Napoleon decides to split uup the Habsburg domains

Austria rebelled against the French domination in Europe several times. Did Napoleon ever consider to split up the Habsburg domains? Austria was multinational and Napoleon could have used a "divide and rule" tactic by setting up Hungarian and Slavic puppet states.
 
I can't remember where I read this, but I think there was a plan of Napoleon's to set Prince Esterhazy up as a sort of puppet king in Hungary. However, the prince wasn't too impressed with the idea.
 
I can't remember where I read this, but I think there was a plan of Napoleon's to set Prince Esterhazy up as a sort of puppet king in Hungary. However, the prince wasn't too impressed with the idea.

Yes, he offered Esterhazy Hungary (which was basically half of the Austrian Empire) which would have crippled the Habsburgs. Esterhazy didn't take the bait and was loyal to HIS Emperor. Napoleon later congratulate himself on his leniency to the Austrians as if this offer never happened.

In addition Napoleon did dismember Austria to a large degree by 1815. They had lost Croatia, Slovenia, Dalmatia, the Tyrol, parts of Poland, the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium), their ancestral lands in Germany proper. It's no wonder they never would give the fight.

Outside of one of his mediocre siblings I can't think of any monarch Napoleon could have replaced the Habsburgs with that wouldn't have eventually turned on him. One of the French marshal perhaps but that would have been an insult too far for the citizens of of A-H.
 
One of the French marshal perhaps but that would have been an insult too far for the citizens of of A-H.

Insult to the citizens? Since when did people truly care about who their monarchs were?

The smart thing to do would be to dismantle the empire completely and set up a loose confederation of republics. No need for those monarchs.
 
Insult to the citizens? Since when did people truly care about who their monarchs were?

The smart thing to do would be to dismantle the empire completely and set up a loose confederation of republics. No need for those monarchs.

I don't think everyone in Europe wanted to be ruled by French generals who didn't speak their language and whose armies had killed their sons, husbands and raped their daughters, mothers and stolen their cultural heritage and looted it back to Paris. Bonaparte learned this in Spain.

And by the time he had enough power to dismember Austria, Napoleon was no longer interested in creating republics, only kingdoms ruled by his puppets (see Westphalia or the former "Republic" of Batavia or the former "Republic" of Italy or the pre-existing republics of Lucca, Venice and Genoa -all of which were at some point annexed to Napoleon's empire or given to his vassals).
 
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I don't think everyone in Europe wanted to be ruled by French generals who didn't speak their language and whose armies had killed their sons, husbands and raped their daughters, mothers and stolen their cultural heritage and looted it back to Paris. Bonaparte learned this in Spain.

Tell that to Sweden and the House of Bernadotte. :D
 
Carving up Austria would surely give Prussia far too much power.

Not really. Napoleon had already weakened Prussia and if worst comes to worst he can always make good on his promises to Poland and forcefully return the Prussian gains from the partitions to the Duchy of Warsaw.
 
Insult to the citizens? Since when did people truly care about who their monarchs were?

The smart thing to do would be to dismantle the empire completely and set up a loose confederation of republics. No need for those monarchs.

Agree. I doubt that people in for instance Bohemia would have thought in any worse to be ruled by a French puppet than by a Habsburg.
 
Insult to the citizens? Since when did people truly care about who their monarchs were?


Well, the Tyrolese took up arms against being ruled by the Wittelsbachs instead of the Habsburgs - two German, Catholic dynasties pretty much alike as far as any outsider could see. A Bonaparte would be far more alien.
 
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