Guest Post: What if John Churchill's Strategy had Failed?

This post first appeared on Today in Alternate History.

2 April, 1705 - Franco-Bavarian Forces Seize Vienna

The War of the Spanish Succession reached a decision when the Habsburg capital of Vienna was seized by Franco-Bavarian forces accompanied by a large contingent of Irish Troops in French service.

The Sun King Louis XIV of France looked to gain a favourable peace settlement by knocking the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold, out of the war. The ill-fated British Field Marshal John Churchill had actually devised a devilishly cunning strategy to avoid this disastrous outcome for the reconstituted Grand Alliance by a daring, speedy, and surprising march to reinforce allies in Central Europe. Unfortunately it was not to be despite his well-trained British army. The strategy required a great deal of deception, and, when his deceit was exposed to his Dutch allies, his march from the Low Countries was abandoned. Unable to mobilize an Army of Europe, Churchill was recalled to England and his name was quickly forgotten to history. As a result of this reversal, Marshal Camille d'Hostun and duc de Tallard were able to reinforce through the Black Forest and avoid a showdown on the River Danube.

Prior to the outbreak of war, all of Spain had been united under the new king Philip V with a distant threat from the old Crown of Aragon in the side of the Hasburg pretender. But with the severe curtailment of Habsburg Power, the Spanish throne fell under the sway of the Bourbons. King Louis the Great had already conquered swathes of the Spanish Empire on the continent and this new victory combined the two great continental powers into a monster power.

The long-established myth of French military invincibility would continue, and her prestige dominated the entire continent. Tallard's brilliant diplomacy would dissuade the impetuous Karl XII from invading Russia. The Tsar Peter I crumbled, exchanging peace with the Swedes as long as he could keep St. Petersburg and the line of the Neva. And yet the glorious Empire of the Sun King was not to last. Decades later, uprisings against the Bourbons would shake Europe. Writing in 1796, English Romantic poet Caureate Robert Southey would capture the hollow victory of 1705 and its aftermath, "But things like that, you know, must be at every famous victory."

Author's Note:

In reality, the overwhelming Anglo-Dutch victory at Blenheim ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the reconstituted Grand Alliance. The French commander Tallard along with his staff was taken prisoner. Another forty French generals and over a thousand officers were captured, along with 13,000 soldiers, 40 French battle colours, and 60 cannons.

John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, had a descendant who saved the day in WWII: his name was Winston Churchill, and he grew up in Blenheim Palace, his distant grandfather's home. He identified Louis XIV as the most dangerous man who ever lived.

Provine's Addendum:

With French authority assured virtually the world over, Louis the Great died after 72 years and 110 days of rule, the longest of any sovereign monarch in history. He was succeeded by his great-grandson, Louis XV, who himself would rule 59 years. France played professeur for Europe, balancing nations against one another through diplomacy and threatening to act if its philosophy was not embraced. Russia's growing potential for power was checked by long-term Northern European power Sweden, ironically keeping both in sway while France was seen as a valuable ally. When Prince Frederick of Prussia proved to be an exceptional leader, Louis used the young man's fascination with French culture to his advantage, bringing Frederick to Paris frequently throughout both of their reigns. Voltaire, although a good friend of Frederick, did joke that, in the schoolhouse of Europe, Frederick was the teacher's pet.

France's old enemy England, which had become the United Kingdom under the Act of Union of 1707 was put under sway, too, by French support of Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), who became Charles III after an epic journey marching from the Scottish Highlands to London in 1745 with extensive support from the French fleet. In appreciation for the aid, Charles withdrew British rivalry from French colonial interests, securing Louisiana and Canada in North America and western India for France while launching other expeditions to carve new British colonies in northern and western Africa. The French Empire spread even further after its support of the Spanish Invasion of Portugal in 1762 weakened the Portuguese Empire.

The Age of Autocracy gradually dug its own grave, however. Louis XV was criticized, privately and then more openly, about corruption and excessive expenditure. While many investments did prove revolutionary, such as the automatic loom and scientific improvements in agriculture and heating through the Franklin stove, political systems did not keep up, creating a large population of displaced weavers, farmers, and woodcutters. Calls for reform led to crackdowns, which in turn caused more dissatisfaction. After failed harvests in the 1770s shortly after Louis XV's death, revolution broke out in France as Louis XVI proved disinterested in maintaining the ruthless grip of his forefathers. Without French hegemony, much of Europe turned to chaos. Rival nations launched wars many in the populace felt were long overdue. Britain fell into its Second Civil War, which would turn the nation into a republic after Charles IV was ousted. The Congress of German Peoples turned the Holy Roman Empire inside-out, creating a self-directed electorate that refused to acknowledge Austrian influence. By the time the dust settled in the nineteenth century, the map of Europe was redrawn.