First, we must mention the Treaty of Westphalia. The prerequisite for its signing was the Franco-Swedish Alliance's overwhelming victories over the Holy Roman Empire's forces in the Battle of Zusmarshausen and the Battle of Reims—although France had emerged victorious, and Alsace and Lorraine had practically become French-occupied territories, the successive riots and rebellions within France after Louis XIII's death had indeed weakened Mazarin's voice among the monarchs as France's true ruler. Thus, after several rounds of negotiation, Philip IV of the Holy Roman Empire decided to sell Alsace to the French for three million livres. This also had something to do with the fact that he was already riddled with illness and had little time left to live.
"And unfortunately," the bishop said, "Philip IV's eldest son, Balthasar, left this sinful world eight years ago. He now has only two daughters. It is hard to say whether his queen, your aunt Elizabeth, can still bear him a son. If she can, he will need a great deal of money to ensure that his son can be elected Holy Roman Emperor. The electors have always had enormous appetites; a mere few hundred thousand livres will not satisfy them."
"And if there is no son?"
"Even without one, he still needs money, Your Majesty. You know that although the princes of the Holy Roman Empire fight one another in the name of Protestantism and the old faith, in truth, just like you, their real aim is merely more territory and power. Naturally, Philip IV cannot fail to see this. That is why he needs more soldiers, more equipment, and more provisions—to resist those alliance members with ulterior motives."
"The Protestant League and the Catholic League," Louis said. "The Emperor stands with the Catholics, but it seems his enemies do not come solely