Bonapartean Descent in Their Countries' Royal Families Today

The challenge is simple. Napoléon set to remaking Europe's monarchs in his own image by appointing his siblings (as well as some other lucky non-relations) as kings of various states. However, the various lines of their legitimate descent have petered out (if I'm not mistaken it's only Caroline and Jérôme who still have legitimate heirs running around today).

Your goal is to have the current monarchs in the country that was ruled by a Napoléonic appointee DESCEND from said appointee.

Thus, it would be:
The current king of Spain (or his heir) descends from Joseph Bonaparte
The titular king of Naples from Joseph and/or Murat
The titular king of Italy (doesn't really matter if he's from the main line or the Aosta line) from Eugène de Beauharnais
Grand duke of Tuscany from Elisa, any monarchs in the Netherlands from Louis etc.

Jérôme is a bit more difficult, since Westphalia sort of implodedafter Napoléon fell, but let's suggest that Hesse and/or Hannover (any other major German royal family is also fine, but preferably those ones).

Rules:
  • No tweaking of the current monarch's heir to marry a descendant (so, for instance, the daughter of King Felipe VI can't suddenly marry a descendant of Joe Bonaparte). It has to be the monarch ruling or his spouse descends from the Napoléonide ruler.
  • The monarch does not necessarily have to still be reigning (i.e. the Italian royals), simply head of house/heir apparent is also acceptable
  • The Napoléonide royals CANNOT stay in power AFTER 1815. So no lasting Murat kingdom of Naples or Beauharnais kingdom of Italy or the like. Second Empire is acceptable (and also why I didn't include a French heir in the list. I'd think it absolutely cool if we could have either the duc d'Anjou or whatever the Orléanist heir's title is descended from a Bonaparte (we've got the Bonaparte heir descended from the Bourbons so why not)) OTOH, although I'm not sure Napoléon III was so eager about repeating THAT mistake of the First Empire.
  • Bonus points if the descent from said Napoléonide can be spread to MORE than one royal family (which would probably presuppose a pre-1940s cut-off point)
  • Bonus points if the monarch descends from more than one Napoléonide.
  • Bonus points if the monarch descends from Elisa's or Pauline's sons.
  • Points will be awarded for descending through a bastard (one of Napoléon III's illegitimate sons, or Joseph's daughters by Annette Savage (or his son by the Colonna lady)), but since this is royalty, legitimacy is preferred.
Looking forward to how we can make this happen
 
This is a bump
Couple of ideas for how we could accomplish this:

Lucien's daughters marry their proposed husbands (Fernando VII of Spain and Leopoldo II of Tuscany) and via their offspring, we see a few more part-Bonaparte monarchs in Europe. While this doesn't fulfill the OP (since Lucien never reigned anywhere), it DOES increase the likelihood (given Bonaparte penchant for cousin marriages) that Joseph's descent (through Charlotte Philistine Bonaparte's half-brother, the prince of Canino) has a chance of getting a look in in Spain.

Another option is again a Canino-descendant: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands considered Prince Petros "Black Pete" of Greece for her daughter Juliana (Petros' mother was a Bonaparte)...

The most likely IMHO (and possibly the easiest): Amelia of Bragança survives and marries Archduke Maximilian. They have kids, who then marry into an Italian royal family.
 
So this is more almost the opposite of what I asked, but what would happen (i.e. how would it be perceived) if the Napoléonide prince married princesses from the former dynastic house? For instance Louis' son and heir were to wed OTL Princess Marianne of the Netherlands or Murat's eldest son, Achille, were to wed a princess of Bourbon-Sicily (he'd be a bit young for the OTL duchesse de Berri but he'd fit the duchess of Cadix (Luisa Carlotta) or queen of Spain (Maria Cristina)?

But otherwise, I'm putting this back on the front page
 
I once wrote (the start of) a timeline in which Louis Napoleon King/rabbit of Holland switched sides and joined the fight against Napoleon, thus remaining king after Napoleon's defeat. Personaly I doubt the likelyhood of it happening now. That said, he was still pretty populair in the Netherlands even after the kingdom of the Netherlands was created. He had 3 kids. What if they survived and got kids themself and one of his descendents marries into the Dutch Royal family? Probably a minor branch (the daughter of the brother of the king or something like that and through some unfortunate circumstances, their kids still end up on the throne?
 
I'm not sure any of this works out (male-line descendant of a Napoleonic family member) if Napoleon falls. The only legitimate possibility remains in France proper, with Nap II (with a regency by Marie Louise and Austria), or Napoleon III never engages in the Franco-Prussian War (or dies earlier) and the Prince Imperial inherits. Otherwise in the client states, the closest might be Eugene, who could be given a sovereign micro-state in Italy or Germany, if Tsar Alexander had pushed it (also Eugene's oldest son was married to Maria II of Portugal and if he had not died almost right away, the Portuguese Royal House would have been the House of Beauharnais, not Saxe-Coburg). Murat was never trusted (for good reason) and even without the Hundred Days and him changing sides again, once he made his ambitions for the Papal States apparent (which he did have) the Allies would have crushed him and thrown out his dynasty.None of Napoleon's other siblings would have been allowed to keep thrones anywhere.

The easiest would be to have a Bonaparte princess marry into a reigning house of a once satellite state - the easiest there is for Ferdinand VII to marry one of Lucien (or Joseph's) daughters, perhaps as the price of his release and return to Spain (during his toady period he begged to marry into Napoleon's family, but once he realized he had the upper hand and France desperately wanted him back in Spain to stop the Spanish Ulcer he kept demurring on this point).
 
I'm not sure any of this works out (male-line descendant of a Napoleonic family member) if Napoleon falls. The only legitimate possibility remains in France proper, with Nap II (with a regency by Marie Louise and Austria), or Napoleon III never engages in the Franco-Prussian War (or dies earlier) and the Prince Imperial inherits. Otherwise in the client states, the closest might be Eugene, who could be given a sovereign micro-state in Italy or Germany, if Tsar Alexander had pushed it (also Eugene's oldest son was married to Maria II of Portugal and if he had not died almost right away, the Portuguese Royal House would have been the House of Beauharnais, not Saxe-Coburg). Murat was never trusted (for good reason) and even without the Hundred Days and him changing sides again, once he made his ambitions for the Papal States apparent (which he did have) the Allies would have crushed him and thrown out his dynasty.None of Napoleon's other siblings would have been allowed to keep thrones anywhere.

The easiest would be to have a Bonaparte princess marry into a reigning house of a once satellite state - the easiest there is for Ferdinand VII to marry one of Lucien (or Joseph's) daughters, perhaps as the price of his release and return to Spain (during his toady period he begged to marry into Napoleon's family, but once he realized he had the upper hand and France desperately wanted him back in Spain to stop the Spanish Ulcer he kept demurring on this point).
Well that will likely require an agreement between Napoleon and Lucien about the latter’s second wedding to Alexandrine who is almost ASB (as Lucien had zero intention to renounce to her, with either an annulment or a divorce while Napoleon had declared he would never accept her) with the reintegration of Lucien in the Imperial family as Lucien’s daughters by first wife Christine were the only women in the Bonaparte family old enough to be married and a reconciliation between Lucien and Napoleon would be likely followed by a wedding of his eldest daughter to Ferdinand of Spain...
 
Well that will likely require an agreement between Napoleon and Lucien about the latter’s second wedding to Alexandrine who is almost ASB (as Lucien had zero intention to renounce to her, with either an annulment or a divorce while Napoleon had declared he would never accept her) with the reintegration of Lucien in the Imperial family as Lucien’s daughters by first wife Christine were the only women in the Bonaparte family old enough to be married and a reconciliation between Lucien and Napoleon would be likely followed by a wedding of his eldest daughter to Ferdinand of Spain...

Actually, IIRC one (or both) of Lucien's daughters by Christine were in Madame Mére's custody after Napoléon divorced Josèphine. Letizia attempted to stage a reconciliation between her two boys (and the rest of the Bonapartes not wishing a repeat of the Beauharnais intrusion, backed her) by letting Lolotte marry Napoléon. Nap refused on grounds of her age, and the reconciliation foundered. Lolotte expressed relief to her grandmother about the match's failure, and AFAIK it was AFTER this attempt that Napoléon broached the subject of marriages to Spain/Würzburg for them. Lucien leaving Alexandrine might've been part of the reconciliation, but I'm unaware that an annulment/divorce would be needed in order to arrange their foreign marriages.
Besides, Nap would probably just do something mulish like forbid Lucien-Alexandrine to attend the wedding
 
I'm not sure any of this works out (male-line descendant of a Napoleonic family member) if Napoleon falls. The only legitimate possibility remains in France proper, with Nap II (with a regency by Marie Louise and Austria), or Napoleon III never engages in the Franco-Prussian War (or dies earlier) and the Prince Imperial inherits. Otherwise in the client states, the closest might be Eugene, who could be given a sovereign micro-state in Italy or Germany, if Tsar Alexander had pushed it (also Eugene's oldest son was married to Maria II of Portugal and if he had not died almost right away, the Portuguese Royal House would have been the House of Beauharnais, not Saxe-Coburg). Murat was never trusted (for good reason) and even without the Hundred Days and him changing sides again, once he made his ambitions for the Papal States apparent (which he did have) the Allies would have crushed him and thrown out his dynasty.None of Napoleon's other siblings would have been allowed to keep thrones anywhere.

I think a Beauharnais would be more likely, after all Eugène's line spawned an empress of Brasil, a prince-consort of Portugal, and a queen of Sweden (and that was just in the first generation). Hortense's bastard son snagged a Russian girl who was rumoured to be Nikolai I's illegitimate daughter. Her legitimate son tried to snag Carola of Sweden and a niece of Queen Victoria. Their cousin (Stéphanie) became an ancestress to the kings of Romania and two queens of Portugal.

And this is near precisely why I was interested to see if the Bonapartes could fly as high.
 
I once wrote (the start of) a timeline in which Louis Napoleon King/rabbit of Holland switched sides and joined the fight against Napoleon, thus remaining king after Napoleon's defeat. Personaly I doubt the likelyhood of it happening now. That said, he was still pretty populair in the Netherlands even after the kingdom of the Netherlands was created. He had 3 kids. What if they survived and got kids themself and one of his descendents marries into the Dutch Royal family? Probably a minor branch (the daughter of the brother of the king or something like that and through some unfortunate circumstances, their kids still end up on the throne?

Not a bad idea. I suspected that to meet challenge criteria one would need a lucky accident or few
 
I think a Beauharnais would be more likely, after all Eugène's line spawned an empress of Brasil, a prince-consort of Portugal, and a queen of Sweden (and that was just in the first generation). Hortense's bastard son snagged a Russian girl who was rumoured to be Nikolai I's illegitimate daughter. Her legitimate son tried to snag Carola of Sweden and a niece of Queen Victoria. Their cousin (Stéphanie) became an ancestress to the kings of Romania and two queens of Portugal.

And this is near precisely why I was interested to see if the Bonapartes could fly as high.

The Beauharnais flew as high as they did because of their already blue-blood (with Eugene's father going to the guillotine) and being seen as "one of us" by the other nobility of Europe which was furthered by his marriage to a Wittlesbach Bavarian Princess (and protection by her father the King). In addition, Eugene (despite his unending loyalty to his stepfather - beyond even most of Napoleon's siblings) was almost universally admired by the Allies as a highly honorable, virtuous man. The Tsar (the most powerful man in the Coalition) highly regarded him, as did the Austrians and the British.

The same could not be said of Napoleon's siblings. Outside their own circle, they had few supporters (even the Josefinos who followed Joseph out of Spain were for the most part not attached to him personally and despite Louis's popularity in Holland, I do not think there was a great call for his restoration from the Dutch persay). Perhaps the best of the Bonaparte siblings were Pauline (who was reputed to be kind-hearted, even if adulterous and a spendthrift - and the only one to visit Nap in Elba) and Lucien (the one who remained with him to the end during the Hundred Days) and they were the ones who coveted titles and power the least.

I do not think it an accident that the children of Eugene (never more than the Viceroy of Italy) married into the Crowned Heads of Europe, while the children of Murat (acknowledged, albeit only for awhile, as King of Naples by all the Allies) and Caroline, did not (and not even close). Except for periods when they held power (as when Napoleon married Marie-Louise or when Plon-Plon - himself a grandson of the King of Wurttemberg - married Marie Clotilde of Savoy/Italy as a way to seal an alliance between Nap III and VEII) the Bonapartes, at least for the 19th century, seemed to always be regarded as upstarts by the rest of the Europe. Ironically, the Bernadottes (of less noble stock than the Bonapartes) did NOT seem to be regarded this way.
 
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The Beauharnais flew as high as they did because of their already blue-blood (with Eugene's father going to the guillotine) and being seen as "one of us" by the other nobility of Europe which was furthered by his marriage to a Wittlesbach Bavarian Princess (and protection by her father the King). In addition, Eugene (despite his unending loyalty to his stepfather - beyond even most of Napoleon's siblings) was almost universally admired by the Allies as a highly honorable, virtuous man. The Tsar (the most powerful man in the Coalition) highly regarded him, as did the Austrians and the British.

The same could not be said of Napoleon's siblings. Outside their own circle, they had few supporters (even the Josefinos who followed Joseph out of Spain were for the most part not attached to him personally and despite Louis's popularity in Holland, I do not think there was a great call for his restoration from the Dutch persay). Perhaps the best of the Bonaparte siblings were Pauline (who was reputed to be kind-hearted, even if adulterous and a spendthrift - and the only one to visit Nap in Elba) and Lucien (the one who remained with him to the end during the Hundred Days) and they were the ones who coveted titles and power the least.

I do not think it an accident that the children of Eugene (never more than the Viceroy of Italy) married into the Crowned Heads of Europe, while the children of Murat (acknowledged, albeit only for awhile, as King of Naples by all the Allies) and Caroline, did not (and not even close). Except for periods when they held power (as when Napoleon married Marie-Louise or when Plon-Plon - himself a grandson of the King of Wurttemberg - married Marie Clotilde of Savoy/Italy as a way to seal an alliance between Nap III and VEII) the Bonapartes, at least for the 19th century, seemed to always be regarded as upstarts by the rest of the Europe. Ironically, the Bernadottes (of less noble stock than the Bonapartes) did NOT seem to be regarded this way.
Well the Bernadottes had a crown and were able to fit better than the Bonapartes in the European elite and that and the fact who Bernadotte together with Eugene was one of the most admired member of Napoleon’s extended family helped a lot (plus Bernadotte and Napoleon’s relationship was almost never the best... And the fact who while Bernadotte was Joseph’s brother-in-law his wife was Napoleon’s former fiancé surely not helped)
 
I agree with you about the Bernadottes, but lets not forget that when the chips were down, Bernadotte marched with the allies at Leipzig. To my mind, had Murat avoided his 100 Days error, I wouldn't count out Murat Naples surviving in a similar fashion. Bernadotte wound up as the new dynasty of Sweden when there WAS a legitimate dynasty. The allies might not trust Murat, but if he either stays neutral or sides against Napoléon (something Caroline advised OTL IIRC), there doesn't seem to be a whole lot they can do about it after they've given their word. @Yanez de Gomera
 
I agree with you about the Bernadottes, but lets not forget that when the chips were down, Bernadotte marched with the allies at Leipzig. To my mind, had Murat avoided his 100 Days error, I wouldn't count out Murat Naples surviving in a similar fashion. Bernadotte wound up as the new dynasty of Sweden when there WAS a legitimate dynasty. The allies might not trust Murat, but if he either stays neutral or sides against Napoléon (something Caroline advised OTL IIRC), there doesn't seem to be a whole lot they can do about it after they've given their word. @Yanez de Gomera

I do not necessarily disagree that the Murats MIGHT have stayed in Naples if Murat had not been stupid.

But let us not forget that Vasas were not seen in the same light as the Two Sicilies Bourbons who regarded as allies (if not clients) of the British. Gustaf Adolf IV was still alive yes, but he had no international support, and his uncle had been given the throne by the Riksdag and then Charles XIII had officially "adopted" Bernadotte. All nice and legal. Murat was installed by Napoleon, kept in power with French arms and money, and had higher ambitions (he tried to have "Italy" - even though he was not Italian - rise up for him at the end). Even had he not done a double switch back to Napoleon, once Murat made a move on the Papal States (given his ambitions) he would have been a goner.
 
Murat was installed by Napoleon, kept in power with French arms and money, and had higher ambitions (he tried to have "Italy" - even though he was not Italian - rise up for him at the end). Even had he not done a double switch back to Napoleon, once Murat made a move on the Papal States (given his ambitions) he would have been a goner.

So find a way to keep him in check then? Caroline always struck me as the brains in that relationship, so in a situation where she ends up as regent for Achille due to Murat's untimely demise, might that work?

Can't think how else to persuade Murat that going for the Papal States is a bad idea.
 
So find a way to keep him in check then? Caroline always struck me as the brains in that relationship, so in a situation where she ends up as regent for Achille due to Murat's untimely demise, might that work?

Can't think how else to persuade Murat that going for the Papal States is a bad idea.

Keep Murat from switching back to Napoleon, have him actively fight again the French during the Hundred Days and die in battle. Caroline and her son would probably - if not been allowed to keep Naples - at least given some indemnity or crown.
 
The biggest problem with Murat's political survival post-Napoleon was, imo the British support for the Sicilian Borbone. It was because of their commitment there that they did not sign the same alliance with Murat as Austria did in 1814 and antagonized him during the Italian campaign of that year, which, together with Joachim's political naivete and lack of moral temper, led to mutual distrust and eventually to the Neapolitan-Austrian war of 1815, which must be seen as the desperate gamble of someone who knows that his days as king are numbered even if he stays put, having the legitimate king just on the other side of the Strait.

Muratian survival may be more likely with an earlier defection or, at a stretch, no 100 days and heightened tensions around the Polish-Saxon question, which would make a campaign to dislodge Murat unadvisable for either Austria or Britain.
I toyed with having Murat die, but honestly keeping Caroline Bonaparte on the throne post-Napoleon, on account of her surname. Note that according to the Statute of Bayonne she, and not her eldest son, was the legal successor to Joachim. This could of course be altered in the peace agreements by making her just regent for Achilles, but is an interesting element, especially if one sets the POD as something like Joachim dying at Leipzig.

Honestly, to pull this off someone like Bernadotte would have been much better suited than Murat...

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As to the Beauharnais, Joseph had been offered some sort of crown in Italy, had he switched sides, but wouldn't that very betrayal have meant a decisive tarnishing of his honorable reputation and hence reduced political clout? I think that je actually got a fairly good hand in the end, he seems to have lived a content life after 1815, though he died relatively young.

Auguste could have lived longer after becoming Prince Consort in Portugal or, even better, King of the Belgians.
 
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