Max Sinister
Banned
We already had "Napoleon eradicates Prussia"... but niw let's think about the opposite:
After having won the war of 1806/7 easily, Napoleon can see that the current Prussian king has a weak personality and can easily be pushed around. So he doesn't perceive Prussia as a danger and suggests Frederick Wilhelm III an alliance against Britain and Prussia. Let's assume that FW3 agrees, fearing the worst if he doesn't. Prussia only loses some minor territories (Cottbus to Saxony, its lands in Westphalia to Berg and Bayreuth to Bavaria), but keeps Hannover and everything else. It's smaller allies Braunschweig and electorate Hesse are dissolved. Prussia has to send troops against Spain, and later Russia. Napoleon's brother Jerome might go to Spain instead. The king never appoints competent people like Stein, Scharnhorst and others, but is surrounded by Yes-men. That's OK for Napoleon since it means Prussia won't become too dangerous.
Would Austria dare to fight against Napoleon in 1809 if Prussia in on Napoleon's side? If yes, Prussia might gain territories... maybe Silesia, or West Galicia - thus making Prussia half German, half Polish, turning it from a nation state into something like an A-H in the North. If Prussia fights on Napoleon's side against Russia (and this time, they could win), they might gain the Baltic provinces, changing it further into that direction. And if Austria doesn't cooperate with Napoleon (think about his political marriage), he could decide to make Bohemia independent and give it to Jerome, or Joseph if Jerome's in Spain.
After having won the war of 1806/7 easily, Napoleon can see that the current Prussian king has a weak personality and can easily be pushed around. So he doesn't perceive Prussia as a danger and suggests Frederick Wilhelm III an alliance against Britain and Prussia. Let's assume that FW3 agrees, fearing the worst if he doesn't. Prussia only loses some minor territories (Cottbus to Saxony, its lands in Westphalia to Berg and Bayreuth to Bavaria), but keeps Hannover and everything else. It's smaller allies Braunschweig and electorate Hesse are dissolved. Prussia has to send troops against Spain, and later Russia. Napoleon's brother Jerome might go to Spain instead. The king never appoints competent people like Stein, Scharnhorst and others, but is surrounded by Yes-men. That's OK for Napoleon since it means Prussia won't become too dangerous.
Would Austria dare to fight against Napoleon in 1809 if Prussia in on Napoleon's side? If yes, Prussia might gain territories... maybe Silesia, or West Galicia - thus making Prussia half German, half Polish, turning it from a nation state into something like an A-H in the North. If Prussia fights on Napoleon's side against Russia (and this time, they could win), they might gain the Baltic provinces, changing it further into that direction. And if Austria doesn't cooperate with Napoleon (think about his political marriage), he could decide to make Bohemia independent and give it to Jerome, or Joseph if Jerome's in Spain.
He may be a pushover, but perhaps not as much as to ally against himself!