French troops wanted to aid the outlawed Society of United Irishmen in rebelling against the British. The French were immediately taken down and captured by the British once they reached Ireland. Feelings of republicanism were common among countries trying to remove themselves from British rule. MP was written nearly 20 years after uprisings of both France and Ireland aginst Britian. Austen would have been aware of the political unrest these rebellions caused and likely subtly wrote about said issues with deep consideration. 

"French Invasion of Ireland Fails Through Winter Storms." History Today,
     www.historytoday.com/archive/
     french-invasion-ireland-fails-through-winter-storms. Accessed 19 Dec. 2022.