Idle thoughs here...
There has been much pondering of late on Victoria being Victor and the consequences for Britain.. Assume instead the Maria Christina manages to grant Feridinand a son and heir to the remains of the Spanish Empire.
Assume he still courts the liberals within Spain much the way Isabella courted them.
Obvious results would be no Carlist Wars then ...but what are the other possible benefits to Spain during the 19th C if any...
Can it remain stable and progress incrementally towards a Spanish version of British parliamentary democracy.
The 2nd and more important question, relates to the Scramble for Africa...if Spain is more stable, can they have more influence in Africa mid and later century. Specifically, Can the French and Leopold be cut right out of Central Africa with Britain supporting both the pre-existing Portuguese and Spanish claims in the region. Spain from the Niger to the Ogooue and Portugal points to the south of the Ogooue, in exchange for trading rights in the entire region for Britain. Historically Britain was prpared to support Portugal on this basis for its claims on the entire Congo Basin. Cut France out because of a stronger and more stable Spain with claims in region and that might in deed be possible. Sorry..nothing for Bismarck's Germany in the region...
The goal would be a tripartite protectorate then over the Congo basin by Britain/Spain and Portugal ( Along the lines of Guiana, though that was partitioned, or the New Hebrides) comprised of Middle Congo, CFS, and Ubangi-Shari.
With Spain eventually obtaining Cameroun, and Portugal Gabon. or alternatively ...Spain Gabon and Portugal Middle Congo.
Hopefully this would not lead to war with France...or Germany for that matter if it did... Britain supports the Portuguese in their claims to a protectorate over Dahomey as well.
Is any of this feasible...and what are the ramifications on the African Scramble apart from this if any?
There has been much pondering of late on Victoria being Victor and the consequences for Britain.. Assume instead the Maria Christina manages to grant Feridinand a son and heir to the remains of the Spanish Empire.
Assume he still courts the liberals within Spain much the way Isabella courted them.
Obvious results would be no Carlist Wars then ...but what are the other possible benefits to Spain during the 19th C if any...
Can it remain stable and progress incrementally towards a Spanish version of British parliamentary democracy.
The 2nd and more important question, relates to the Scramble for Africa...if Spain is more stable, can they have more influence in Africa mid and later century. Specifically, Can the French and Leopold be cut right out of Central Africa with Britain supporting both the pre-existing Portuguese and Spanish claims in the region. Spain from the Niger to the Ogooue and Portugal points to the south of the Ogooue, in exchange for trading rights in the entire region for Britain. Historically Britain was prpared to support Portugal on this basis for its claims on the entire Congo Basin. Cut France out because of a stronger and more stable Spain with claims in region and that might in deed be possible. Sorry..nothing for Bismarck's Germany in the region...
The goal would be a tripartite protectorate then over the Congo basin by Britain/Spain and Portugal ( Along the lines of Guiana, though that was partitioned, or the New Hebrides) comprised of Middle Congo, CFS, and Ubangi-Shari.
With Spain eventually obtaining Cameroun, and Portugal Gabon. or alternatively ...Spain Gabon and Portugal Middle Congo.
Hopefully this would not lead to war with France...or Germany for that matter if it did... Britain supports the Portuguese in their claims to a protectorate over Dahomey as well.
Is any of this feasible...and what are the ramifications on the African Scramble apart from this if any?