At the White House state dinner Tuesday, King Charles III addressed a claim made by US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Europe would be “speaking German” without American intervention. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French?” King Charles said, drawing laughter from the guests. The British monarch’s remark points toward the long history of French influence in America. The Iroquois Wars between France and England dominated European politics between 1689 and 1815. However, the fact that the greatest of Europe’s 18th-century wars could have begun in the Pennsylvania backcountry was new, reflecting the growing importance of America in the diplomatic, military, and economic calculations of European governments. The story, however, begins with the Iroquois.…