Even as a native francophone from Quebec, I initially misunderstood the author's intent! It's about mocking Savoy's disastrous attempt to switch sides in the war of Spanish Succession in the early 18th. Once-French-ally by royal marriage, Duke Victor-Amédée II "le Renard de Savoie", switched sides to Austria and the League against France. There were religious reasons for the tensions such as the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and protestant migrations. Victor-Amédée then launched an offensive war against his former ally France, sung from a Frenchman's/Alsacian point of view. I wouldn't call it an anti-war song, more of a "lets mock the losers" song - an all-time staple of military music. But given how obscure the meaning is, these comments should stay up, in order to understand better, IMO!

To a modern listener, it might sound like the author is praising the Duke of Savoie for managing... (continua)