John Fredrick Parker
Donor
Supposing - whether as part of a general Napoleonic Victory TL, or what have you - that the Confederation of the Rhine lasts longer. How long would/might it take to centralize and/or become a major European (economic and/or military) power in its own right, analogous to OTL’s Second Reich? And how would it be different?
... this would mean a Germany united by neither Prussia nor Austria. Here the main players are Bavaria, Westphalia, and Saxony, the latter having potential as it has a dual monarchy with the Duchy of Warsaw. And just to drive the point home, let’s say Prussia eventually loses Silesia to Saxony.