It is fairly well known that, before he came to power in France, Emperor Napoleon IV served in the British Army as sort of an observer, during which he learned much about warfare that would serve him well in the future. What is not widely known is that, during the Zulu War of 1879 in South Africa, Napoleon was very nearly killed in a skirmish with the Zulus while he accompanied a British patrol.
How might history have been different if Napoleon IV had been killed by the Zulus in 1879? I cannot see how the Bonapartist dynasty would have survived his death, and that would obviously have resulted in massive changes for French and European history over the next century.
Thoughts?