Sultan Napoleon the Magnificent

I've just read (on Wikipedia mind) that in the 1790s, the Ottoman Empire was beginning to undergo military reform. Constantinople was by European standards on good terms with Revolutionary France at the time and had requested military advisors to aid the reforms. The littler known artillery officer Bonaparte was chosen to go, however a few days before he set to sail, revolt gripped Paris, Napoleon smelt the 'whiff of grapeshot' and the rest is history.

So let's say he sets sail early, what effect could Nappy have on the Ottoman Empire, how high and influential could he get (the title is an obvious extreme)?
 
I thought France had wrecked it's relations with the Ottomans after the Egyptian expedition?
 
I've just read (on Wikipedia mind) that in the 1790s, the Ottoman Empire was beginning to undergo military reform. Constantinople was by European standards on good terms with Revolutionary France at the time and had requested military advisors to aid the reforms. The littler known artillery officer Bonaparte was chosen to go, however a few days before he set to sail, revolt gripped Paris, Napoleon smelt the 'whiff of grapeshot' and the rest is history.

So let's say he sets sail early, what effect could Nappy have on the Ottoman Empire, how high and influential could he get (the title is an obvious extreme)?

Not far. If he converted to Islam he could probably get further, but his personality doesn't seem well-suited to the Ottoman milieu. He could probably rise in the artillery arm, and it's always possible that a war could allow him to shine.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see Suvarov vs Napolyon Pasha in the Principalities?
 
I thought France had wrecked it's relations with the Ottomans after the Egyptian expedition?

This is a few years before that.

I can't see Boney becoming sultan - as ambitious as he is, there's just too many barriers. Grand vizier or whatever, though? Definitely.
 
This is a few years before that.

I can't see Boney becoming sultan - as ambitious as he is, there's just too many barriers. Grand vizier or whatever, though? Definitely.

Grand Vizier is too high - there is no way an outsider could achieve that.

Also, don't forget - just because he rose to the top in France doesn't mean that he can do the same thing anywhere else. To rise to the top in the Ottoman Empire, first of all, mastery of Ottoman is necessary, and that can take years - also, he won't have access to elite families and the marriage alliances run by Ottoman women.

He can rise to a significant position, but he has to be able to operate in the Ottoman system, where his "bull in the china shop" attitudes will not fly at all.
 
Grand Vizier is too high - there is no way an outsider could achieve that.

Well, I don't know about the title. But - depending on what happens - I can definitely see him becoming an important man in the Sublime Porte. Advisors in other countires had a tendency to rise pretty high, and while I'll be the first to admit Istanbul wasn't exactly the Kingdom of Madagasgar he's certainly in a good position to move up.

EDIT: to the rest: OTOH, you're right that Boney's attitude in the chaos of Revolutionary France probably won't get him so far in the settled & established Ottoman Empire. But never underestimate an ambitious man with the army.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Likely he would have ended like some obscure historical person only known by a few historian expert on Ottoman military, or if he founded a important family a interesting fact (like the Prussian families founded by Huegonouts or the fact that the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts is descendent of Dutch settlers), which is sometimed mentioned in the media when his important descendants is precented in foreign media.
 
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Well, I don't know about the title. But - depending on what happens - I can definitely see him becoming an important man in the Sublime Porte. Advisors in other countires had a tendency to rise pretty high, and while I'll be the first to admit Istanbul wasn't exactly the Kingdom of Madagasgar he's certainly in a good position to move up.

EDIT: to the rest: OTOH, you're right that Boney's attitude in the chaos of Revolutionary France probably won't get him so far in the settled & established Ottoman Empire. But never underestimate an ambitious man with the army.

True, but Mehmed Ali was an Ottoman to begin with, not an outsider. Turkish (not Albanian - I'm not sure why that is so commonly thought) was his native language, etc.
 
Likely he would have ended like some obscure historical person only known by a few historian expert on Ottoman military, or if he founded a important family a some interesting fact (like the Prussian families founded by Huegonouts or the fact that the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts is descendent of Dutch settlers), which is sometimed mentioned in the media when his important descendants is precented in foreign media.

You're probably on target here, with the caveat that war could allow him to rise further than otherwise would be possible, provided he converted to Islam. There are a couple of previous French examples, both of which are probably slightly more significant than your category above:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Alexandre_de_Bonneval
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_de_Tott

Bonneval was said to have anger management issues, so maybe Napoleon could find a place - but the language barrier would be an issue - he'll have to find the time to learn Turkish.
 
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