Napoleon marries a Bourbon

[Byzantion]

What if goes down the route of claiming to try to compromise new Post Revolution France and old monarchial Catholic past France? So in this timeline he undoubtfully has to spare the live of this one Bourbon he had abducted and executioned OTL. So later engagement between Bourbon and Bonaparte happened. But what if Napoleon actually due to circumstances didn't have a relationship with Josephine but goes for political marriage earlier when seeking emperorship. Could be Bourbon, a Orleans or even a Spanish Bourbon. Napoleon had been a slayer of Royalists but he also had been no real Revolutionary either. What if he tries to claim historic legitimacy and silence delay the enemyship of the exiled Bourbons ?

 

[unprincipled peter]

What Bourbons did he murder? I believe he kept quite a few of the royal family under house arrest after Carlos and Ferdinand stupidly put the throne and themselves in his hands, but I don't think he killed any of them.

He was offered one of Carlos's daughters, Maria Louisa, Duchess of Lucca, after her husband died, but he laughed and made a derogatory comment about the lack of prestige of the family.

The only other surviving daughter was married at that point.

If you rewind the clock, eliminating Josephine, and having Nap wait several years to get married til he was in power, perhaps he would have re-evaluated his view of the Bourbons, and engineered a marriage with one of the two infantas circa 1800. Ultimately, though, nothing much would change. Nap would not be any kinder to Spain, and would probably use the connection to claim legitimacy in usurping power (still ostensibly in the name of his brother) in Spain.


edit: Ha! I was thinking of Spanish Bourbons. Never mind!!!!

 

[Byzantion]

What Bourbons did he murder? I believe he kept quite a few of the royal family under house arrest after Carlos and Ferdinand stupidly put the throne and themselves in his hands, but I don't think he killed any of them.

He was offered one of Carlos's daughters, Maria Louisa, Duchess of Lucca, after her husband died, but he laughed and made a derogatory comment about the lack of prestige of the family.

The only other surviving daughter was married at that point.

If you rewind the clock, eliminating Josephine, and having Nap wait several years to get married til he was in power, perhaps he would have re-evaluated his view of the Bourbons, and engineered a marriage with one of the two infantas circa 1800. Ultimately, though, nothing much would change. Nap would not be any kinder to Spain, and would probably use the connection to claim legitimacy in usurping power (still ostensibly in the name of his brother) in Spain.


edit: Ha! I was thinking of Spanish Bourbons. Never mind!!!!

Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d’Enghien was the Bourbon Napoleon had executioned.

 

[Lalli]

I don't think that Bourbons would allow marriage with man who was part of republican army and government. It is possible that someone Bourgon female marries Bonaparte but rest of the family wouldn't approve that.

 

[unprincipled peter]

Back on track, though....

Didn't the world pretty much accept his reign as legitimate?
By the time he came to power, the wars were about containing France. I don't think anything changes just because he married into French royalty. It might cost him politically (this is the big butterfly - he can't take over if he's courting the ancient regime), with it being seen as him abandoning the revolution, but if he can get past that, he's still going to be aggressive, and others are going to be aggressive in opposing France and the revolutionary ideals. Any offspring might have more of a chance of taking over when Nap is finally ousted.

 

[Byzantion]

Back on track, though....

Didn't the world pretty much accept his reign as legitimate?
By the time he came to power, the wars were about containing France. I don't think anything changes just because he married into French royalty. It might cost him politically (this is the big butterfly - he can't take over if he's courting the ancient regime), with it being seen as him abandoning the revolution, but if he can get past that, he's still going to be aggressive, and others are going to be aggressive in opposing France and the revolutionary ideals. Any offspring might have more of a chance of taking over when Nap is finally ousted.

Exactly, he even got the Pope to bless his coronation.

 

[Lalli]

Exactly, he even got the Pope to bless his coronation.

Wasn't Rome pretty much under occupation of France?

 

[Byzantion]

Wasn't Rome pretty much under occupation of France?

Yes that's true but nevertheless he could claim legitimacy and being accepted as a monarch by other European coronated rulers in contrast of being accused of being an usurper of low birth. They may still look down on him but he has the high ground.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

Well...his second wife WAS half-Bourbon. Not to mention that there had been an attempt to marry Eugène de Beauharnais to Maria Amelia of Naples (OTL duchesse d'Orléans) but her mom refused to agree to it. Fernando VII of Spain attempted to marry one of Napoléon's nieces (and Nap was ostensibly considering this having realized he'd bitten off more than he could chew in Spain). As to the dowager queen of Etruria, I was under the impression she was offered for Lucien, not Napoléon.

So the SENTIMENT was there.