Napoleon II: *pulls off a Napoleon I.*
All of European monarchs and Wellington collectively: *puts hands on face and starts yelling* "oh my god!!!" *Starts mobilizing their armies in anticipation on an invasion of France.*
Napoleon II: "oh? Your approaching me, Napoleon? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" *Produces an army of six-hundred-thousand men right out of thin air.*

Edit: grammar.
 
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Napoleon II: *pulls off a Napoleon I.*
All of European monarchs and Wellington collectively: *puts hands on face and starts yelling* "oh my god!!!" *Starts mobilizing their armies in anticipation on an invasion of France.*
Napoleon II: "oh? Your approaching me, Napoleon? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" *Produces an army of six-hundred-thousand men right out of thin air.*

Edit: grammar.
The monarchs of Europe and Wellington: "We can't have our ass beaten without getting closer!"
 
II. Was ist Österreich?
Was ist Österreich?

800px-Austrian_Imperial_Standard_-_Infantry_pattern_mix_early_19th_century.svg.png

The Imperial Coat of Arms of the House of Habsburg and the Austrian Empire displaying the crowns of the various realms all ruled by the Habsburg dynasty showcasing the Empire's status as a multi-ethnic realms united by common loyal to one family.
In order to understand the complex history and political developments that led up to the formation of the Austrian Empire, one must first examine the rise of the House of Habsburg as Austria's rise to prominence within Germany and later the wider European political landscape, is directly tied to the fate of the Habsburgs. Despite the House of Habsburgs' status as one of Europe's oldest and premier royal families, it had a quite humble origins in some ways paralleling the origins of the Bonapartes as the early Habsburgs were nothing, but minor Swiss nobility within the canton of Aargau.



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A non-contemporary statue of Rudolph I King of the Germans: the Founder of the Habsburg dynasty [1].
With the extinction of the main line of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in the Second Half of the 13th Century, The Holy Roman Empire had been thrown into chaos. With the sudden loss of the centuries old Hohenstaufens whose rulers had shaped the character of the Empire, its nobles now had to select a new Emperor. But in this power vaccum new factions emerged which supported different claimaints to the thrones starting a decades long interregnum in which the Imperial Throne was vacant. It was in this period of chaos and uncertainty that the founder of the Habsburg dynasty Rudolph I emerged to prominence. Through astute usage of diplomacy, he managed to enhance his own power and prestige within Southern Germany. In this vacuum he emerged as the leading figure in a growling coalition against the powerful Ottokar II of Bohemia who himself was a contender for the Crown of Germany. Ottokar however was too dangerous a threat for the other German princes as his conquests of lands making up what would eventually be the core of modern Austria made him too powerful for them to contend with. And not wanting another set of Hohenstaufens who through the Stem Duchy of Swabia, held a large amount of power and influence over the German nobility, the Electoral College unanimously voted for Rudolph to take the throne much to the anger of Ottokar II. Following this victory Rudolph led a coalition of German nobles against Ottokar, containing the Bohemian Kingdom while also securing for his family the duchies of Austria and Styria would become the center of Habsburg power for centuries to come. The reign of Rudolph I King of the Germans firmly tied the Habsburgs to the Empire which they formally attained a grasp over in the 15th Century.

Through a combination of luck, cunning diplomacy, strategic marriages, and warfare the Habsburgs managed to spread the influence and reach of their dynasty through which they managed to gain the Lion's share of the low countries through the Burgundian inheritance, the Crowns of Castile and Aragon, and later the Crowns of Bohemia and Hungary with the peak of Habsburg dynastic influence occurring during the reign of Emperor Charles V who by virtue of inheritance ruled a very large swathe of Western Christendom. With such large dominions under Habsburg control, the old concept of the "Universal Empire" had come the closest to being realized since Carolingians, and the Roman Empire of Antiquity. Though these ambitions would prove to be elusive and unrealizable as the Habsburg's monarchy's various continental possessions were too large and too disparate to by ruled by one central Authority. Despite the fact that the idea of a Universal Empire ruling all Christendom becoming unrealizable, it would see a revival under the Habsburgs later in the 19th Century during the formation of the Austrian Empire uniting the Habsburgs' various continental holdings as part of one unitary state as opposed to a composite set of Kingdoms ruled in a Personal Union with each other.



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A map depicting all of the Habsburg's continental holdings at the end of Emperor Charles V's reign showcasing the peak of their dynasty's and by extension, Austria's influence.​

Despite its large size and on-paper theoretical strength, the Habsburg monarchy had to contend with wars against the French, the Protestant Reformations, and internal rebellions all of which threatened to unravel its carefully woven web of European hegemony it held over much of Europe. But despite all these lingering issues, Austria was able to strengthen its control and influence over Central Europe, Italy, the Balkans, and the Danubian/Carpathian region serving as a bulwark for Western Christendom against the fearsome Ottoman Turks, or the Eastern giant that was the Russian Empire.

In the wake of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the ancient supranational polity that was the Holy Roman Empire was shattered following Emperor Napoleon's campaigns into Germany which saw large swathes of it, conquered and made into new client-states by the French. With many of the old Prince-Electors now defecting to the newly crowned Emperor of the French, Emperor Francis II abdicated the Imperial throne and declared that the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved on the 6th of August 1806. Though the reaction to this move generally was met with indifference, or great apprehension by the Empire's former subjects.

Emperor Napoleon's proclamation of the new French Empire had itself caused waves within Europe as only the title of Holy Roman Emperor was seen as the legitimate Imperial Title. After all in the west, the HRE was considered the successor of the Western Roman Empire by virtue of the concept of Translatio Imperii [2] as was set by Charlemagne's coronation. The Holy Roman Empire throughout the Middle Ages was not just any Empire, but was seen as the Universal Christian Empire claiming sovereignty over Western Christendom. Fearing that other monarchs such as the Russian Emperor, or the British King would soon elevate their titles in rank and dignity to his Imperial Title, Emperor Francis II proclaimed Austria and all the Habsburg dominions as one unified realm officially called the Austrian Empire. This Empire being within the Holy Roman Empire would ensure that while the title Emperor of Austria was equal to that of Emperor of the French, the title of Holy Roman Emperor would rank higher in dignity than both titles. Of course after Napoleon overrun the Holy Roman Empire and re-organized it into the Confederation of the Rhine, there was an opportunity for him to claim the Imperial Title which would have functionally made the Austrian Emperor his nominal subject. This outcome being unacceptable, and the ultimate humiliation, Emperor Francis II made the controversial decision to disestablish the HRE: a decision which would have far reaching consequence throughout the European political landscape especially during the mid and later half of the 19th Century.

h._schlesinger_franz_ii.i._lithografie_19._jahrhundert_original.jpg

An image of Emperor Franz I/II, final Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Austrian Empire depicted in his full Imperial Regalia. The Globus Cruciger held in his left hand demonstrates the Emperor's authority as a divinely ordained ruler. It also hearkens back to the idea of the Universal Imperium being continued through the Habsburg dynasty.
The foundations of the Austrian Empire and its consolidation under a single sovereign crown is directly tied to Emperor Napoleon I's rise. And while in France the First Napoleonic Age is as a period of French military glory and national triumph, from the Austrian perspective, it was seen as a period of chaos and uncertainty. Napoleon who through sheer military brilliance, crushed coalition after coalition assembled against him, had carved out most of Europe under his suzerainty leaving Austria isolated from any real political or economic influence within Central Europe or Italy which was something they had maintained since the 15th Century. And while the Habsburgs and Royal France have often had long spanning wars and rivalries with each other over territory and influence such as can be seen during the Italian Wars, 30 Years Wars, and War of Spanish Succession, the scale and results of the Napoelonic Wars were entirely unprecedented. While other French monarchs like Louis XIV were overwhelmed and contained to maintain a balance of power, Napoleon had placed most of Europe under his hegemony in a manner not seen since the Carolingians from over a millennium ago.

Napoleon_Marie_Louise_Marriage1.jpeg

A painting of the marriage between Emperor Napoleon I and Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria.
Thus where warfare had failed them, the Habsburgs turned to skillful diplomacy and marriage to secure their position. Thanks to the efforts of the then Austrian Foreign Minister Prince Klemens von Metternich was able to initiate a Détente with Napoleon recognizing where the wind was blowing. And with Napoleon's warm relations with Russia, it would not have been in Austria's to oppose Napoleon if an alliance between the Romanovs and Bonapartes were to formalize. Thus Metternich was able to arrange a marriage between Emperor Napoleon and Emperor Franz's daughter Marie-Louise. this satisfied Napoleon's need to sire an heir, and gain legitimacy for his dynasty as he was now tied to Europe's premier royal families. For Emperor Franz and the Austrian Empire, this turned a dangerous rival and geopolitical opponent into an ally if not a non-aggressor allowing the Habsburgs critical breathing room to re-organize and adapt to geopolitical environment. This can be seen with Archduke Karl's reorganization and reformation of the Austrian Imperial Army based on the lessons from fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. This brief period of peace between Imperial France and the fledgling Austrian state also served to reduce the strain on its economy which had been suffering from the costs of over a decade of total warfare.

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An image of the proposed territorial reductions initially proposed by 6th Coalition where France would be rolled back to what was considered its "natural borders."​

Following Napoleon's disastrous campaign in Russia which saw much of the Grand Armee, decimated from the Russian Winter, the Imperial Regime now appearing vulnerable saw itself in the cross-hairs of a renewed Sixth Coalition of which Austria was a part of. Now with almost all of Europe aligned against Napoleon, Metternich with Russian support offered Napoleon an alternate peace treaty where rather than France unconditionally surrendering with Napoleon being removed from power, it would keep the Bonpartes on the throne with France being reduced to what would be considered its natural borders of the Rhine River, Pyrenees, and Alpine Regions. As Napoleon was now tied to the Habsburgs by blood with his marriage to Empress Marie-Louise and his son Napoleon II, Austria had an interest in keeping a contained but friendly France as a potential ally and effective counterweight to both the British and the Russians. France with the Rhineland, was still powerful, but the general balance of power was maintained through its containment. Though this offer was not supported by the British as they didn't want France in control of strategic regions like Antwerp which would have made them vulnerable to French invasion. But regardless of this, Napoleon objected to the proposals as he saw the loss of the Revolutionary conquests as dooming the legitimacy of his Empire and continued reign and thus resolved to take the fight to the coalition at the Battle of Leipzig where he later died bringing down his Empire with him.

With Napoleon now dead, and the Empire now leaderless, it began to collapse as its remaining garrisons in Poland and Germany were eventually starved out and forced to submit to the overwhelming might of the Coalition. Now with Napoleon dead, Austria sought to place his son Napoleon II on the throne rather than the generally hated Bourbons. Napoleon with his death in the Battle of Leipzig had become a sort of martyr to many of France's rank and file soldiers and some of the Revolutionaries. Once news of Napoleon's death reached Paris, the young Eaglet was proclaimed Emperor by a group of loyalists as Emperor Napoleon II. But in the wake of the Coalition's advancing armies, the French Senate hastily declared that Napoleon II had abdicated and recognized Louis XVIII as France's rightful monarch. Seeing the writing on the wall, Marie-Louise fled with her son to her father's lands seeking exile and protection from looming Royalist retaliation. While the deposing of the Bonapartes seemed moot in 1814, it would later cause controversy in France as neither the young Eaglet, nor his mother had made any official declaration, nor given consent to abdicate the French throne [2]. As such by technicality Napoleon II was by all rights still, Emperor of the French and the King of Rome, though at that point he was but a king without a kingdom. Indeed this fact was recognized by both Metternich and Emperor Franz who sought to use Napoleon II as a political bargaining chip to gain leverage over the Bourbons in diplomatic negotiations should the need arise.

13234716-7590997-Portrait_of_Napoleon_I_1769_1821_and_Archduchess_Marie_Louise_wi-a-40_1571481...jpg

A portrait of the Imperial Family depicting a young Napoleon II and his parents. It some ways it foretells the nature of the upbringing with him being simultaneously of the old world ideas of monarchy and tradition of the Habsburgs, and the Revolutionary Bonapartist philosophy of his father.​

While Austria had initially committed to restoring the Bourbons to the French throne, the marriage of Emperor Napoleon and the birth of his son changed that as now both houses were tied together which changed the Habsburgs' priorities. With Napoleon's subsequent death at the Battle of Leipzig, by the laws of the French Constitution, Napoleon II was the rightful heir to the throne. But with the boy Emperor being naught but a small child, he had no real power-base, nor the means to rally the rest of France and its shattered military and administrative structures around himself. The Habsburgs preferred a largely contained, but powerful France to use as a counterweight to curb both British and Russian influence as they were the major victors of the Napoleonic Wars and potential obstacles to Austrian geopolitical objectives. With Austria's traditional ally in Germany, the Kingdom of Saxony all but gutted, and left as a mere shadow of its former self, Austria could have hoped to use a continued Bonapartist France as counterweight to Prussian influence within Germany. But regardless Emperor Franz kept his grandson in his court where he sought to educate him as befitting a Habsburg. Indeed it can be said that Emperor Franz held something of a soft-spot for the Young Eaglet much to the chagrin of Metternich who sought to craft a gilded cage within Vienna to bottle up the Eaglet in the hopes of preventing the ideals of Revolution from emerging forward and taking Europe by storm once again.

With the final peace settlements being negotiated at the Congress of Vienna, Chancellor Metternich sought to create a new European political framework in the image of the Old Order that had been torn asunder by Revolutionary France. This new system enshrined the concept of the Balance of Power where each Great Power would have its own spheres of influence charted out, such that no single European power would rise to impose its continental hegemony over the Continent as the Eagle, Emperor Napoleon and the Sun King Louis XIV, nearly had done. This was done through a series of agreements and alliances struck between the various Great Powers in the hope of suppressing the ideals of the Revolutionary movements, nationalism, and to provide a stable framework throughout Europe. This system was intended to maintain a new long period of peace after over 20 long years of near unceasing warfare and Revolutionary waves rippling throughout Europe.

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A portait of Prince Metternich the architect of the Concert of Europe c. 1830.​

Through Metternich's diplomatic skill, he was able to arrange a favorable political position for Austria which often used diplomacy in place of warfare allowing the beleaguered Empire to consolidate itself and focus on restoring the old political order as much as possible. A signature achievement of this system was the formation of the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Austria, and the Russian Empire. This triple alliance was meant to preserve "Christian virtues and traditions" within along with old European traditions as an ideological counterweight to the Revolutionary ideals of Liberalism and Constitutionalism as all three monarchies were firm proponents in the notion of the "divine right" of kings. Though the other principle Great Powers like the Kingdom of France and the United Kingdom declined joining this ideological pact. The UK being the most liberal of the Great Powers, had a tradition of Constitutionalism and Parliamentarian rule and was not keen on supporting proponents of absolutism. The Bourbons of France while Reactionary and also supporters of the Divine Right of Kings were nonetheless forced to agree to signing a Constitution as a pre-condition for their Restoration to the Throne of France. This combined with the stain of being restored at the head of foreign army who presided over the liquidation of France's Revolutionary conquests through 20 long years of perseverance would have greatly upset the French populace and likely triggered unnecessary agitation towards the monarchy. There was also the elephant in the Room which was the legacy of Emperor Napoleon who had been seen as a martyr by many Bonapartists and revolutionary sympathizers for defending France to the death. Nevertheless, of all the ideals of the Concert of Europe, the idea of the Balance of Power would be the most enduring, as it would be one of the lessons of which Napoleon II would take heed of in his foreign policy after his restoration to power. Though his idea of the Balance of Power would be markedly different from what Prince Metternich ever envisioned, as can be seen in the later formation of the Entente prior to the outbreak of the Great War.

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A map of the territorial extent and administrative divisions of the Austrian Empire prior to the 1848 Revolutions.​

With Austria's previous nature of being a composite monarchy, the sudden consolidation of its various dominions previously ruled in personal union with each other would naturally cause friction and internal problems to arise. After all, many of these states had enjoyed their own relative independence, or autonomy when administered as constituent states as part of the Holy Roman Empire. The formation of the Empire with its constituent realms joined as a single unitary state however led to many problems rising at the surface as the idea of an "Austrian Empire " was not really one with much political legitimacy, continuity, or even a geographic term like Italy, Germany, or Spain. This was unlike the previous Imperial structure through which the Habsburgs ruled through: the Holy Roman Empire which served as a timeless constant in the ever shifting landscape that was European landscape for over a thousand years. And in that period, other states like the Kingdom of Hungary which had long since been established with its own national identity with clearly defined geographical boundaries such as the Pannonian basin would prove to be a thorn in the side of the Habsburgs looking to centralize their governance over their lands. This resistance can be seen throughout the long history of Habsburg rule in Hungary with it featuring numerous rebellions against the Habsburgs. The more recent manifestation of of this discontent could be seen during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II who in his attempts to create a common language for his subjects, tried to impose German as the state language which nearly saw the Kingdom erupt in revolt forcing the Emperor to back down from his plans.

Though the situation regarding Hungary, and its Habsburg overlords could best be described as a "love-hate" relationship, as both parties required each other out of necessity. Hungary largely served as a granary and manpower pool for the Habsburgs who in turn provided protection from Ottoman domination. While the Hungarians had at various times rebelled against their Habsburg Kings, they at various points proved indispensable in support to the Habsburgs as is evident through the reign of Empress Maria-Theresa during the War of Austrian Succession, and Emperor Franz during the Napoleonic Wars. Seeing the Habsburgs as weak, the other Great Powers rushed to partition the Habsburgs' various dominions, but thanks to loyal Hungarian support, Empress Maria Theresa was able to secure the future of her dynasty. Similarly throughout the Napoleonic Wars Hungary backed Emperor Franz to the hilt with its troops loyally fighting for their monarch. Hungary despite Napoleon's various attempts at trying to get them to agitate for independence remained loyal to the Habsburgs, unwilling to become a French pawn. Hungary had also been angered by the seizure of lands which made up the Kingdom of Croatia in what was the Illyrian provinces as the Crown of Hungary encompassed the Crown of Croatia with the Hungarian monarch sworn to protect Hungary's territorial integrity.

Without a common ethno-linguistic or geographical identity tying together the various disparate peoples within the Empire, the Austrians sought to create a new multi-ethnic and pan religious identity based on common loyalty to the Habsburg dynasty as the Habsburgs had ruled most of the constituent states for many centuries. This idea is considered by many political scientist today to be the natural continuation of the idea of the "Universal Empire.," but instead of claiming authority over Christendom, it sought to unify Austria's diverse peoples providing a stable polity within the Balkans peninsula and Carpathian regions. Though in some areas such as in Austria's Italian possessions which was organized into the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, this idea encountered resistance. The Habsburg's were largely perceived as foreign overlords, and as such nationalist and liberal agitation remained and would prove to be a persistent thorn in the sides of the Habsburgs finally bubbling to the surface during the 1848 Revolutions.

The Early Years of the Empire while called the Age of Metternich, due to his pervasive influence in shaping the early character of the Austrian Empire and its foreign policy. And while Metternich is often cast as a reactionary stubbornly resisting the changing tides and as a scapegoat for the problems of this period, modern scholarship has challenged this view. Still this view is still prevalent in many British and French academic circles especially influenced by Emperor Napoleon II's private hatred of Metternich. Despite Metternich's goal of reversing the clock to the pre-Revolutionary era of European politics failing spectacularly, his efforts nonetheless secured the Habsburgs' position and influence within Europe. The Age of Metternich while rightfully seen as a period of political stagnation due to the fact that no major reforms to address the simmering structural and financial problems within the Empire were passed, its also been recognized as a period of steady economic expansion, population growth, and industrialization. Plus many of the later political issues that arose from the Regency council during Emperor Ferdinand's reign largely can be attributed to Metternich's decline in influence as the council was unable to agree on major reforms due to the rivalry and conflict between the members of the council.

Similarly, the reign of Emperor Franz II/I has also been re-evaluated by modern scholarship. While contemporary historiography often portrays him as an obstinate ruler unwilling to reform in the wake of looming structural and economic failure of the Austrian Empire, the reality is far more complicated than that. And despite the dismissal of the Emperor has naught but a mere figurehead in Metternich's political machinations, the truth of the matter was far from the case. Emperor Franz did show keen awareness of the political situation occurring within Europe at the time which had a deep impression upon him making him suspicious of radicalism, the Emperor operated a very effective network of spies and censors modeled off the Tuscan system his father had setup which at the time had a reputation for being one of the most effective spy networks within Europe. But despite his more paranoid side, Emperor Franz portrayed himself as a genial and approachable monarch with him being personally well-regarded by his subjects as a sort of father figure to the Empire. Emperor Franz was often known to set aside time to meet with his subjects and converse with them in their native languages. This served to emphasize his role as Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Croatia, etc helping to reinforce the idea of an Empire transcending ethnic and religious lines based on the old world idea of common loyalty to one family. This image of the Emperor as a family man who's seen as the father figure of his subjects tending to them as though they were his family would also greatly influence Napoleon II, and would be one of the key reasons why Napoleon II remained consistently popular throughout his reign allowing him the power to reshape France where the Bourbons had failed.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Footnotes:
[
1] Rudolph I while never officially holding the title of Holy Roman Emperor is still counted within the Regnal numbering as Rudolph I.
[2] The concept of Translatio Imperii goes back to Charlemagne where the Pope justified his coronation due to fact that the West saw the Imperial Throne as vacant in the West. And with Charlemagne controlling much of the Western Empire's former territory as well as holding most of Western Christendom under his dominion, he was crowned as Emperor on Christmas day in the year 800. Through Napoleon's incorporation of the Pope being present during his coronation as Emperor of the French no less, he was symbolically claiming the mantle of Charlemagne.

Author's Note:
Wow its been a long time since there was an update. Sorry for making you guys wait for so long! I know I was caught up with schoolwork and other real life issues preventing me from finally publishing the darn chapter. I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'm planning/writing some of the future chapters as we speak. Here are some of the names I've chosen for some of the upcoming chapters. What do you guys think? Please use spoiler tags when discussing them.
A Tale of Two Sicilies
Dieu Sauve Le Roi!
An Empire Upon Which the Sun Never Sets
The Lily's Twilight
Portuguese Blues
Dios, Patria, Rey!
In Britannia Salutem
From Russia With Love
Turkish Delights
 
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It lives!

And I think the latest update makes us remember that Napoleon II is indeed half Habsburg by virtue of his mother; his ability to project the Bonapartist mystique while retaining the Habsburg charm and determination will prove to aid him.
 
It has returned!

Great update and writing style. I'm really excited to read about the 1848 revolutions and what you have planned for Spain. They seem like interesting times ahead.
 
Just in general, I'm happy to see you back!
Thanks for the support! I’m glad to be back as well.

excellent quality in the writing and story! I can't wait for more! ^-^
I’m still drafting the next chapters so it might be a few weeks before that is released as well.

It lives!
It’s always was lol.

And I think the latest update makes us remember that Napoleon II is indeed half Habsburg by virtue of his mother; his ability to project the Bonapartist mystique while retaining the Habsburg charm and determination will prove to aid him.
Yup. This also shows that I intend for his reign to be markedly different from that of OTL’s Napoleon III and his French Empire.

Once I finish this timeline, I might bring my other TL idea out of the wood works. That TL is one where the Royalists Free Louis XVII from captivity and he becomes the next Sun King to crunch the Revolution and bring glory to France.

It has returned!
Vive L’Empereur! Vive la France! 🇫🇷

Great update and writing style.
Thanks! I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

I'm really excited to read about the 1848 revolutions and what you have planned for Spain. They seem like interesting times ahead.
Yup.
Though I have plans for other rulers like Queen Victoria. Let’s just say she’ll be an altogether different Queen from otl.

Any major differences in the situation in Austria from OTL?
I mean so far, without the Hundred Days, the Imperial Court is less scared of the Bonaparte’s. Thus Emperor Franz is much closer to Napoleon II. I plan on elaborating on Napoleon’s relationship with his Habsburg family members later, but let’s just say that being the only grandson in Vienna for a while will have its own benefits to Napoleon. Of course Metternich wouldn’t really like this since he resonates more with people like Charles X.

Hârika.
Nice.
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying it!
 
It is back! After so long it has returned with a excellent chapter and the calm before the storm that will be Napoleon II, looking VERY foward to the next chapter!
 
It is back! After so long it has returned with a excellent chapter
Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. It took a bit longer since it was longer than the last two chapters. I think I might incorporate some of this writing style in my Komnenian Timeline when the main action for the Crisis of the Thirteenth Century begins. That's like one chapter away as I'm working on the Bulgarian chapter.

nd the calm before the storm that will be Napoleon II
Well yes but actually no

I'll get to the July Revolution eventually which happens in 1830, but I'll have to detail some of the other stuff going on in other parts of Europe like Italy, and then maybe Portugal and Spain since they experience Revolutions/ turmoil at home and in their colonies in the 1820's.

looking VERY foward to the next chapter!
I'll try to have it up as soon as I can! Thanks for the support.
 
This is a great update since not only does it help set the stage for upcoming events, there's also a great deal of background information about the Austrian Empire which is interesting to know in general. Glad to see this timeline has returned!
 
I've been keeping an eye on this timeline, and I'll probably lurk around silently due to my unknowing of the contemporary era. But consider me intrigued enough to come out and say 'subscribed!'

On another note, as a Southeast Asian, I wonder what shall Napoleon II's colonial policy would be towards the region. Will there be earlier adventures in Indochina, Borneo, or the East Indies?
 
This is a great update
Thanks man! It took a while to finally type out. Funny enough, it ended up longer than what I had originally intended. I accidentally deleted a quarter of my original draft and had to spend a while hastily retyping that last section from scratch.

not only does it help set the stage for upcoming events, there's also a great deal of background information about the Austrian Empire which is interesting to know in general.
Yeah the Austrians always fascinated me as a polity. While the Austrian Empire was technically founded in 1806, it can be argued that the actual start of the Empire goes back to the 15th Century since the Empire stems from Habsburg dynastic rule. I'll go more into details about Austria's relationship with Hungary, and Hungary's own structures and history when I get to the 1848 Revolutions. Let's just say that the Habsburgs are in for a very different ride than in otl. Interpret that how you may wish.

Glad to see this timeline has returned!
Glad to be back! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. That chapter will most likely be covering the Two Sicilies ruled by the Bourbons, and the Murats. It will also explain some of the reasoning/foundations between the Bonaparte/Murat blood feud that will appear throughout Napoleon II's reign.

I've been keeping an eye on this timeline, and I'll probably lurk around silently due to my unknowing of the contemporary era.
I could PM you some videos/reading material about the 19th Century/1848 and these revolutions if you'd like. That's honestly how I discovered this era: by actively doing research on my own. None of this was really talked about in my school (I'm an American) and the mid 19th Century is all but a footnote compared to the US Civil War. The stuff going on the 19th Century quite fascinated me because so many things that set the stage for our modern world and the lead up to the First World War were setup through these events.

The later half of the 19th Century was basically the Ottomans being hit with crisis after crisis barely being able to reform and unable to get a break. Heck in the early 1800's they Ottoman dynasty: the House of Osmangolu nearly went extinct because of Janissary coups leading Sultan Mahmoud as the last of his line. Had he died there could have maybe been the Crimean Girays taking over as they were the closest thing to an Ottoman Cadet Branch. Though more likely there would have been a massive Civil War which would tear the Empire apart. If this happened we could have very well seen Imperial France and Russia team up to carve out their pieces of the pie as Napoleon wanted. This would distract Russia from anything regarding the Coalition leaving Britain without many options. I'm sure Austria would likely have been granted some concessions in the Western Balkans as well. But this could have easily led to a solidification of Napoleon's hegemony in Europe for the most part.

There's also the issue of Britain, as George III who died in the 1830's was one of the last Kings to wield the full powers of his throne as a true executive and Constitutionally bound monarch. After him Parliament started to take more of the reigns over power until Victoria who became more of a figurehead. If things had gone differently, we could very much have seen an altogether different British monarchy. If say Victoria was assassinated in 1840 you could have seen a far more authoritative and reactionary Ernest Augustus take the throne. This would have changed the dynamics of German unification if not postponed into the 20th Century as Hannover would be joined to the British throne via a personal union, and there's no way Prussia would dare wage war with Britain.

I plan on major divergences with Queen Victoria and the character/nature of the British monarchy in the 19th Century.

But consider me intrigued enough to come out and say 'subscribed!'
Thanks for the support!

On another note, as a Southeast Asian, I wonder what shall Napoleon II's colonial policy would be towards the region. Will there be earlier adventures in Indochina, Borneo, or the East Indies?
I'm not quite sure to be honest. Though I do plan for some changes. Though I could see France setup some informal protectorates/client-states in Southeast Asia operation through cooperation and economic concessions. French Indochina could have a native King with the Emperor recognized as the nominal Suzzerain as perhaps a sort of "King of Kings."
 
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