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Louis XIV's Reunions Policy (1670s)
From the late 1670s to the early 1680s Louis XIV used the Chambres de Réunion to review and annex territories in the Spanish Netherlands, Alsace and …
Timeline
- 1679–1680Metz · FranceLouis XIV established Reunions chambers at Metz, Breisach and Besançon, where French judges reviewed old feudal documents and questions of suzerainty, annexing disputed territories to the French crown under the name of "réunion."
- 1680–1681Strasbourg · Grand EstFollowing the chambers' rulings, the free city of Strasbourg and several towns in the Spanish Netherlands were annexed to France; French garrisons entered and reorganized local administration, prompting formal protests from Habsburg Spain and a search for international arbitration.
- 1681–1684Eastern France and the Spanish Netherlands border · Western EuropeThe reunions policy provoked joint resistance from the Holy Roman Empire and Spain; in the Truce of Regensburg (1684) France traded partial concessions for temporary recognition of the already annexed territories, and the policy entered a phase of pause.
Sources
- Louis XIV and Europe — Ragnhild Hatton (1976)
- The Reunion Policy of Louis XIV — Paul Sonnino (1970)