Pope Napoleon

The young Corsican becomes a priest instead of becoming an arttilery officer.
Maurice de Talleyrand makes a career in the military.
 
The young Corsican becomes a priest instead of becoming an arttilery officer.
Maurice de Talleyrand makes a career in the military.

I don't think Napoleon would have gotten very far up the Church hierarchy. Only the very specific set of circumstances that came about in France thanks to the revolution allowed him to become what he did.

Maybe he becomes a bishop or something similar at best? I sincerely doubt he'd get any higher than that, especially as the man was never really religious :D

Going out on an ASB limb, maybe he becomes a mid-level clergyman in the French Church but finds his prospects limited until the revolution comes about. He then makes lots of rather sneaky deals with the new governments and becomes the next Richelieu, reforming the Church in France along the ideological lines of the revolution and becoming a major political player. Of course, even if he somehow got that far, he'd probably just end up being declared a heretic and executed if/when the republic is defeated. Bear in mind he wouldn't have his military knowledge or ability for success on campaign as a clergyman as he wouldn't have been trained at France's excellent military schools before the revolution.

In the long run, France may even do better without him as Emperor as he wouldn't be able to keep declaring war on everyone and biting off more than he can chew. France would still have gain excellent army and officer corps built out of the ashes of the circumstances revolution (although only after their initial defeats after losing so much experience) and may be able to grab lands that they actually keep. Perhaps even no Bourbon restoration.

So no spectacular conquests and no France having its population completely decimated (to quite the same extent). We'd just be remembering a different name than Napoleon's as if virtually anything happens differently than OTL he remains a complete nobody.

I plead ignorance concerning what could have befallen Talleyrand.
 
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