Continuing Negotiations

Abstract

It had now become clear that Karl August of Zweibrücken would not be won over with a loan any more than he had been won over by the Golden Fleece six years before. But this was not of much moment so long as it had not proved possible to reach an agreement with Karl Theodor. On this thorny subject Lehrbach reported in the beginning of October that he had twice more talked with the Elector. ¹ The old arguments were repeated on both sides, with Karl Theodor again bridling at the idea of giving up the Upper Palatinate. At one point he indicated that he might change his mind on this point if he were to be given the districts of Falkenstein and Ortenau in addition to the Netherlands but Lehrbach refused to entertain this notion. Then the talk turned to Luxemburg, Limburg and Namur. With respect to the first, Karl Theodor argued against the advisability of exchanging it for Salzburg and Berchtesgaden. The consent of France was absolutely necessary if the exchange were to go through, and what could this be bought with if not Luxemburg? Limburg he could not give up because it was the only bridge between the Netherlands and Jülich and Berg. He did seem willing to sacrifice Namur. Further, he still refused to assume the Bavarian debt, arguing that the Netherlands, too, were burdened with a sizeable debt. Also, the Elector refused point-blank to concede the Emperor the right to recruit troops in the Netherlands. And, finally, he insisted that nothing that had been discussed between himself and Lehrbach could be considered binding without the agreement of Karl August.