Kingdom of Burgundy

[Hadash]

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Facts:

• The Kingdom of Burgundy was established after the Peace of Bourdeaux (1663)
  
• Since then, the kingdom has been ruled by the House of Bourbon, which previously ruled the Kingdom of England and France between 1589 and early 17th century.
  
• The current king is Louis Joseph de Bourbon, who was crowned as Louis Joseph I in 1552.
  
• Louis Joseph I is married to Charlotte Godefride Élisabeth from the House of Rohan since 1553. They have two daughters.
  

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27 December, 1779 | Kingdom of Burgundy

"What's this scandal", said the nun. "Who do you believe you are that you could have right to disturb our place?", she asked refering to their Catholic convent, somewhere in northeastern Burgundy.

"Good woman!", captain Jean-Baptiste de Moulin said. "We wouldn't disturb you if you we hadn't a powerful reason to do so!", he added while he quickly descended from his horse.

"We bring you a message directly from Reims", Jean-Baptiste continued, giving the mother superior a letter which clearly the royal seal.

"I understand", the woman said. "This is unprecedented", she said. "But there is nothing I can argue, excuse me".

Several minutes later, a young woman, clearly confused, descended from the main stairs of the building.

"Your Highness", Jean-Baptiste said. "I have a message from the King...I am afraid we must leave immediately, those are the orders", he said while giving her another letter with the same red seal.

"I see", the young woman said. "Is something serious happening?".

The woman was no other than Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon, the second daughter of King Louis Joseph I. She had moved to the convent in 1776, and her compromise with her cousin Charles Philippe de Bourbon was unexpectedly broken earlier that year.

"There is no time to lose", Jean-Baptiste said. "We could be able to stop nearby Metz, just before going directly to Reims".

He helped Louise Adélaïde to board the carriage, before they left immediately the convent.

[Hadash]

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.

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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".

[Hadash]

Kingdom of Burgundy | January 22, 1780


"It's been a quite hot day, isn't it?", Nicolas Luckner said. "I am feeling rather hungry, and thirsty".

"Don't worry, sir", the coachman said. "We will stop in the next village. I know an excellent inn there. Some people say it is even difficult to find a place in Charleroi where you are able to eat better food than there".

"Let's see if that's true", Luckner replied.

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Luckner was considerably exhausted after a long travel. They had visited Dublin and York, in an official delegation from the Kingdom of Burgundy. Their ship had left York and arrived to Amsterdam, where they were forced to stay three days until they were able to find a good enough carriage. Now, they stopped in Montigny-le-Tilleul, a very small town -barely a large village- in the middle of their journey to Reims, the capital city of the Kingdom of Burgundy.

Nicolas Luckner, born in Bavaria, had started his military career in the Bavarian, Austrian, and Dutch armies before joined the armed forces of the Kingdom of Burgundy with the rank of lieutenant-general in 1759. He was quickly promoted, becoming one of the top officers of the Burgundian army in the mid-1770s. He had gained the confidence of both King Louis Joseph I and the Chief Minister, and he started to play a more active political role in recent years. However, with important political changes in the Kingdom of Burgundy predicted in the coming years, he started to wonder if the end of his career was approaching.

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"The wine is certainly extraordinary", Luckner told Captain Jean-François de Remy, "but the stew is not impressive, considering the price...barely edible". His stomach was not as resistant as it had been in the past.

The captain nodded in silence, while finishing his beer. Jean-François de Remy had become one of Luckner's most valued officers, becoming his personal assistant since a year ago. Jean-François suddenly felt something behind his boots. He saw then a dirty newspaper, which he picked up.

"Is that any interesting?", Luckner asked.

"It is a newspaper from Charleroi", Jean-François answered. "It is from two days ago. Probably some traveller left it here. It is mostly local and business news...".

"Alright, if you are that bored...", Luckner replied.

"Wait...", Jean-François suddenly said. "Had you read this...?"

"I can't read with this light", Luckner said. "I forgot my spectacles. What is it?".

"Louis Joseph deprives the Duke of Charleroi from the Burgundian crown", Jean-François said, "that's the headine".

"What?", Luckner asked. "Continue...".

"Sure", Jean-François replied. "Increasing rumours were confirmed last Thursday, as it was published a decree signed by King Louis Joseph I of Burgundy, replacing the Salic system with a new mixed succession system", he continued reading. "Until this month, succession to the Burgundian throne to the direct male line. As Louis Joseph had no surviving son, it was Duke Louis Jean Marie who was the next in the line of succession when Louis Joseph abdicated or died, which reign we sincerely hope we will celebrate for at least a few happy decades more".

"The decree", Jean-François continued after a pause, "officially is know as the Succession Sanction, which was signed a week ago in Reims, and published on January 18 in the Official Gazzette of the Kingdom. As consequence, Princess Marie de Bourbon, the oldest daugther of the king, is expected to inherit the throne and crowned queen upon the death of King Louis Joseph I...therefore removing Duke Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, as the next in the line of succession...the next on the line of succession will be Princess Marie's sister, Louise Adélaïde...and only then, in third line of succession, Duke Louis Jean Marie will follow...".

"Uhm...", Luckner grumbled. "I can't believe this...This won't be well-received in many places".

"Didn't you hear anything about this, sir...?", Jean-François asked, timidly.

"Many things are heard", Luckner replied. "Who knows what kind of problems we may be forced to face soon...Let's better leave now, we must arrive there as soon as possible", he added.

[Hadash]

Paris, Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth | February 18, 1780


Lord Protector August FitzRoy inattentivelly listened the conversation between Philippe Henri de Ségur and General Henry Seymour-Conway, who seemed disgressing in minor details.

"So could it be done or not?", the Lord Protector asked.

"Indeed", Henry Seymour-Conway replied. "The continental army would be ready to march, even more helped by reinforcements recently come from America".

"It may sound counterintuitive, Your Honourable Excellency", Philippe Henri de Ségur added, "but after the lately fiascos, even a symbolic and worthless victory could help to boost the moral of our men, which is likely to be useful in coming campaigns".

"That's exactly what I am concerned about", Lord Protector August FitzRoy said. "This operation seems highly risky, and a defeat, even a harmless one, would put in a very complicated situation".

"What do we know about that Princess Marie?", FitzRoy impatiently added.

"Well", Antoine Galiot Mandat de Grancey, who had kept silent for a while, replied. "Not much is known about her. She is obviously young and unexperienced. She was never expected to reign, so according to the information of our embassy, she rather had a religious education. She is said to be highly under the influence of his mother".

"What a gamble!", the Lord Protector sardonically added. "The last thing we need is become the unsolicited squire of a young religious zealot dominated by the Catholic clergy".

"Who is the princess married to?", he asked.

"She's married to the Count of Vichy", Mandat de Grancey answered. "His father was said to be a liberal, at least it was said so in Metz, but we don't know much about it. He's not politically involved in Reims, that's all I know".

"Unfortunately, Your Honorable Excellency", Philippe Henri de Ségur intervened, "we may not have another alternative. If the Duke of Charleroi came to the throne...that could put us in a very complicated situation. Not only his cousin is married to the Iberian Queen's daughter, but his own daughter is married to the heir to the Kingdom of Toulouse. The threat of a Burgundy-Touluse-Iberian alliance must be avoided by any means".

"That's my concern as well", the Lord Protector replied. "But the consequences could be unprecedented and unexpected. If this could be secured diplomatically...But you are right, they must be stopped at any cost".

[Hadash]

Loverval, Kingdom of Burgundy | February 28, 1780


"Your Highness", the servant announced. "Monsieur Louis Engelbert d’Arenberg has just arrived".

"Alright", the Duke replied. "Tell him to enter immediately".

Louis Engelbert d’Arenberg entered the room, looking clearly tired and sweating. "Excuse me, Your Highness", he said. "It is been a long travel".

"I received your last letter", Louis Jean Marie said. "But the lack of news from Reims is even worrying me more".

"It's understable, Your Highness", Louis Engelbert d'Arenberg said. "If my contacts are correct, not even those living in Reims have a clear picture of the situation right now".

"How is your father?", Louis Jean Marie asked, referring to Louis Engelbert's father, Charles Marie Raymon d’Arenberg, who served as Chief Minister of the Kingdom of Burgundy from 1756 to 1763.

"Unfortunately", Louis Engelbert replied, "he is not feeling well. What it seemed to be just a harsh ulcer, it may become something more serious. That's the reason why he was unable to travel last weekend to Reims".

"That's unfortunate", Louis Jean Marie replied. "How does that change our situation? Maybe we haven't as much time as we thought".

"My father was certainly optimistic about our chances, Your Highness", Louis Engelbert answered. "We have trustworthy information that Luckner is concerned about the situation, and he could support us, if we are able to convince him, as he wishes stability in our kingdom. I am confident that my father would be able to convince him...About Choiseul, he is not certainly a friend of abrupt changes, and I feel he may be afraid to try to face the Queen personally, but he is the only one who will able to change the King's, sadly, weak will. If we convince Luckner, I don't think he has another option to, at least, try to argue about the best solution for the future of the Kingdom".

"Let's hope you are correct", Louis Jean Marie said. "But we need to act now! We can't wait until your father is ready...Couldn't you do this personally? You know well your father...".

"I myself considered such option, Your Highness", Louis Engelbert d'Arenberg answered. "But as you know, Luckner started his career while my father was in Reims, an advantage that any of our enemies can't claim. But my brother Auguste Marie served in the military under Luckner's orders...I could order him to travel to Reims immediately, tomorrow if it is necessary. At least we could try to gain some time".

"Let's hope that's possible", Louis Jean Marie said. "God helps your brother and our just cause".

[Hadash]

Reims, Kingdom of Burgudny | March 10, 1780

After days of intense suffering, King Louis Joseph I finally died on March 9, in the Palace of Tas, surrounded by his wife Queen Charlotte, his two daughters and a small group of his inner circle. While it was not exactly a secret that the Louis Joseph's reign was likely to end sooner than expected, and the king and his government was preparing for such event, it was mostly unknown the real state of the king's health.

The royal funeral was prepared at the end of the week, and the coronation of Princess Marie de Bourbon as Queen of Burgundy was announced to be celebrated in the Cathedral of Reims before the end of the mouth. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte -Louis Joseph's wife- would take charge temporarily as regent until her daughter was crowded as the first Queen in the history of the Kingdom of Burgundy. It was not clear if there were going to be changes in the government, but at least for now, Étienne-François de Choiseul was expected to continue as Chief Minister.

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Charleroi, Kingdom of Burgundy | March 16, 1780

Jean-François Treasaud, the mayor of Charleroi, was suddenly waken up at his home, even if that day he was expected to rest. He was then informed that about two hundred men had unexpectedly arrived to the town. They gathered in the main square of the town. Many of them were carrying Burgundian banners, and soon "Long live the King!" chants resounded toward the city. While they could be understood as a sign of respect and mourning for late King Louis Joseph I, it was obvious that something strange was happening.

Jean-François Treasaud was meeting with Captain François Henri Boufflers, who informed him of the situation in the nearby garrison. Treasaud was nervous about the current situation, that he was barely able to understand, but he was uncertain if the use of force wouldn't make the situation even worse. While their meeting wasn't over yet, Treasaud was informed that a small group of armed men had crossed the Sambre river. Auguste Marie Raymond d’Arenberg was allegedly leading those men, and he demanded a meeting with Treasaud.

Auguste Marie Raymond d’Arenberg was the son of Charles Marie Raymond d’Arenberg, former Chief Minister of the Kingdom of Burgundy. Their family came from the German nobility, and his father, after starting his military career in the Austrian army, became a prominent military officer in the Burgundian army, being appointed Chief Minister a decade later. They were known for being staunch conservatives, and they were influencial in the region as their family owned thousands acres of land in Northern Burgundy. Charles Marie Raymond, who had died on the first of March, had two sons, Auguste Marie Raymond -the youngest, who joined the military at age 17-, and Louis Engelbert, who was expected to inherit the family business.

Auguste Marie Raymond d'Arenberg explained Jean-François Treasaud the situation. Treasaud understood the situation clearly, and while he was not entirely happy about it, as a loyal supporter of the Burgundian state, he realized that it was worthless to offer any resistance. The decision had already being taken, and he could only accept it now.

Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, the Duke of Charleroi, had left the Kingdom of Burgundy, as he rejected to swear an oath to his niece Princess Marie de Bourbon, after the Succession Sanction, signed by King Louis Joseph I on early January, abolished the Salic system. Now, he entered triumphantly back to Charleroi.

His entourage stopped in front of the Cathedral of Charleroi, where both supporters and curious inhabitants of the city were gathering.

"Fellow Charleroises!", Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon said from the cathedral main stairs.

"Our hearts is still mournful for the death of my beloved cousin! Let's pray that God received Louis Joseph in all his glory, becoming another honourable guest of the heavenly home", he declared with unclear affectation.

"It is not ambition to the throne that moves me", Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon declared with a more serious and dry tone. "It's not in my spirit to desire passing goods. But the good faith, the observance and respect to the law, in particular to the fundamental law of succession, and the personal obligation to defend the legitimate rights of my own sons and relatives...they force me to claim and defend the Burgundian crowd of such a violent usurpation that it was caused by an illegal decree which violated the basic law in which the Kingdom of Burgundian was created more than a century ago. The Burgundian laws are as sacred as the stones of this cathedral, and they must be defended".

"It's only faith and duty", he continued, "that move me to proclaim these words. Since the sad moment when my beloved cousin died (may the Lord blesses him), my spirit could only believe that that legitimate claim to the crowd could only be respected by every Burgundian subject. If then the absence of loyal would have been no other thing but treason, then I proclaim they should be considered as such those who reject to serve my cause and swear to my banners...I call every loyal servant of our kingdom to plegde allegiance to my person, as legitimate monarch, including generals, governors, mayors, and every civil and military authority, whom I will give proper instructions as soon I am formally crowded King in the Cathedral of Reims, as every King of Burgundy was crowded before me. I proclaim unity, peace, and faith as my true banners. I don't wish that my loyal subjects who love and respect me, kill fellow Burgundians or commit crimes in my name. Justice against the traitors will be duly administered. Order and Justice will be the two pillars of my reign, I proclaim. Those good and loyal subjects will be rewarded, while sinners and traitors will be punished by the full weight of the law and God's will. Therefore I demand that every subject of our kingdom to consider every word of this declaration as law, and ignore every order from the usurpers of my legitimate rights".

A silent followed Louis Jean Marie's words. "Long live the King!", a man said, breaking the silence that followed the speech.

"Long live King Louis Joseph!", an isolated voice in the middle of the crown screamed.

"Long live King Louis Jean!", another voice responded. "Long live the King!", many voices followed.

[Hadash]

Palace of Tas, Reims, Kingdom of Burgundy | March 20, 1780

The news about Duke Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon's speech in Charleroi, known now as the Declaration of Charleroi came soon to Reims, the capital of the Kingdom of Burgundy. The Duke's manifesto was read in many villages and towns around the kingdom by the Duke's supporters, with different results. Some in the clergy, along a few mayors and former Burgundian officers declared support for Louis Jean Marie's claims to the crown, while other proclaimed their loyalty to the Reims government and Queen Charlotte and Louis Joseph's daughter, although many rather kept silent, as if nothing had happened yet.

While she had been warned that the Duke may tried to demand his claimed rights to the throne through diplomatic pressure, his move in Charleroi -which turned into a de facto rebellion, as the Burgundian authorities lost all control to the territories north to the Sambre river- took her and the government by surprise.

"Why can't you mobilize the troops and restore order in the north now?", Queen Charlotte asked Chief Minister Étienne-François de Choiseul.

"I am afraid that's not possible, Your Majesty", Choiseul answered. "We can't know how serious the situation is right now...It's better to wait if they have any support besides Charleroi. We have the law of our side, and we are trying hard to keep control in the rest of the kingdom. But it's certainly a good sign everything is calm here in Reims".

"But we can't just keep waiting here!", Charlotte said.

"We are doing the best we can, Your Majesty", Choiseul replied. "It's better to avoid any mistake. I already sent Devaux to Rome, at least I hope that the Church will remain neutral, if not supportive to the obvious and legitimate rights of the Princess".

"Obviously, we are facing a complicated situation", he continued. "For now, it's not clear that we will have much help right now. While we can count with the support of your father, Your Majesty, it is not a help which would make a big difference, if I am allowed to say it...The best we can hope it is that Toulouse and Iberia would remain neutral, and it's not clear what we can expect from Germany".

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Paris, Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth

"This is certainly worse than we expected", Lord Protector August FitzRoy said. "It doesn't look good".

"I feel this is extremely risky. Not sure if we have much to gain here", Jean-Baptiste Target, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Council said. "It could easily blow up in our own face".

"For good or for bad", Fitzroy replied. "The alternative may be certainly worse".

"We need to act soon", he continued. "For that reason, you must immediately go to Reims", Fitzroy told Nicolas Chambon. Sackville will help you in your mission with the embassy there".

As a consequence, the Anglo-Frankish Commonwealth became one of the first government to officially recognize Princess Marie de Bourbon as the legitimate heir to the Burgundian crown.