| From Utopia ... |
| Maximilien de Béthunes,
Duc de Sully (1560-1641) |
| He was the principal
minister of Henri IV of France |
|
| In 1638, the
Memoirs of the Duc de Sully, Oeconomies Royales, were published
with a chapter concerning a plan to create a United States
of Europe , the so-called "Grand dessein". Sully's Design
was limited to Europe, and his proposal involved a forcible dissolution
of the already weakened Austrian Empire and the redivision of Europe
into fifteen states as nearly equal in territory and power
as possible, with a religious balance between Catholicism,
Calvinism and Lutheranism. An International Council was to be set
up to deal with the conflicts between Member States. The overall objective
was to preserve peace inside the confederation but
also to continue war against Infidels. |
