A German Game
"...
by decree, I duly appoint Eugene de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, my successor..."
-
Karl von Dalberg, Prince-Primate of the Confederation of the Rhone and Duke of Frankfurt
If the Confederation of the Rhine, the central political entity in the region of "Germany," had one saving grace, it was that it was inoffensive to Russia and Austria thanks to its weakness. Yes, it was plainly a hodgepodge of Paris-friendly satrapies (most notably the Bonaparte-ruled Westphalia), but at least in theory it was the sum of its parts, a greater whole, and with keen leaders in places such as Bavaria, Mecklenburg, Saxony and Oldenburg (and, depending on the mercurial Joachim Murat's mood, Berg) a place that could be influenced as a common ground in the Napoleonic Peace and a robust buffer state in the event of future war. Much of this hinged on the power held by individual kings and dukes; on paper, the Confederation was ruled by a Diet that was a facsimile of and successor to that of the Holy Roman Empire, which held little practical influence, and as figurehead sat the Prince-Primate, Karl von Dalberg, who as a sinecure for incomes also held the titular office of Duke of Frankfurt, the Confederation's capital near the confluence of the Main and the Rhine (and, not coincidentally, quite close to the French
Corps des Frontieres division stationed in Mayence).
Dalberg was a former priest nearing the age of seventy, however, and had no issue of his own. The German Question took on new meaning - who would inherit the title of Prince-Primate when he passed, and what would they do with it? The question had an answer before long, and one that threatened another war in Europe with its answer: Eugene de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson and previously Viceroy of Italy.
Napoleon had, with the birth of his second son Louis, finally found an heir to the title of King of Italy and named his son as such. The result, however, was that his loyal and reliable Eugene needed a place to "land;" Germany seemed the obvious choice. Approaching five years of peace and with the British threat seeming more impotent by the month, Napoleon consulted no-one and informed Talleyrand of the ultimatum he was about to present Dalberg only hours before he traveled to Frankfurt personally to inform the Prince-Primate - who, again, on paper was theoretically an equal to the French Emperor - that Beauharnais was to receive the title of Duke of Frankfurt and that, henceforth, the Duke of Frankfurt would be the hereditary holder of the office of Prince-Primate of the Confederation. Dalberg, increasingly aware of his age, mortality and the precariousness of his position, agreed and decreed by edict; Talleyrand was barely able to warn his Russian friends of the move before the law had been passed in Frankfurt by fiat in October of 1813.
It is almost certain Napoleon did not time this maneuver for the weeks before winter made a military campaign virtually impossible; nevertheless, his rash choice to impose Eugene de Beauharnais upon Germany and its monarchs was well-timed despite its unilateralism and the anger it caused across Europe. Rumors had already spread in Prussia of Westphalian armies slowly growing their ranks; now, it seemed plain that Berlin's exclusion from a Napoleonic "German Confederacy" was designed for permanence. Alexander of Russia recoiled at the thought of his familial ties to the Duchy of Oldenburg being subsumed; he was not quite as ready as Friedrich Wilhelm to mobilize, what with his Baltic League having enriched Russian coffers, but for the first time since Erfurt the idea of a Fifth Coalition seemed live, though not yet enticing. Austria, at any rate, was about ready to mobilize, if nothing else than to make a point; being shut out of influence in Germany so completely was unacceptable. In Britain, the first ray of hope in years emerged. At least two continental powers, possibly three if the diplomacy by Canning's men in St. Petersburg could be good enough, seemed willing to rise in defense of the German kingdoms, and the cohesiveness of the Confederation's military forces and cooperation of the various personalities under Beauharnais left ample opportunity; even Murat chafed at the declaration.
The stage, then, was set for the German game to reach some kind of conclusion as the fall of 1813 deepened - one that could quite easily end in bloodshed...
