| Event | Establishment of a republican or constitutional government in 17th century France |
| Context | Divergence from the reign of King Louis XIV, the famous 'Sun King' of France |
| Outcome | Significant changes to the course of French history, including scientific, cultural, and colonial developments proceeding along a different path |
| Significance | Weakening or overthrow of the French monarchy much earlier than in our timeline, leading to the rise of a republican or constitutional government |
In this alternate timeline, the legendary reign of King Louis XIV, also known as the "Sun King", never came to pass. The French monarchy was significantly weakened or overthrown at a much earlier point in history, leading to the establishment of a republican or constitutional system of government long before the late 18th century French Revolution of our world.
The foundations of French absolutism, built up over centuries by powerful monarchs like Louis XI, Francis I, and Henry IV, began eroding in the early 1600s. A series of civil wars and power struggles, including the Fronde revolts from 1648-1653, demonstrated the limits of the crown's authority.
The French nobility, merchant class, and nascent bourgeoisie increasingly pushed back against the crown's attempts to consolidate power. This culminated in the overthrow of the Bourbon dynasty in the French Revolution of 1630, which established a republican government modeled on the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment.
The new French Republic was shaped by Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who advocated for ideas like separation of powers, individual liberty, and representative democracy. After a period of political instability, a stable constitutional system gradually emerged, with a president as the head of state and a bicameral legislature.
While not without its own internal conflicts and power struggles, this republican France proved to be a very different force in European and global affairs than the absolute monarchy of our timeline. It did not seek to emulate the divine right of kings or construct an elaborate court culture centered on the monarch. Instead, the nation focused on commercial and colonial expansion, scientific advancement, and the dissemination of Enlightenment ideals.
The lack of a Sun King-style absolute monarch had profound impacts on the course of French history:
Overall, the absence of the Sun King meant that France emerged as a very different type of power in the 17th and 18th centuries - one more aligned with Enlightenment ideals of liberty and representation, but perhaps less globally dominant than the France of our timeline under the Bourbons.
