Napoleon Bonaparte, General of...the Holy Roman Empire?!

This is an AH Challenge that's been bouncing around my head for a while. We've seen Napoleon working for numerous nations in numerous TL's. From Italy, to France, to Britain but there's one area where I've never seen him in, except as a foreign conqueror: the Germanies.

The challenge is this: make Napoleon a leader of one of the German nations' armies, by whatever means necessary, and explain the results of this.

Any ideas? Is it even remotely possible?
 

Valdemar II

Banned
This is an AH Challenge that's been bouncing around my head for a while. We've seen Napoleon working for numerous nations in numerous TL's. From Italy, to France, to Britain but there's one area where I've never seen him in, except as a foreign conqueror: the Germanies.

The challenge is this: make Napoleon a leader of one of the German nations' armies, by whatever means necessary, and explain the results of this.

Any ideas? Is it even remotely possible?

You could have his parents move to Austria. What if instead of France Austria buy Corsica, they already "owned" Tuscan decide to extent their power in the area.
 
You could have his parents move to Austria. What if instead of France Austria buy Corsica, they already "owned" Tuscan decide to extent their power in the area.
So the Hapsburgs expand their power to Corsica via Tuscany?

Well, if he's under the Hapsburgs, I think that probably kills any emporer ambitions he has. If he does become a general of the Austrian army, what's likely to happen? Does he end up fighting the forces of Revolutionary France(I doubt that'd be butterflied away) in Central Europe, or does he probably end up fighting some other front?
 

Redbeard

Banned
This is an AH Challenge that's been bouncing around my head for a while. We've seen Napoleon working for numerous nations in numerous TL's. From Italy, to France, to Britain but there's one area where I've never seen him in, except as a foreign conqueror: the Germanies.

The challenge is this: make Napoleon a leader of one of the German nations' armies, by whatever means necessary, and explain the results of this.

Any ideas? Is it even remotely possible?

What about his father going into excile somewhere in the Habsburg lands, and his son Napoleon starting a career in the Habsburg army?

With his lower nobility background he would easily be accepted as an officer candidate, especially at the artillery school in Budweiss, where even commoners were common. Next it would not be impossible for a talented young artillery officer to gain fame, as the Emperor rarely was short of silly people deserving "a whiff of a grape shot".

Although the Habsburg army still had connections and family as serious rivals to merrits as background for promotion, talent also found its way here. Many of the General officers had common background although they usually gained a title during their career (as did the French in Napoleon's OTL reign).

An entirely different PoD could be Napoleon being captured on the way back from Egypt and after some years in captivity accepts command of an emigree force to part in the next campaign vs. France? The campaign is indecisive, but Napoleon gains fame for some splendid tactical victories vs. his old countrymen.

In the next campaign he is given command of an entire army, and after Archduke Charles falling on the battlefield Napoleon take overall command on the spot and win a decisive victory over the French somewhere in Belgium (why not Waterloo - he-he) and soon march into Paris...

Regards

Steffen Redbeard
 
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