Henry V, King of France, restored

[Porsenna]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri,_comte_de_Chambord

Henry, count of Chambord, was the legitimist pretender from 1844 to 1883. During his life the two main Monarchist camps, the one supporting him and the one supporting the Orleans, managed to reach a compromise: the Orleanists would recognise Chambord as the legitimate pretender, and the count would recognize the Orleans pretender as his own heir.

At the time there also was significant support to restore the French monarchy: even President MacMahon was a Monarchist, and worked for the restoration of the Kings. Yet nothing came of it: the Count of Chambord has been ironically called the French Washington by French republicans such as Clemenceau, because of his stubborness in refusing a compromise on the flag of the nation and insisting on going back to the fleur-de-lis.

Now, let's suppose he is not as thick-headed as he was in real life. He becomes King, then dies childless and Philippe d'Orléans, Count of Paris, succeeds him. How does this change European history? Does the yet again restored monarchy survive in the long term? What of good ole Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who was Napoleon III in OTL?

 

[M. Adolphe Thiers]

Napoleon III discredited himself and Bonapartism with the disastrous Franco-Prussian War. He'd only be alive for a few more years after the Third Republic was created, so he wouldn't be around that long to agitate the monarchy if it was successfully restored. Henri's reign could be troublesome, considering he really didn't want to be a figurehead constitutional monarch, much like his grandfather.

 

[rcduggan]

I think that even if Henri does not accept the tricouleur, the POD can be that he dies by 1872-73 then Philippe will be offered the crown and he will restore the tricolor as his father Louis-Philippe did under the July Monarchy. So Philippe becomes King Philippe VII of the French.

I am not entirely sure where things would go from there. Perhaps anti-monarchy anarchists would be more of a problem in TTL France? Also, I wonder what Georges Boulanger's career would look like in a France already under a monarchy...

 

[Grey Wolf]

France under the Third Republic was a rather chaotic state, epitomised perhaps by the navy where every new minister of marine came in with a plan, determined to make his mark, and aborted his predecessor's plans, creating his own, only to fall himself usually within a year and see the process repeated. One imagines that many other areas of life were like this. A more stable political system could have had France as an even stronger player by the 1890s. It could have done away with Dreyfuss etc, with the whole clericalism versus socialism schism that ripped apart the military

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

 

[dcontreras]

History may have had an interesting change had the Count of Paris inherited the throne from a Henri V. For example, being a more liberal monarch than Henri V, he may have accepted a lesser role as a Constitutional Monarch. He may have also been less likely to worry about shoring alliances with the church and other conservatives as another posting here indicated that he was not as religious as Chambord.

These would all allow for a reigning king to be more his own man instead of one trying to keep his duck in a row in hopes of restoring his dynasty to a throne.

Perhaps a more liberal open minded monarch can influence a nation to not so easily accept a Dreyfess decision, or perhaps he allows his daughter Helene to marry her true love the Duke of Clarence and Avondale. By marrying off his daughter to the future King of Britain, (This marriage could have changed the future of Britain as well), having his own grandchildren as future monarchs of the Britiish Empire, perhaps he helps to solidify the entente cordial and forces a Germany to realize that Britain is a more solid ally of the French then they may have thought.

Yes had Chambord chosen to end what was only a few more years of his life left by restoring the monarchy, he would have influenced more than just being the footnote that he was.

 

[ImperialVienna]

Perhaps anti-monarchy anarchists would be more of a problem in TTL France?

Well in such an instance, Luigi Lucheni would likely not be in Geneva in 1898, but at the same time, he would have a much easier time locating Philip VII, that is not to say he would succeed. In any case, assassination or attempted assassination, Italy would likely suffer before the French National public opinion.

While talking about Austrian Royalty is such a timeline (and just bare with), perhaps the restoration of the French Monarchy nullify the Mayerling Tragedy. I firmly believe is as not a suicide and was in fact a French Conspiracy, but the existence of the French Monarchy changes things. If Rudolph manages to suffer through his marriage and produce a male heir, he can use his son as leverage on his father to enact reform so Franz Joseph can "save his grandson's rightful inheritance". This might include convincing the Last Monarch of the Old School, to move out of Germany's orbit and into France's (or the Anglo-French sphere if the British and French Monarchies establish strong ties as proposed).

 

[dcontreras]

The only problem with that is that Rudolf's wife Stephanie of Belgium could not have any more children after the difficult birth of their daughter. Perhaps if Franz Josef allowed for his son to get his annullment for the dynasty's sake, and then produce the sacred male heir most monarchs of the time hoped for, then much if what you wrote comes true.

Much has been recently brought forward to a political assassination of the Crown Prince by the French government. Would a Phillipe VII approve of the murder of a future fellow monarch?

 

[Yorel]

While talking about Austrian Royalty is such a timeline (and just bare with), perhaps the restoration of the French Monarchy nullify the Mayerling Tragedy. I firmly believe is as not a suicide and was in fact a French Conspiracy

No one really knows what happened at Mayerling. The official story says that Rudolf commited suicide alongside his mistress.

However, several facts were not explained by this version. One of the most curious is the fact that Rudolf's body was wearing gloves when it was shown to the public. Traditionnaly, royal bodies were never shown with gloves. Some have argued it was to hide bruises proving Rudolf had a fight before his death.

There are also many people who could have wished for Rudolf's assassination. The French theory is the most common.
However, some said that Rudolf was pro-French and that was not good for the Kaiser in Germany. He would thus have ordered Rudolf's murder.

Besides, Mayerling is one of the deepest mysteries in History. Who can say that a French monarchy would butterfly away this event?

Much has been recently brought forward to a political assassination of the Crown Prince by the French government.

What exactly was brought forward?