In 1696, William III was assassinated—or rather, an attempt was made on his life. It was said that James II's followers had hoped to use this means to restore James II to the throne.
Perhaps that was when the Ministry of Magic began sending Aurors to protect political figures. After all, France was also in the midst of the Affair of the Poisons at the time. As calls for separation grew louder, even pure-blood families like the Malfoy family, whose interests were closely tied to Muggles, had no choice but to abandon their views and support the Ministry of Magic in enforcing the International Statute of Secrecy.
Back then, the Aurors protected kings. Now they protected the Prime Minister in Downing Street. Unfortunately, modern Muggle prime ministers rarely knew these secrets, since they were elected. British prime ministers changed so often that the Ministry of Magic eventually could not be bothered to keep informing them of its existence and simply placed a portrait in the Prime Minister's office.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Austrians, who had once been beaten back again and again by the French army, not only recovered their lost territory thanks to Prince Eugene but also seized land France had occupied in Italy. Even in the Holy Roman Empire, where electors were everywhere, the title of prince was not granted to just anyone. Yet Prince Eugene earned it by holding back a Sultan's personal campaign, his fame suddenly resounding across Europe much like Charles Martel's.
Who knew what Louis XIV had thought at the time? In any case, time passed, and the younger generation gradually grew up, including his illegitimate daughter, Marie-Anne de La Vallière. She was the daughter of La Vallière, the first officially recognized mistress, whose blue eyes and slightest tears could