The history of international relations course in most IR schools starts not with some ancient times, but with 17th century, namely with the emergence of the so-called raison d'état principle, first implemented by Cardinal de Richelieu, who was the First Minister, and, respectively, the de facto ruler of France in 1624-42. He used the raison d'état ("reason of state") to explain, why Catholic France took part in the Thirty Years' War on the Protestant side. One of the reasons was the fact that France was nearly encircled by Habsburgs' possessions and those of their allies, thus practically endangering the Bourbon monarchy. Why did it matter so much for Richelieu? In fact, both Habsburg empires - Austria and Spain - were Catholic, and the French state itself was well-known for its brutality against the Huguenots. If we imagine alternative history, where Habsburgs eventually deposed Bourbons in France to create the third Habsburg-led empire, the France mo