Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1635)
In the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1635) of October 26th and 27th, 1635 between Louis XIII. and Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar , it was arranged that the French treasury would take over the financing of the army of Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar in Swedish service. As a previous supporter of the Protestant side, Sweden was concerned with its own problems and financial worries after the heavy defeat in the Battle of Nördlingen (1634). In addition, Bernhard had lost his Duchy of Franconia and was therefore without a source of finance.
After lengthy negotiations, Cardinal Richelieu promised the Duke 4 million livres a year in subsidies for the duration of the war to maintain an army of 12,000 men on foot and 6,000 horsemen with the necessary artillery . In an appendix to the contract, Bernhard had Richelieu assure him that he would deliver "eighty heavy fur coats" for his own use. In a secret article, Bernhard was promised Alsace on condition not to oust the Catholic religion there. It remained unregulated whether the possession of Alsace should be completely independent or whether Bernhard should conquer Alsace for France and then receive it under French suzerainty. In the event that Alsace could not be appropriated to him when a peace was concluded, the Protestant duke was assured of adequate remuneration as an alternative. With this contract, Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar ultimately became dependent on France.
Individual evidence
- ↑ CV Wedgwood: The 30 Years War . Paul List Verlag Munich 1967; Licensed edition Cormoran Verlag, Munich 1999, (pp. 352–353) ISBN 3-517-09017-4