AHC/WI: Kingdom of Holland remains with King Louis Bonaparte

As the tin says, the AHC/WI is for Louis Bonaparte to remain as King of a remaining Kingdom of Holland after Napoléon is dethroned in France. Louis was quite well liked by his Dutch subjects and so it would be more a matter of convincing the Great Powers to let him reign.

Maybe he refuses his brother’s order to abdicate and turns on Napoléon? He might be forcibly dethroned but after the war he could regain the throne perhaps?

If that’s the case what happens with the House of Orange-Nassau? Maybe they are given OTL Belgium instead of it being given to Holland?
 
So it's 1815, and there are only seven male Nassau's alive.
-Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg b.1768 d.1816
-Friedrich August, Duke of Nassau b.1738 d.1816
-William Duke of Nassau b.1792
-Friedrich Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg b.1799
-William I King of the Netherlands b.1772
-William II King of the Netherlands b.1792
-Prince Frederick of the Netherlands b.1797

Except the two that died of old age in 1816, all were military commanders who were wounded several times in the Napoleonic wars. And all were present at Waterloo.

At which point the Dynasty falls defunct with only a Salic line through Louise Henriette wife of William Frederick Elector of Brandenburg & Duke of Prussia (The Great Elector). Going down 5 generations to Frederick William IV king of Prussia. At which point things become interesting.
 
So it's 1815, and there are only seven male Nassau's alive.
-Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg b.1768 d.1816
-Friedrich August, Duke of Nassau b.1738 d.1816
-William Duke of Nassau b.1792
-Friedrich Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg b.1799
-William I King of the Netherlands b.1772
-William II King of the Netherlands b.1792
-Prince Frederick of the Netherlands b.1797

Except the two that died of old age in 1816, all were military commanders who were wounded several times in the Napoleonic wars. And all were present at Waterloo.

At which point the Dynasty falls defunct with only a Salic line through Louise Henriette wife of William Frederick Elector of Brandenburg & Duke of Prussia (The Great Elector). Going down 5 generations to Frederick William IV king of Prussia. At which point things become interesting.

It's not so much which members of the house of Nassau are still alive or a Prussian inheritance which is the issue, but rather Napoléon and Lodewijk's relationship. Napoléon felt that by Lodewijk turning a blind eye to the illegal Dutch trade with the English (i.e. putting Dutch interests above French, which is exactly what he included in a memo back when appointing his siblings to their various thrones "conform to the ways of the country...do not say "we do this better in Paris" BUT ABOVE ALL, DO NOT CEASE TO BE FRENCH" (emphasis mine)) he HAD ceased to be French. So, if Lodewijk stays Louis and their relationship is better, I might see him outlasting 1811 (or at least his son succeeding at his abdication - would be interesting to see a Napoleonic regency headed by Hortense at work). However, even he sides WITH the Allies AGAINST his brother, I can't see them allowing to be any more serious about letting him keep a throne in Holland than they were about Murat in Naples. They'd probably say yes with the idea of yanking it at the first opportunity.

Now, if the prince of Orange gets killed at Waterloo, instead of just wounded; and the Weilburg line emulates him in going extinct, that leaves you with a branch of the house of Nassau that has no ties to the Dutch monarchy (IIRC). In which case, were it to be put to a popular vote MAYBE Louis would get the throne. But Vienna OTL was hardly about pleasing popular opinion (see Belgium begging for an Austrian archduke and being handed to the king of the Netherlands).
 
It's not so much which members of the house of Nassau are still alive or a Prussian inheritance which is the issue, but rather Napoléon and Lodewijk's relationship. Napoléon felt that by Lodewijk turning a blind eye to the illegal Dutch trade with the English (i.e. putting Dutch interests above French, which is exactly what he included in a memo back when appointing his siblings to their various thrones "conform to the ways of the country...do not say "we do this better in Paris" BUT ABOVE ALL, DO NOT CEASE TO BE FRENCH" (emphasis mine)) he HAD ceased to be French. So, if Lodewijk stays Louis and their relationship is better, I might see him outlasting 1811 (or at least his son succeeding at his abdication - would be interesting to see a Napoleonic regency headed by Hortense at work). However, even he sides WITH the Allies AGAINST his brother, I can't see them allowing to be any more serious about letting him keep a throne in Holland than they were about Murat in Naples. They'd probably say yes with the idea of yanking it at the first opportunity.

Now, if the prince of Orange gets killed at Waterloo, instead of just wounded; and the Weilburg line emulates him in going extinct, that leaves you with a branch of the house of Nassau that has no ties to the Dutch monarchy (IIRC). In which case, were it to be put to a popular vote MAYBE Louis would get the throne. But Vienna OTL was hardly about pleasing popular opinion (see Belgium begging for an Austrian archduke and being handed to the king of the Netherlands).

So let’s say that Bonapartist Holland continues on... what happens to Belgium and Luxembourg?
 
So let’s say that Bonapartist Holland continues on... what happens to Belgium and Luxembourg?

Well, they were part of France, not Louis' kingdom of Holland, so I'm not sure. As usual, no one (Britain) wants France to have Belgium, but nobody else wants it. Here, they're between the devil and the deep blue sea. Either they hand it to France, and risk it France going on a rampage through Europe again. Or they hand it to Bonapartist Holland (which might not sit well with some, who are worried that it would be the springboard for any Bonapartist uprising in France). Or, they do one of the complicated territorial swaps that happened at Vienna. The Wettins might lose electoral Saxony (I'm guessing to Prussia) and be recompensated with Belgium or (my personal favourite), give Bavaria the former Palatinate (or the former archbishopric-electorates) back and throw in Belgium, but they've gotta give up Bavaria proper to Austria. Austria gets a more contiguous border, a higher German population, and Bavaria gets the Habsburg Netherlands like its been jonesing for since the days of Maximilian II Emanuel.
 
There was already a treaty between the allies stating that the low countries would be united, as a deterrent to France and any Napoleonic uprisings.

And after the removal of Louis, I don't really see him returning. Not because the Dutch didn't like him, but because everybody else really hated the Napoleons. And as I just mentioned the Greater Netherlands was supposed to block any new Napoleonic adventures, not aiding them.

Also should he somehow not have been removed by his brother Napoleon. Then he would have been King during the massive depression the Netherlands underwent during the blockade. Which would have affected his popularity.
 

Couple questions about this TL:

In Italy, Eugene is betrayed by Murat, and he surrenders.
Funny, why would Murat betray him?

1814-Belgium is liberated by the Allied forces. The Belgians appeal to Franz, Emperor of Austria, to rule them. He tells them to “tie your fate to Holland. Perhaps that Bonaparte will suit you better.”

I get that the Habsburgs didn't want the Southern Netherlands, but I could equally see that they wouldn't want it in Bonaparte hands.

2) In exchange for the loss of Rhenish territories, the Prussians get all of Saxony. They withdraw from some of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, so more of Poland goes to Russia.

So where do the Wettins go?

1817- Coal mining mushrooms in the Rhineland and in Belgium, thanks to the formation of the Bank of the Netherlands, which in practice serves the entire Kingdom. Belgium and the Rhineland produce 40% of Continental Europe’s steel by 1820 [2]. The armaments industries make a killing, selling guns oto revolutionary armies in America.
Wasn't there already a bank of the Netherlands? I seem to recall that it was the inspiration behind the Bank of England

1822- Louis has a son, named Napoleon. Many view it as an attempt to repent for his mistakes to his brother; in actuality, Napoleon is a fairly common name in his family.

With who? A mistress? Because he and Hortense separated in the 1800s already, and even so, she'd be close to menopause.

1824- Bank Van Nederland is formed, based on the model of the Bank of France (and through that, the Bank of England).

Wait, wasn't that formed TTL in 1817

1828- Louis XVIII, King of France, decides that nothing would distract the public from his, ah, domestic problems. Russia begins the Russo-Turkish war, which concludes in 1829. the notable gain is Moldavia and Wallachia as Russian protectorates.

George IV dies, and Ernest Augustus assumes the throne.

Wait, what happened to Clarence and Kent/Victoria?

1837- With the death of William IV Of England, the throne of Britain goes to Ernest Augustus. He almost immediately starts opposing the reform bill, and generally angering a great many people.

Thought Ernst got the throne in 1830? Huh
 
I didn't write that timeline, and it's from the era of rando online AH sites with timelines of dubious quality, but good questions.
 
I'm curious and this'd probably be bòrderline ASB:

WI: the various Nassovian princes get killed off in the Napoleonic Wars. Lodewijk is separated from Hortense by 1811, so if he were to marry a Nassau princess (IDK who is available - maybe the dowager erbprinzessin of Brunswick?) to cement his claim, could Vienna decide he's a close enough heir? I mean, IIRC, the Dutch stadtholderate's succession laws were adjusted to allow Willem IV's daughter to succeed, and the Nassau-Dietz line owed their elevation to female line descent - so the precedent IS there...
 
1828- Louis XVIII, King of France, decides that nothing would distract the public from his, ah, domestic problems. Russia begins the Russo-Turkish war, which concludes in 1829. the notable gain is Moldavia and Wallachia as Russian protectorates.

Do the butterflies here allow Louis XVIII to live another four years?
 
separated from Hortense
Brunswick
No Loulou would be to old, 46 is not ok for a new dynasty. Also Louis was separated but not divorced, and he was a Catholic which Loulou most definitely wasn't.

Side stepping the divorce and his Catholic faith the best candidate would be Princess Marianne daughter to William VI(King William I). You know in a decade or so as she was born in 1810. Who would be the Reigning Stadholder, for as you pointed out the title was male preferable primogeniture. Like I said things get interesting.

Also there are about a dozen granddaughters of Carolina of Oranje-Nassau(the one who was regent for her 17 year old brother William V).

And finally for the Duchy of Nassau there would be one year old Therese of Nassau-Weilburg, daughter of William Duke of Nassau. And Great-Granddaughter of Carolina.
 
There is also the slight hiccup that Louis I abdicated in favour of his son Louis II who became King of the Netherlands for 9 days in 1810. Something they skipped during my history lessons.

Now the son would make a match for Princess Marianne, should the male Nassaus have done a cropper.
 
No Loulou would be to old, 46 is not ok for a new dynasty. Also Louis was separated but not divorced, and he was a Catholic which Loulou most definitely wasn't.

Side stepping the divorce and his Catholic faith the best candidate would be Princess Marianne daughter to William VI(King William I). You know in a decade or so as she was born in 1810. Who would be the Reigning Stadholder, for as you pointed out the title was male preferable primogeniture. Like I said things get interesting.

Also there are about a dozen granddaughters of Carolina of Oranje-Nassau(the one who was regent for her 17 year old brother William V).

And finally for the Duchy of Nassau there would be one year old Therese of Nassau-Weilburg, daughter of William Duke of Nassau. And Great-Granddaughter of Carolina.

Well, there's always the OTL duchess of Teschen or the Duchess Ludwig of Württemberg, or Marianne's older sister, Charlotte who was born in 1800, died 1806. Basically what I was going for is a match between Lodewijk I/II and a Nassau princess.

As to the whole religious thing, if the Dutch were willing to accept a Catholic king (Lodewijk) and a princess of Nassau marrying an Austrian archduke (Henriëtte of Nassau to Karl of Teschen) I would think a marriage between the new royal house and a dynast of the previous ruling house wouldn't cause too much of a fuss. The Nassaus themselves might have more of an issue than the Dutch.
 
What if one of the conditions were that the Bonaparte surname had to become like van Nederlands or something like that to appease the great powers who were anti-Bonaparte?
 
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