I’m interested in creating a timeline where Napoleon’s only legitimate son Napoleon II lives past the age of 21 and becomes a Alexander to his fathers Philip. Does anyone have an idea of a realistic way of that happening?
A Happier Fate For Napoleon II?
- Thread starter Tamar of the Tamar tribe
- Start date
To best Napoleon I, I think the minimum is a successful invasion of England. Which isn't going to happen any time after 1813.
Honestly, your best hope is to make a Napoleon I wins TL but then have Napoleon II be better. Because the PoD would be in II's childhood, you can probably do something like this without too much difficulty. Probably a PoD between 1804 and 1809 is your best option in that case, so that Napoleon is seen as great (Italian campaigns, the coup of 1799, winning the 2nd Coalition and maybe Austerlitz) but not so great (winning in Russia and maybe Spain) that besting him becomes ridiculous.
- BNC
Perhaps, if you can find a reason for an Eighth coalition to not storm in and try to get rid of him.
- BNC
It's your timeline, so do what you want with it. I would have thought that "son of Napoleon" would be enough to scare Europe into a Coalition, but if your TL's people think differently then there's nothing wrong with that!
- BNC
Realistically the best outcome for Napoleon II would have been to have had the same career as Napoleon III.
Kind of but the end would have to involve not being defeated by Prussia, or for that matter falling into Otto von Bismarck's diplomatic trap that lead to the war that ended the Second French Empire in the first place.
Stupid suggestion, I get the Alexander-Philip metaphor, but what if Napoléon II focuses more on binding the empire together than necessarily expanding. He's no military slouch, but he's focused more on the bureaucratic/political areas that his dad neglected? I mean Napoléon was micromanagerial - and I've seen it said that it's unlikely that the French empire would've ever been more than a military dictatorship/autocratic regime under him - but if Napoléon II focuses instead on the actual running of the behemoth. And makes a name for himself in such a way?
Alcsentre Calanice
Gone Fishin'
Well, he could (if he doesn't contract tubercolosis, which killed him in OTL) flee the Habsburgs and become an adventurer, just like his cousin Napoléon-Louis (our Napoleon III), who took part in the 1830/31 rebellion in Italy.
I give you my abandoned Napoleon II TL, which was about as ephemeral as the Eaglet himself.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ight-of-the-eaglet.153737/page-2#post-4161305
Well, he is only 19 years old and there is no way of knowing if he'd be like his father (assuming his father has still been exiled). Other European states would be concerned but I'm not sure it would be an automatic cassus belli.
How you would get him to take over in France is the trickiest part. I think the revolution needs to happen later than 1830.
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Napoleon I. was already Alexander. For his son it would be better to be Phillip.
This said for the OP challenge, I think it would be best if Napoleon I. dies in early 1814. Talleyrand, Metternich and Alexander actually would have favored Napoleon II. on the throne, but it was impossible as long his father was still alive.
This said for the OP challenge, I think it would be best if Napoleon I. dies in early 1814. Talleyrand, Metternich and Alexander actually would have favored Napoleon II. on the throne, but it was impossible as long his father was still alive.