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What if Napoleon had chosen one of the contending sides for the Spanish throne rather than installing his brother Joseph and what would be the alternate outcomes? On one side was Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma and on the other side was their son, Ferdinand VII. In my previous thread about Napoleon not turning on Spain, the users argue that without the Spanish Invasion, the Carlist Wars would have occurred earlier, as the ruling elite was dissatisfied with Spain's two stupid kings and looked to Joseph for relief. With Spain remaining as France's anti-British ally the Carlist Wars would have become a proxy war between France and the United Kingdom. Is it possible Napoleon could give Portugal to Spain, let them suppress Portuguese resistance, and free up resources for the Invasion of Russia?
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