Leopold I of Belgium accepts offer to become King of Greece?

It's very, very unlikely, Greek irredentism would make much more sense for L II to scheme about. I mean, Greece is to my understanding, pretty damn poor during this era, compared to Belgium especially.
 
You also have to remember Leopold originally rejected the throne because of the borders they decided on. He didn't like the Aspropotamos-Zitouni borderline and wanted the Arta to Volos border that would've also given Greece Samos and Crete. When the borders were decided upon (not to mention his adviser painting a gloomy picture of Greece), he decided to reject it.
 

Thande

Donor
Why is it likely? Neither Otto nor George converted, though George did promise his sons would be raised in the Greek tradition iirc.

Leopold seems more the type to do it. His early letters to Victoria impressed upon her the importance of the principle that the monarch must be representative of the country's established religion. Let me see if I can find one of them...

The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria.

Laeken, 11th November 1836.

My very dear Child,— ...I know attempts have been made to represent you as indifferent to the established Church. You know that in England the Sovereign is the head of the Church, and that the Church looks upon the Protestant religion as it is established as the State Religion. In times like the present, when the Crown is already a good deal weakened, I believe that it is of importance to maintain as much as possible this state of affairs, and I believe that you will do well, whenever an occasion offers itself to do so without affectation, to express your sincere interest for the Church, and that you comprehend its position and count upon its good-will. The poor Church will be a good deal persecuted, I have no doubt, but it would be desirable that the men belonging to it should be united, sensible, and moderate....
 
Thande, can I ask, this Franco-Prussian War you brought up in a previous post, do you have any links about it? I googled Franco-British relations for that era but nothing mentions a threat of war. I don't doubt you, I'm just interested. I may flesh out a mini timeline about it.
 

Thande

Donor
Thande, can I ask, this Franco-Prussian War you brought up in a previous post, do you have any links about it? I googled Franco-British relations for that era but nothing mentions a threat of war. I don't doubt you, I'm just interested. I may flesh out a mini timeline about it.

I think it's one of those things that seemed very likely at the time but doesn't fit into the historical narrative so is generally brushed over. In practice I don't think an actual war would have happened so much as a general falling out, economic warfare, that sort of thing. It involves the French not being invited as a full member of the alliance that was trying to stop Muhammad Ali from conquering Syria, and the French (as traditional Ottoman allies) getting pissed off that the Ottomans were getting treated as the Russian sphere of influence. Basically the French Foreign Minister Thiers (who was a bit of a hothead) started getting pissed off, and Palmerston (who throughout his career seemed to think that no other country apart from the UK ever had the stomach to fight) ignored him. If not all-out war there would have been a major diplomatic crisis and the Egyptian question might have been left unresolved.
 
I see. Not to derail the thread, but what was the Egyptian Question? Since I am unfamiliar with this period, I am envisioning Muhammad Ali's quest for independence from the Ottomans.
 

Thande

Donor
I see. Not to derail the thread, but what was the Egyptian Question? Since I am unfamiliar with this period, I am envisioning Muhammad Ali's quest for independence from the Ottomans.

Yeah, exactly. OTL the Concert managed to put him back in his box and it eventually led to Egypt's subordination to Britain. If France had fallen out with the others and the united front had cracked, Muhammad Ali might have taken over the whole Ottoman Empire, or at least everything south of OTL modern Turkey.
 
Yeah, exactly. OTL the Concert managed to put him back in his box and it eventually led to Egypt's subordination to Britain. If France had fallen out with the others and the united front had cracked, Muhammad Ali might have taken over the whole Ottoman Empire, or at least everything south of OTL modern Turkey.

So essentially, if France had thrown a hissy fit, the Concert might have failed, leading to Egypt conquering Syria? That has some wild implications for the rest of the century :eek:
 

Thande

Donor
So essentially, if France had thrown a hissy fit, the Concert might have failed, leading to Egypt conquering Syria? That has some wild implications for the rest of the century :eek:

Pretty much, hence my point about Leopold's choice of throne having major implications beyond what is immediately obvious.
 
Why is it likely? Neither Otto nor George converted, though George did promise his sons would be raised in the Greek tradition iirc.

Leopold seems more the type to do it. His early letters to Victoria impressed upon her the importance of the principle that the monarch must be representative of the country's established religion. Let me see if I can find one of them...

In the other hand, he didn't convert to Catholicism when he became king of Belgium (he married a Catholic bride though). Maybe a similar arrangement could be done here, and he marries a Russian princess while keeeping himself Lutheran?
 
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