easiest way to liberate earlier would be have the Hapsburgs and not he Prussians dominate after Napoleon. Or have them win the war of the Third Coalition. That wouldn't be "long live the Kaiser" though.
You know, I do wonder how well this would work as a PoD -- is it plausible, with preceding events being roughly as OTL, for Frederick Wilhelm IV to accept the imperial crown from the Frankfurt National Assembly, in April of 1849? I've heard that at least a few of the king's conservative aristocratic advisers were encouraging him to accept, so might it be within the realm of possibility?1848: Frederick Wilhelm IV accepts the "crown from the gutter" (quite unlikely, probably a different Prussian king is needes together with more pragmatical rebels and more defeats for Austria).
You know, I do wonder how well this would work as a PoD -- is it plausible, with preceding events being roughly as OTL, for Frederick Wilhelm IV to accept the imperial crown from the Frankfurt National Assembly, in April of 1849? I've heard that at least a few of the king's conservative aristocratic advisers were encouraging him to accept, so might it be within the realm of possibility?
That might also work as a PoD; in either case, I'd agree that having the King of Prussia (whoever it is) accept the crown in 1849 will lead to said king standing his ground in favor of uniting Germany under Prussian leadership.Or FW4 dies...
I would like to discuss the possibility of the creation of a German Empire which would mirror the Napoleonic French Empire at his time.
Let's say that Napoleonic ideals succeed 'too much than expected' in the German states during the Napoleonic occupation (by 1805-1810) and a German analogue to Napoleon takes advantage of the situation and takes control of Prussia, Austria and the Confederation of the Rhine, scrapping the pre-existing royal houses (Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns etc.).
This might have the bless of Napoleon at the beginning, but when the French realize that their German partner is encompassing too much power and could threat the French interests is just too late: the clash between the sister regimes is unavoidable and the German manages to crush Napoleon forces, occupying a good bunch of their territory (and some of their puppet states) before the final capitulation.
Result: a big German Empire which follows the Napoleonic ideals, centralized, highly militarized; a French rump state which depends on his former partner and lot of satellite countries. Russia receives many territories (East Poland, Galizia...) and other concessions in order to accept the new scenario; UK is unable to fight alone the new continental hyperpower.
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Or FW4 dies/abdicates, Wilhelm I refuses to climb down at Olmutz, and you get an Austro-Prussian War in 1850. Then you get a Germany united under either Prussia or Austria depending which side wins.