Was it possible to be a ruler in Early Modern Europe without engaging in war?

by [deleted]

[deleted]

Itsalrightwithme

Are you asking about any and all rulers or only major rulers? For the latter case (Henri VII, Louis XII, Philip the Bold) this was simply impossible. There was not yet a central government, and competition between local rulers at all levels could not always be contained through compromise. If you simply look at the history of any state of that era, duchies and counties get into feud with each other for various reasons, and their kings inevitably had to intervene at some point.

Dynastic claims are rarely if ever clear-cut, and there are many competing claims throughout all history.