Challenge: War of South American Succession

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to make a war known as the War of South American Succession occur in the nineteenth century. PODs no earlier than 1750. Also, the 'South American' bit must designate a specific country, so don't try a scenario where every single South American leader dies suddenly.

Extra points if the war is a major turning point of the century.

Extra, extra points if at least two European powers are involved.
 

Thande

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Lord Cochrane's crazy scheme actually works out: Napoleon (who, fortuitously, doesn't die in TTL) is busted out of St Helena in 1821 and is put in place as the Emperor of the United States of South America. By 1830 this consists of all the former Spanish colonies (but not Brazil) but the actual state is referred to as 'South America', as Cochrane had planned.

Nappy reigns until 1834, then dies. His son (Napoleon II, former King of Rome) steps up to succeed him, but the powerful liberal movement in South America, though they respected Napoleon the elder, are a bit unhappy with going to a straightforward monarchical succession. Instead they nominate one of their own heroes of the revolutions (Bolivar?) as emperor.

The resulting civil war is intervened in by European powers on both sides: Britain wants to preserve the good trading situation with the USSA that Cochrane engineered; France wants, on the contrary, to change it (hence France will probably back the liberal candidate); Portugal/Brazil, depending on if it becomes independent, wants to secure its position; Spain optimistically envisages a Reconquista; the US fears a rival and wants to promote republicanism.

Bingo. War of the South American Succession.
 
Lord Cochrane's crazy scheme actually works out: Napoleon (who, fortuitously, doesn't die in TTL) is busted out of St Helena in 1821 and is put in place as the Emperor of the United States of South America. By 1830 this consists of all the former Spanish colonies (but not Brazil) but the actual state is referred to as 'South America', as Cochrane had planned.

Nappy reigns until 1834, then dies. His son (Napoleon II, former King of Rome) steps up to succeed him, but the powerful liberal movement in South America, though they respected Napoleon the elder, are a bit unhappy with going to a straightforward monarchical succession. Instead they nominate one of their own heroes of the revolutions (Bolivar?) as emperor.

The resulting civil war is intervened in by European powers on both sides: Britain wants to preserve the good trading situation with the USSA that Cochrane engineered; France wants, on the contrary, to change it (hence France will probably back the liberal candidate); Portugal/Brazil, depending on if it becomes independent, wants to secure its position; Spain optimistically envisages a Reconquista; the US fears a rival and wants to promote republicanism.

Bingo. War of the South American Succession.

Nice one. And a turning point on so many levels, to boot.

I was actually considering making Napoleon's involvance a requirement, but I figured it would be too easy.
 
How about this: the first independence plan of Belgrano is accepted by the Argentinians, and Francisco de Paula de Borbón, son of Charles IV of Spain, is made king of the United Kingdom of Rio de La Plata, Peru and Chile. He still marries his niece, Luisa Carlota of Two Sicilies, and they have a son, Enrique.

In Brazil, everything goes like OTL with prince Pedro marrying Leopoldina of Habsburg and later becoming Emperor of Brazil. South America is dominated by two big monarchies. But here he has three surviving children: Paula, Pedro and João.

When John VI dies in Portugal, Pedro I takes the young prince Pedro with him to Lisbon, in order to fight with Miguel for the throne. He wins as OTL, still dies around 1834 and his son is crowned Pedro V of Portugal.

In order to keep the peace with the kingdom of La Plata, Paula is married to Enrique, and they have a son, Francisco. After a period of regency, the young Prince João is made Emperor of Brazil in 1845.

However, in 1850 the epidemy of yellow fever in Rio kills the young Emperor, who dies childless. There are only two heirs of the throne of Brazil: Pedro V of Portugal and the young Prince Francisco of La Plata. The Brazilians do not accept it, and proclaim the Republic. Enrique I of La Plata decides to go to war for the rights of his son, and invades Brazil, while Pedro V of Portugal doesn't accept both the Republic and Buenos Aires taking over the Empire, and decides to annex Brazil as a United Kingdom again. Spain supports Enrique, and invades Portugal.

After some time, the forces of Enrique wins, and is proclaimed the Empire of South America, which consists of the kingdoms of La Plata, Brazil, Peru and Chile, in personal union under Francisco II de Borbón. The war would be known later as the War of South American Succession.
 
Although that's a really cool scenario, I don't think it counts as a War of X Succession unless the entity known as X already existed at the start of it.

Well, we can always continue from that point and make another crisis happening later...:D
 
The Confederates don't fire on Fort Sumter. When Jefferson Davis has a fatal heart attack (due to butterflies), agents of Lincoln support a pro-Unionist for Confederate President. The CSA uses this a provocation for a war against the USA. Great Britain and France, figuring a divided America is a weak America, support the Confederacy, but south America is reabsorbed into north America. This is considered the first "modern war".
 
The Confederates don't fire on Fort Sumter. When Jefferson Davis has a fatal heart attack (due to butterflies), agents of Lincoln support a pro-Unionist for Confederate President. The CSA uses this a provocation for a war against the USA. Great Britain and France, figuring a divided America is a weak America, support the Confederacy, but south America is reabsorbed into north America. This is considered the first "modern war".
You know, that would make a very, very interesting WI idea.

*runs off*
 
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