So one of the key points in American history was the Louisiana Purchase, in which Napoleon sold vast amounts of territory to the US. I know that he was skeptical of France’s capabilities to safeguard the land, but I’m wondering how did France not lose Louisiana during the French Revolution (pre-Napoleon)? During that time France was being invaded on all sides and facing constant civil strife, with there still be significant monarchist pockets of support.
As in, what stopped the First Coalition or Native Americans from seizin the territory during the War of the First Coalition? I don’t think that the French settlers in Lousina would have been the most supportive of the revolution either, so what stopped them from becoming a monarchist remnant, or simply stop listening to French authorities?
Actually, the French territory in Louisiana had been lost to Spain in 1762. Napoleon only regained it for France in 1800/1803 (1800 for the sale, 1803 for the transfer of power - in the middle, it was secretly French).
That means that it was the Spanish who ostensibly controlled the territory and were the ones administering it just as they had since 1762. After the failure of the expedition to Haiti, France would not have been able to defend Louisiana.
There's more information in this old thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/233wak/why_did_the_french_sell_louisiana_at_such_a_cheap/