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“In the interest of friendship, cooperation, and mutual prosperity, France and the Eldarisian Empire have agreed to enter into a political, cultural, economic, and military alliance.”
- - Preamble
The Franco-Eldarisian Alliance is a long-standing bilateral defense agreement between the nations of France and Eldarisia. One of France's more controversial and problematic foreign relationships, the Alliance was signed in 2801 as part of a major diplomatic push by the Maxime administration to create a web of alliances capable of deterring the Delpha Coalition of Planets. Over the next two years, the alliance would be tested by the Great Xonexian Schism, the Eldarisian Crisis, and the War of Mirusian Coalition, emerging as one of the strongest and most criticized partnerships in the Gigaquadrant, binding together irrevocably two nations with vastly different philosophies, foreign policies, and goals.
History[]
Early Great Xonexian Schism[]
Signed in 2801 amidst growing tensions leading up to the Great Xonexian Schism, the alliance marked the Eldarisians' entrance into the Xonexi Allies, France's sphere of influence, and the greater galactic community as a whole.
As a French ally, Eldarisia gained access to its burgeoning intergalactic colonial infrastructure, as well as institutions like the Gigaquadrantic Intergalactic Trade Organization and Orion League. Given closer contact between the two nations, Eldarisia's cultural influence began to manifest itself in French Bunsen, leading to the rise of a significant minority of adherents to the Religion of Cuth. The establishment of Eldarisian colonies in the Milky Way, Andromeda, and Mirus allowed it to project military and political power where it was relevant for French interests. Indeed, when war finally broke out between the Xonexi Allies and the Delpha Coalition of Planets, High King Sylo I joined President Maxime of France and many other signatories in the Parisian Declaration, making common cause against the aggressive superpower.
Observers at the time might have dismissed the fledgeling power as a sphereling of growing French influence, though the Eldarisians demonstrated their unpredictability and intractability barely five days later when it launched an unprovoked attack on the Waptoria Alliance of Species, sparking the Eldrisian-Waptorian Conflict and the surrounding Eldarisian Crisis. When the war turned against him, Sylo invoked Article V of the Franco-Eldarisian Alliance, obligating France to join the conflict. Instead of committing troops which France could not afford to spare, French Foreign Minister Ballatay instead forced Sylo to make peace, a resolution to the crisis which left both sides heavily embittered, though they both continued to fight in the Great Xonexian Schism. The Alliance is thought to have been interrupted from July 14, 2802 to January 2803 with Eldarisian refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of the occupied French Seventh Republic.
War of Mirusian Coalition[]
Positive relations would resume when, in 2803, the French Colonial Empire made a dramatic return to the international stage. The rise of Alexander I as Emperor was warmly welcomed by Sylo in a communication to Richelieu that month, signaling his willingness to mend ties with the French nation. Most importantly, his message indicated formal recognition of Alexandre's French state as the true heir to France. This positive trend would continue into the First and Second Wars of Mirusian Coalition which would see Sylo choosing to side with Alexandre in an alliance-wide split over the abandonment of Xonexi colonies in Mirus. Instead of withdrawing from the galaxy, the Franco-Eldarisian alliance remained behind to fend off the Sovereign Mirusian Coalition alone.
Stunningly, the two monarchs emerged triumphant from the War of Mirusian Coalition. The resulting peace agreement, referred to widely as the Covenant of Mirus, returned Xonexian colonies in the galaxy and set the groundwork for relations between Mirusian natives and their Xonexi counterparts. Both sides agreed to put aside their differences to confront the rampaging Imperium of War, and to work towards the creation of a common galactic government. This internationalist resolution – strongly influenced by Alexandre's personal beliefs – made little sense to the Eldarisian monarch. Sylo confronted his counterpart in what became a defining moment for their alliance, a three hour argument which was settled when Sylo promised to defer to Alexandre's Mirusian policy and to give the Covenant of Mirus a chance to work. Both of them reiterated their trust for one another. This leant the alliance a distinctly personal tone, an element which did not escape critics of the alliance.
Winning the Great Xonexian Schism[]
Having triumphed in Mirus, Sylo and Alexandre made a strong showing in their return to Xonexi High Command, being reinstated to their former seats. Alexandre's alliance with the Eldarisians was critical during this time period given that it allowed him a guaranteed vote in his favor on the Xonexi Board of Nine. As the war dragged on, Alexandre obtained a majority in the X9, and subsequently came to lead the Xonexi Allies when the majority backed him to serve as their only delegate to peace talks with the Delpha Coalition of Planets.
Despite Eldarisian reservations, Alexandre continued to make the internationalist case for Eldarisia's role in the Gigaquadrant. He envisioned the zealot nation as adapting its tactics and outlook to integrate with Gigaquadrantic institutions, and to continue pursuing their goals in ways the Gigaquadrant would find acceptable. The Eldarisians had significant reservations about this view and felt consistently outvoted in every organization they partook in, though Sylo tended to defend Eldarisia's participation in the Convenant of Mirus and the Xonexi Board.
Throughout this period, the French Colonial Empire and the Eldarisian Empire continued to fight side-by-side, first in Andromeda from 2803 to 2806, then in the Milky Way in 2806. The war finally ended with an Allied victory.
Conflicts partaken in[]
- Orion War (2802)
- Great Xonexian Schism (2802-2806)
- Eldarisian Crisis (2802)
- First War of Mirusian Coalition (2803)
- Second War of Mirusian Coalition (2803)
Text of the agreement[]
  Signed by France and the Eldarisian Empire | |
|---|---|
| Preamble In the interest of friendship, cooperation, and mutual prosperity, France and the Eldarisian Empire have agreed to enter into a political, cultural, economic, and military alliance under the following terms: | |
| Article I. | France and the Eldarisian Empire agree to support one another in times of hardship and to share their prosperity in times of plenty. |
| Article II. | France and the Eldarisian Empire will align their interests economically and politically by trading and forging diplomatic ties with the same partners. While they may not always hold the same enemies, they will be mindful of their respective foes and refrain from dealing with them diplomatically and economically. |
| Article III. | In order to greatly facilitate relations and aid in the upholding of article I and II, France and the Eldarisian Empire shall exchange embassies. An Eldarisian embassy will be opened on Paris, while a French embassy will by housed on Cyloia. |
| Article IV. | France and the Eldarisian Empire will open their borders, trade routes, and wormholes to traders and military assets so that they may travel freely and without toll on the assumption that they will comply with French or Eldarisian law. Infractions of the law will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis through established diplomatic channels. |
| Article V. | If France or the Eldarisian Empire are attacked by a third party, it is the duty of the other signatory to immediately declare war on said party. |
| Signatures | Foreign Minister of France,
High King of the Eldarisian Empire
|
Quotes[]
“'Alliance' is a word often said but never truly lived up to. Many alliances fall for different reasons, but this one shall live up to that ideal.”
- - Sylo Ethland, 2801
“Do you not see? You are the villain in what is surely to be an international crisis. You are provoking the Mirusian natives, the Mou'Cyran Accords, and have committed genocide on a massive scale. On top of everything, you and your Empire are in danger of being labeled a rogue-state. You want France to help you? I am giving you a chance at a permanent white peace which will make all of this go away, no strings attached. Take it.”
- - Ballatay, Foreign Minister of France, arguing with the Sylo during the Eldarisian Crisis, 2802
“We continue to be humbled by the willingness of our allies to fight for our sake, and for that of those who remain under the yoke of DCP oppression. I would also like to express my personal enthusiasm for the rekindling of relations between our countries. I was with your King during the Eldarisian Crisis, and I am pleased that he is ready to dismiss ours as a minor disagreement for the sake of relations between our two countries.”
- - Ballatay, establishing relations between the French Colonial Empire and Eldarisia, 2803
“I expected to fight a coalition of four nations alone. You can expect my surprise––and gratitude––when I heard that the most unlikely of our allies decided to stand with us today. Eldarisia has surprised us in the past, it surprised us this morning, and I have a feeling that it will continue to surprise us in the future.”
- - Alexandre I, Emperor of the French, briefing the press on May 10, 2803