hey, all. now that i've worked out a progression of the Napoloenic wars ending in a French hegemony that i'm satisfied with, i need to figure out what happens afterward. one thing i decided on for the TL a long time ago is that Napoleon still dies when he did IOTL--his death is officially attributed to stomach cancer but it's rumored through to the present-day that he was actually poisoned by assassins from a defeated nation--so now i need to figure out how the French administration deals with their empire after he dies. it will have to eventually end with alot of the French empire being cut back to nearly OTL French borders (except extending east to the Rhine and encompassing the Low Countries and Frisia) and the different client states becoming independent though (arguably) still within France's sphere of influence.
these are some other events to consider ITTL are:
this map largely demonstrates what the French hegemony looks like ITTL, though there are some changes due to butterflies (Egypt, for instance, is also a French client)
these are some other events to consider ITTL are:
- the key turning point is at Leipzig: Napoleon's soldiers manage to capture Alexander I of Russia and Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia--who both happen to be in the area at the time--which drives the Allies into confusion during the battle; the Allies get a Pyrrhic victory thanks to British involvement in the battle, but the war is lost to them
- another Coalition War breaks out, though with France being the primary aggressor trying to attack every Coalition-member at once while simultaneously fighting back against Revolutionaries within their borders (eg, Napoleon's now the monarch with revolutions being sent up against him); there are no real French successes on any front in this war and it only ends when Napoleon dies. afterward, the French government arranges a peace with the Coalition for no clear victor in the war
- the end of the war leads to a period of relative peace between France and the other European powers, which are all exhausted from the 7+ Coalition wars, though another technically breaks out: it's a cold war between France and Russia, who are each rising to the premier powers in Europe while Britain is growing more influential abroad. keep in mind that the Ottoman Empire is also falling into decline at this time and most of the Balkans are starting to gain independence
this map largely demonstrates what the French hegemony looks like ITTL, though there are some changes due to butterflies (Egypt, for instance, is also a French client)