French Military Victories

[12th Doctor]

This is funny, go to Goggle search and type "French Military Victories"  Then click "I'm feeling lucky" and look at the results.

[Gustaf]

Lol...that was kind of funny. I remember hearing from one of my many French-bashing neo-liberal friends that France had not won a war since the battle of Poitier in 732. I think that might not be entirely true, but when I started to think about it I realized that it could probably be argued.

[12th Doctor]

Lol...that was kind of funny. I remember hearing from one of my many French-bashing neo-liberal friends that France had not won a war since the battle of Poitier in 732. I think that might not be entirely true, but when I started to think about it I realized that it could probably be argued.

It is true.  An American author wrote a book about it.  Appropriatly enough entitiled '732'.  Currently, France has gone the longest, by far, of any nation in the world, that has not acctually won a war in which they were a major participant (exception WWI, but that can be argued).  That didn't come-out right, but you know what I mean.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Er... Austerlitz, Jena, Elyau, Wagram, etc...

[Gustaf]

Er... Austerlitz, Jena, Elyau, Wagram, etc...

That  is always what comes to mind first. But these were, arguably, stages in a war that was eventually lost. They did win most of the so-called "coalition wars", but they lost the 6th and 7th, and thus lost the whole thing eventually.

[12th Doctor]

Er... Austerlitz, Jena, Elyau, Wagram, etc...

That  is always what comes to mind first. But these were, arguably, stages in a war that was eventually lost. They did win most of the so-called "coalition wars", but they lost the 6th and 7th, and thus lost the whole thing eventually.

Yep

[© tweed]

I've seen this thing on google before.

[© tweed]

Also, type in 'unelectable' and see what happens

[Michael Z]

Lol...that was kind of funny. I remember hearing from one of my many French-bashing neo-liberal friends that France had not won a war since the battle of Poitier in 732. I think that might not be entirely true, but when I started to think about it I realized that it could probably be argued.

It is true.  An American author wrote a book about it.  Appropriatly enough entitiled '732'.

What about the 100 Years' War?

[Gustaf]

Lol...that was kind of funny. I remember hearing from one of my many French-bashing neo-liberal friends that France had not won a war since the battle of Poitier in 732. I think that might not be entirely true, but when I started to think about it I realized that it could probably be argued.

It is true.  An American author wrote a book about it.  Appropriatly enough entitiled '732'.

What about the 100 Years' War?

Considering the fact that France was the superpower of Europe and the UK was a peripheral state with a 5th of France's population, and still managed a territorial win, I'd say France lost that war, though it was mostly a draw.

[Michael Z]

Considering the fact that France was the superpower of Europe and the UK was a peripheral state with a 5th of France's population, and still managed a territorial win, I'd say France lost that war, though it was mostly a draw.

But the French eventually managed to force the English off their soil, which counts as a victory in my book.

[Gustaf]

But the French eventually managed to force the English off their soil, which counts as a victory in my book.

Well, but objectively they should have won easily. I'd call it a tie.

[12th Doctor]

Also, type in 'unelectable' and see what happens

Now that's just wrong.  Who the hell put that in.  It should go to the DNC homepage.  

[Gustaf]

Also, type in 'unelectable' and see what happens

Now that's just wrong.  Who the hell put that in.  It should go to the DNC homepage.  

Haha! LOL, that's just too much!

[minionofmidas]

Considering the fact that France was the superpower of Europe and the UK was a peripheral state with a 5th of France's population, and still managed a territorial win, I'd say France lost that war, though it was mostly a draw.

Err, hello?... The thirty years war... Louis XIV diverse wars of conquest in modern day Belgium and Eastern France... Philip II against Richard I and John, conquering what is now the entire Western half of France... And the list goes on... It's not as if any other place in the world had similar military exploits in the Middle ages and early modern age...

[Vincent]

Yeah, I dont know if anyone has posted this before, but type in "weapons of mass destruction" and click im feeling lucky.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The 100 years war was the French against the French...
Remember the Plantagenet Dynasty was French...

[Gustaf]

Lewis: in the 30 years was, France was on the winning side, that's true, but they kept messing things up, their contribution to the war was mainly through resources. It's a bit like WWI in that respect. Sweden did most of the work in the 30 years war...

[Gustaf]

Lewis: in the 30 years was, France was on the winning side, that's true, but they kept messing things up, their contribution to the war was mainly through resources. It's a bit like WWI in that respect. Sweden did most of the work in the 30 years war...

Rather Pyrrhic for you, right?

I don't know about that, we managed pretty well in the end. We had better commanders, so we suffered much lower casualties tham most other countries throughout that war. It wasn't until after 1660 that we began to lose ground.

[12th Doctor]

Yeah, I dont know if anyone has posted this before, but type in "weapons of mass destruction" and click im feeling lucky.

LOL that's great.

[Gustaf]

Yeah, I dont know if anyone has posted this before, but type in "weapons of mass destruction" and click im feeling lucky.

LOL that's great.

I agree, awesome!

[jaichind]

What about War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748.  True, French Loiusberg was lost to the British in the New World but Maurice of Saxony led the French army to victory in the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium) and was able to completely take it over.  Its ally Spain, was less successful in Italy and Franc exchanged it winnings in the Austrian Netherlands for expansion of Spanish interests in Northern Italy when peace came in 1748.  While it was not a clear cut victory for France they did end the war with the upper hand.

[Gustaf]

What about War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748.  True, French Loiusberg was lost to the British in the New World but Maurice of Saxony led the French army to victory in the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium) and was able to completely take it over.  Its ally Spain, was less successful in Italy and Franc exchanged it winnings in the Austrian Netherlands for expansion of Spanish interests in Northern Italy when peace came in 1748.  While it was not a clear cut victory for France they did end the war with the upper hand.

I disagree, that war featured 2 conflicts, the Spanish-French alliance battling the British for control of the New World, and the continental conflict on Austrian Succession. France lost both of these conflicts.

[jaichind]

What about War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748.  True, French Loiusberg was lost to the British in the New World but Maurice of Saxony led the French army to victory in the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium) and was able to completely take it over.  Its ally Spain, was less successful in Italy and Franc exchanged it winnings in the Austrian Netherlands for expansion of Spanish interests in Northern Italy when peace came in 1748.  While it was not a clear cut victory for France they did end the war with the upper hand.

I disagree, that war featured 2 conflicts, the Spanish-French alliance battling the British for control of the New World, and the continental conflict on Austrian Succession. France lost both of these conflicts.

I do not see it that way.  For sure French support for Bavaria's claims to Bohemia and Upper Austria in addition to the title of the Holy Roman Emperor was unrealistic.  But in Italy, France-Spain-Genoa fought Austria-Savoy to a draw.  An Austrian attempt to take over Kingdom of the Two Sicilies failed.  I agree that battle in the New World went against France and an attempt for Stuart restoration in Great Britian failed in the "Fourty-Five."  But for sure the greatest military success of the war was the decisive French victory in the Austrian Netherlands.   When peace came, France was able to trade away the Austrian Netherlands for return of all New World positions lost to Great Britian AND expansion of Spanish position in Northern Italy.  All in all, a net gain by France-Spaln over Great Britian-Austria.  And this is not to mention the Austrian loss of Silesia to French-backed Prussia.  For sure France did not "win" the war but at the peace in 1748 the Franco-Spain alliance was the net winner in terms of territory.  

[minionofmidas]

I can kind of understand the American forum members for not bringing it up, but the most important (to America) French military victory against Britain is the one in the War of American Independence.