louis Jean Marie, who was about ten years older than the Burgundian king, was not expected to reign, but his key position in the key of succession made the Duke of Charleroi's family highly coveted in Europe. One of his daughters married Louis Philippe de Orléans, the heir to the Kingdom of Toulouse, in 1769; and a year later, Louis Jean Marie's cousin Louis had married the Iberian Queen's daughter, increasing the prospects of the House of Bourbon as they hadn't been since before the Anglo-Frankish Civil War in the 17th-century.
But what belonged to the future increasingly seemed approaching the present, as rumours about the health of King Louis Joseph I were increasing in the court of Reims.
Reims, Kingdom of Burgundy | January 10, 1780
The atmosphere at the Palace of Tas, the royal residency in Reims, had already been rather gloomy for weeks. King Louis Joseph I, who was only 44 years old, had been affected for months by an unknown illness that Burgundian doctors had no idea how to deal with. He had ended last December puking and spitting blood for a week, and, although he seemed to have recovered, it was unclear how time he could have left, as he had some strange and unexpected inflammation around his stomach.
François Christophe de Kellerman had only returned to the Kingdom of Burgundy the day before, when he was recalled from the Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth. His military career had been suddenly interrupted when he was appointed ambassador to the Commonwealth in 1777. Chief Minister Étienne-François de Choiseul informed him about the seriousness of the situation only that morning.
In the gardens of the palace, nearby the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, the glances of Kellerman and Queen Charlotte Godefride Élisabeth met for third time that day. The Queen told her surintendante Thérèse to leave her alone for a while, and she approached the area where Kellerman seemed concerned with his own thoughts.
"It's been a long time", Kellerman said. "I am glad to have the pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty".
"You barely replied my letters", Queen Charlotte said.
"I was not in a position to do so", he replied. "It was safer and better that way".
"How has life been going in Caen lately?", the Queen asked.
"Nothing interesting that I could mention, Your Majesty", Kellerman answered. "I feel you would enjoy Paris more. It has been raining for weeks, though, even more than usual. Not like this", he said while leaning his own head toward the sun, as it had been quite a sunny day in Reims.
"Somehow it changed", she replied without enthusiasm, "but we have had an awful weather here as well".
"I know", he replied. "My boots realized so at contact with the mud while coming back to Burgundy", Your Majesty.
"It's been everything so overwhelming here lately...", she said.
"Five days ago, before coming back, I could meet Monsieur Grancey for last time", Kellerman said.
"Do you really think we could trust him?", the Queen asked.
"You can never trust anyone, Your Majesty", he coldly answered.
"It is always easier to say than to do", she said.
"It won't be easier than now, Your Majesty", he replied, "as neither Luckner nor d'Arenberg are in Reims".
"I know, I know", Queen Charlotte replied.
"Only you can convince both the King and Choiseul, Your Majesty", Kellerman said. "This is our last chance".
Charles Armand, Count of La Trémoille, was appointed Chief Minister by the Regent, and he tried to sustain the kingdom's independence, through declaring a neutrality policy regarding Burgundy's three main neighbor states. In 1752, Louis Joseph was crowned as Louis Joseph I, King of Burgundy, at age 16. La Trémoille was also able to promote the marriage between Louis Joseph I and Princess Charlotte from the House of Rohan, and then establishing a formal alliance between the Kingdom of Burgundy and the Kingdom of Normandy, in order to contain the Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth. Such policy was not supported by everyone in Burgundy, but it proved successful as Burgundy experienced almost thirty years of peace until today.
When Louis I (also unofficially known as Louis XII of France), the first King of Burgundy, came to the throne, he confirmed the Salic Law, which established a male line to the crown, which had been established by English-French King Louis X. King Louis Joseph I, however, had failed to have a heir, as his son Louis Henri had died at age 3, and he had only two surviving daughters, Marie and Louis Adélaïde de Bourbon. Marie had married his cousin Louis Augustin, Count of Vichy, while his sister Louise Adélaïde was unmarried, but both were excluded from the line of succession.
As consequence, the first on the line of succession was Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Charleroi, age 55. Louis Jean Marie, who was about ten years older than the Burgundian king, was not expected to reign, but his key position in the key of succession made the Duke of Charleroi's family highly coveted in Europe. One of his daughters married Louis Philippe de Orléans, the heir to the Kingdom of Toulouse, in 1769; and a year later, Louis Jean Marie's cousin Louis had married the Iberian Queen's daughter, increasing the prospects of the House of Bourbon as they hadn't been since before the Anglo-Frankish Civil War in the 17th-century.
But what belonged to the future increasingly seemed approaching the present, as rumours about the health of King Louis Joseph I were increasing in the court of Reims.
Reims, Kingdom of Burgundy | January 10, 1780
The atmosphere at the Palace of Tas, the royal residency in Reims, had already been rather gloomy for weeks. King Louis Joseph I, who was only 44 years old, had been affected for months by an unknown illness that Burgundian doctors had no idea how to deal with. He had ended last December puking and spitting blood for a week, and, although he seemed to have recovered, it was unclear how time he could have left, as he had some strange and unexpected inflammation around his stomach.
François Christophe de Kellerman had only returned to the Kingdom of Burgundy the day before, when he was recalled from the Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth. His military career had been suddenly interrupted when he was appointed ambassador to the Commonwealth in 1777. Chief Minister Étienne-François de Choiseul informed him about the seriousness of the situation only that morning.
In the gardens of the palace, nearby the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, the glances of Kellerman and Queen Charlotte Godefride Élisabeth met for third time that day. The Queen told her surintendante Thérèse to leave her alone for a while, and she approached the area where Kellerman seemed concerned with his own thoughts.
"It's been a long time", Kellerman said. "I am glad to have the pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty".
"You barely replied my letters", Queen Charlotte said.
"I was not in a position to do so", he replied. "It was safer and better that way".
"How has life been going in Caen lately?", the Queen asked.
"Nothing interesting that I could mention, Your Majesty", Kellerman answered. "I feel you would enjoy Paris more. It has been raining for weeks, though, even more than usual. Not like this", he said while leaning his own head toward the sun, as it had been quite a sunny day in Reims.
"Somehow it changed", she replied without enthusiasm, "but we have had an awful weather here as well".
"I know", he replied. "My boots realized so at contact with the mud while coming back to Burgundy", Your Majesty.
"It's been everything so overwhelming here lately...", she said.
"Five days ago, before coming back, I could meet Monsieur Grancey for last time", Kellerman said.
"Do you really think we could trust him?", the Queen asked.
"You can never trust anyone, Your Majesty", he coldly answered.
"It is always easier to say than to do", she said.
"It won't be easier than now, Your Majesty", he replied, "as neither Luckner nor d'Arenberg are in Reims".
"I know, I know", Queen Charlotte replied.
"Only you can convince both the King and Choiseul, Your Majesty", Kellerman said. "This is our last chance".