So, if France after Napoleon III was defeated becomed a Kingdom under Orleanists, did anyone make any good TL about that? If not, what do you think how would such France developed? ( as a POD, let's say that Henry, Count of Chambord died a few years before, so they have no candidate )
Post-1870 Kingdom of France?
- Thread starter Mister Mister
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The POD here is easy, just have the Count of Chambord not make a huge fuss about changing the French flag and he would have been able to be restored to the throne. The National Assembly was dominated by monarchists, so he very easily could have been installed as King if he hadn't insisted on changing the flag from the tricolor to the flag of the Ancien Regime.
As for how France would develop under a restored monarchy, I'm not sure. Assuming the King is restored under a constitutional monarchy, I could see things largely going as they did OTL, just with a crowned figurehead, but that could be very uneducated as I'm not an expert on the domestic politics of the Third Republic.
As for how France would develop under a restored monarchy, I'm not sure. Assuming the King is restored under a constitutional monarchy, I could see things largely going as they did OTL, just with a crowned figurehead, but that could be very uneducated as I'm not an expert on the domestic politics of the Third Republic.
Not a good pod or real shot for the Orleanists to really take power. The divide between Legitimists and the Orleanists were still present. The thing that got the monarchy proposal off the ground was specifically the unity among the Orleanists and Legitimists that allowed them to attain an overwhelming majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
It was actually Henri's own anger towards the Orleanists that cratered this. Tbh though it was quite an elaborate play to ruin the Orleanists' chance of taking the throne. Though if say Henri had a daughter or something, he might be more willing to assent to this monarchist restoration if there was a marriage alliance cementing an actual union of the Houses of Orleans and Bourbon.
It wasn't a fuss of a petulant reactionary as his opponents interpreted it. Henri was actually on board with a Constitutional Monarchy though he resented the Orleanists for stealing the throne from him and screwing him over while in exile.
He knew he'd be a powerless figurehead with everyone waiting for him to die, so with all the cards in his deck he used it to screw over the Orleanists in a pretty elaborate scheme while enjoying a comfortable exile playing cards in Austria. Part of this resentment was because he became bitter over the lack of a child as he knew the French line of Bourbons would end with him, but if say his bloodline had the chance of continuing even with a daughter, he'd be more invested in a monarchist restoration. And perhaps he might seek to marry his daughter into the House of Orleans earlier which could see the Orleanists and Legitimists unify even before the fall of Napoleon III and the Second Empire. This has some big implications as monarchists would probably be a lot more active and energized as a whole.
I see it more functioning along the lines of Italy tbh. Henri for sure wouldn't want the throne to be an empty chair, so he'd actually govern though through a Constitution. So it would probably have the King functioning in a more executive capacity.
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So, without Henry, no that elaborate ploy, so, might his followers accept Orleanists if they have no their own candidate?
About restored French Monarchy, might they be something like say Brazilian Empire, where King has an executive role?
Pretty likely who Henry would still name someone else as his heir, screwing the Orléanist in any case
If say it’s a pre-1871 pod then likely yes, as the monarchists would be more active and involved in French politics. Though Thiers was a prominent Orleanist and took charge of the provisional government in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War.
Though if you want an even earlier pod, you could have Emperor Napoleon III assassinated in 1858 by a rogue Cabonari member. Empress Eugenia was gravely injured in otl, and if she also passes away as a result of this more deadly bombing, the second Empire probably collapses.
There would be a Child Emperor on the throne and a power struggle would develop as Bonapartism at this time wasn’t really defined and more or less United different factions under Napoleon III. Plon-Plon would be in a struggle over the regency with the rest of the government, and the Republicans likely become more active.
The Royalists would probably also try to make moves in the chaos. If Henri has a child, he could arrange for a marriage/betrothal with the Orleanists later down the line. France however would probably be internal paralyzed for a while which might lead to another revolution of some sort of civil war that would collapse the Fledgling Second Empire.
This chaos probably would allow for Henri to take the throne, or even Louis-Phillipe’s son as the French Catholic base who rallied under Napoleon III would likely shift to one of them. French industrialists would probably be more amenable to an orleanist restoration favoring stability and a more liberal government.
But who? Spanish Bourbons might be not so attractive option.
Also, if he dies suddenly, maybe he will not have time to name a sucessor?
In OTL he has chosen them and is likely to do the same ATL, else he can choose his nephew who is a Bourbon of Parma
Maybe
That he'd prefer to to this, seems very likely - his widow certainly did, after he passed away.
But even in OTL he was enough of a realpolitiker to remain deliberately vague and elusive about the question when asked. Since it's extremely unlikely that he'd manage to become some sort of powerful absolutist monarch, he's unlikely to openly support the Spanish branch (or anyone else) if it runs against the wishes of the political elite in an ATL where he does become king.
But even if he did, that doesn't mean he'd actually have the power to stop the Orleans (or whomever else was politically more savvy) from succeeding him if this is what the political elite of the country wants.