INTRODUCTION

Louis XIV's attack across the Rhine in September of 1688 was intended to be a short, sharp intervention into German politics. No one, least of all the king, anticipated that his action would usher in a quarter century of almost continual warfare during which both French power and France's territorial integrity became central issues in European international relations. France survived the wars of the next quarter century with its territory intact and a French Bourbon seated on the throne of Spain, but its hegemonic ambitions in Europe were beaten back for nearly 80 years. The overseas dimensions of the international conflict were small compared to the struggle in Europe, but they were not without significance. What was called the War of the League of Augsburg caught the French colonists and the minister of marine who was responsible for their security unexpectedly. Both were unprepared. The first so-called French overseas empire that emerged during this and the subsequent conflict was born of war rather than of peace. While settlers and their slaves remained the primary shapers of the new societies and empire remained elusive, they could not escape the impact of military imperialism.

During the decade after 1678, French colonies experienced a respite from European enemies and enjoyed a modest development, but Louis XIV's continuing aggression against neighbouring states had its counterparts in the Americas.