Challenge: How can Napoleon II, son of Napoleon Bonaparte, gain the throne of France, and become Emepror of France?
AHC: Napoleon II, Emperor of France
- Thread starter GameBawesome
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- france napoleon ii
Napoleon wins the Napoleonic Wars. He dies, and his son takes over as emperor.
Also the Eaglet was technically emperor of France for two weeks in 1815, but I'm guessing that doesn't cut it for you.
If you're looking for a post Napoleonic PoD, you could try to have him pull something like Napoleon iii did IOTL.
Also the Eaglet was technically emperor of France for two weeks in 1815, but I'm guessing that doesn't cut it for you.
If you're looking for a post Napoleonic PoD, you could try to have him pull something like Napoleon iii did IOTL.
He's gonna have to get out of Vienna to do that. AIUI, he was kept under pretty close surveillance by Metternich. Countess Camerata (his cousin through Elise Bonaparte) was the only Bonaparte IIRC that actually managed to slip under the wire during the events of 1830, but L'Aiglon didn't know who she was when she came up to him and kissed his hand (think she addressed him as "mon empereur" as well).
Maybe someone super anti-austrian gets control of France so Napoleon ii is allowed to leave and gets tacit support from Vienna?
(Assuming NapoleonI's victory is not what you are looking for)
Napoleon dies soon after arriving to Elba, possibly of suicide, the dangers of a Napoleonid return are less severe in the absence of the example of the 100 days and N II is allowed to stay in Parma with his mother. Eventually he grows up similarly to how Charles Louis did (Nap III) and, after a brush with insurrectionalism in Italy in his youth he eventually manages to get back to France and be swept to power in 1848 or an equivalent. (Or maybe already in 1830, but he would be very young then).
Napoleon dies soon after arriving to Elba, possibly of suicide, the dangers of a Napoleonid return are less severe in the absence of the example of the 100 days and N II is allowed to stay in Parma with his mother. Eventually he grows up similarly to how Charles Louis did (Nap III) and, after a brush with insurrectionalism in Italy in his youth he eventually manages to get back to France and be swept to power in 1848 or an equivalent. (Or maybe already in 1830, but he would be very young then).
In that scenario, perhaps an 1830 restoration is more likely- his youth makes him a much more controllable figure. Those parts of the elite that opted for Louis-Philippe might be swayed for a Bonaparte, especially if the crowds in the street begin calling for their old emperor's son.
Or he dies at some point in 1811-14. Marie-Louise, as regent, immediately calls for peace negotiations and the Coalition decides to accept the young Napoléon II on the French throne.
FillyofDelphi
Banned
The Austrians were actually pushing for exactly this in the early stages of Vienna: having the Cohalition install a regency for Nappy Jr. and retaining the form of the Imperial system if limiting it's military power. If you can find some way to have the Austrians in a stronger negotiating position relative to the Brits: say, Prussia not effectively reform/recover an be "Liberated" rather than taking a prominent role, and this could easily come about with Le Emperor merely abdicating for his person rather than his dynasty.
It would help if the men of the French branch of the House of Bourbon died out during the period between their exile from France and the RL Restoration, leaving only the Spanish Bourbons, or the (then) discredited House of Orleans as rival claimants to Napoleon II, and no one in Europe is going to want to risk the Spanish Bourbons putting one of their own on the French throne, and then wind up with both thrones united under one person due to die-off.
The Orleans family was viewed with suspicion at the time due to Philippe Égalité's voting for Louis XVI's execution and his son initially fighting for the First French Republic and only fleeing after his father was executed due to being former nobility.
If it boiled down to those options I could see Napoleon II keeping his throne, and with the ever changing winds of politics finding ways around any restrictions put on him by the treaty in the future.
Napoleon I accept the Frankfurt Proposals of 1813 and become Emperor of an expanded French Empire. He would die somewhere between 1820-1830 and Napoleon II becomes Emperor.
Interesting would be bis relationship with his Cousin Louis Napoleon.