If Napoleon and Josephine had a son early in their marriage, how would this affect the Bonaparte dynasty ruling France? Could this prolong the French empire and possibly prevent Napoleon from losing his throne? More importantly, who would Napoleon marry his son off to if such circumstances were to happen?
If Josephine and Napoleon had a son in 1797?
- Thread starter LadyPerfidia
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https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/what-if-napoleon-had-a-son-by-joséphine.536822/ nobody got an idea what to do
Maybe one of Maria Louise’s younger sisters such as Maria Leopoldina, Clementina, Princess of Salerno or Marie Caroline, to bond the newest Catholic dynasty with the strongest oldest dynasty.
IOTL Napoleon tried arranging a Russian match. Maybe Anna Pavlovna of Russia could be secured for the younger crown-Prince.
For one, Napoleon and Josephine will stay together. Also, maybe Napoleon's ambition would mellow a bit to make sure his son (lets name him Napoleon Charles) carries on the French throne.
Napoleon would doubtless try to get Anna of Russia for his son and Alexander would find pretty difficult denying him the match
So a Franco-Russian alliance is more likely than an alliance with Austria. Maybe Napoleon and Josephine could sire another child, and that child could marry one of Emperor Francis's children. But what about Empress Maria? She refused Napoelon's proposals to wed Anna and Catherine.
The final choice would belong to the princess herself. And Catherine was never refuted to Napoleon (she was simply married off before Napoleon‘s divorce) and Maria‘s apparent objections for Anna were about her age. Here this things would be impossible as Anna is born in 1495 so two years older than Napoleon jr to which she would most likely engaged at Tilsit (so age different would be low)
Okay. Also, I wouldn't doubt Napoleon wouldn't mind marry his son off to someone who's only 2 years older than him.
If Napoleon is defeated around the same time as otl, and sent into exile, this this son who would be almost an adult, putting him in a far more akward situation than N2 was otl. It won't be as easy to take him to his mother's court (whether Russia or Austria) and raise him as a proper Habsburg/Romanov. He might be forced in exile with his father.
Pretty unlikely to happen as the Russian alliance and match would stay in this scenario. Austria also would get a much harsher peace without the Napoleon/Marie Louise match who will NOT happen (as the only Archduchess to which Napoleon could be interested for his son is a surviving Alexandrine as Russian proxy).
As I doubt who Napoleon would be interested in a match for his son with one of the daughters of Alexander’s uncle or his other niece, the likeliest alternative to Anna or Alexandrine would be either of the elder twin daughters of Maximilian I of Bavaria and his second wife
Austria and France managed to be enemies even with the marriage connection, I doubt personal relations would trumph economic and political considerations in the long term. If Napoleon still wants to enforce the continental system, the same cause for war with Russia will exist as per otl, as they're unlikely to give up trading with Britain on France's behalf.
Different relations can get different results to the same events and Napoleon can see Alexander as his equal or at least consent or be more willing to tolerate Russian trading with England if his son is to marry a Russian GrandDuchess or proxy.
Also with Russia still allied to France is possible who England would find less willing partners for making war to Napoleon reducing the troubles who they can make
If Napoleon lets Russia trade undisturbed with Britain, it's pretty much an admittance that the already dysfunctional continental system is completely defunct, and sends a clear signal that France isn't going to enforce it against anyone breaking it. British ships will soon be trading openly in every harbor in Europe.
And with no invasion of Russia, what does Napoleon do instead? Send a few hundred thousand more to die in Spain? The carefully crafted image of French forces as unbeatable that had been painted in the third and fourth coalitions is quickly being washed off, which was a reason Napoleon decided on war with Russia in the first place - he needed a shot of glory to remind the world that he was not to be trifled with.
And even if Napoleon won't attack Russia, there's no reason for Russia to not start pushing west sooner or later. The Duchy of Warsaw is still an insult to Russian dominion over Poland, a more harshly punished Austria means that at the very least Galicia is ripe for the taking by an expansionist Emperor, but why stop there and not go for Hungary as well? A continued French alliance means giving up the pretensions of protecting an old order by Russia, making it a-ok for them to redraw Europe to their own liking - hello East Prussia, hello mainland Sweden.
How close if France going to let Russia get before saying no? Their spheres of influence will meet sooner or later.
EDIT: Also Napoleon's son won't be at an age where he can actually be married until after the otl time for the Russian invasion, and it's easy to break an engagement if you want to go to war.
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Napoleon was already fast-tracking Himself to become the French Julius Caesar. We Just give him a natural Caesarion rather the one he needed to force himself to get. If anything that might keep tension low as he was already becoming the Emperor of the French Republic(yes that was still a republic even with Nappy consolidating his power, the coins at the time used it), the real changes come later on, no marriage with the Habsburgs and that might change the continental system too