What if Napoleon Was Elected as Holy Roman Emperor?

[Basileus_Komnenos]

During Napoleon's onslaught through Germany, by 1805, many German princes and rulers had defected to him, leaving the Holy Roman Empire, effectively a vestigial entity on paper.

Going back to Napoleon's Imperial Coronation done in a ne-Carolingian fashion, as well as his assumption of the Kingdom of Italy using the Iron Crown of Lombardy, the Crown traditionally held by Austria, the Holy Roman Emperor, there was a genuine fear that Napoleon was gunning for the Imperial title.

Napoleon himself might have gone for it too under the right circumstances, and fearing this Emperor Francis II, enacted a controversial decision declaring the Empire dissolved, something which contemporaries argued was beyond the capabilities of the Emperor. It was in response to Napoleon that he created the "lesser" title of the Austrian Empire, an Empire within an empire trying to preserve the idea of the HRE being a universal supranational entity.

But let's flip the script. Assuming Kaiser Franz dies in his sleep from a heart attack or some illness, before he could dissolve the Empire, the Empire would now be in an interregnum as a new Emperor would now had to be elected.

The big elephant in the room is Napoleon who's now master of France, master of Italy, and that of Germany basically. He was also crowned as Emperor by the Pope, or at least with him present, giving his sanction.

With the title vacant and the electoral lands under him, Napoleon could now force the issue of an election where in all likelihood he has a good chance of winning. With the title of Emperor and "King of Germany/King of the Romans" it would bolster him adding an air of legitimacy to his position/dynasty. Austria would not be any position to try and contest him as as Francis II's successor would be one of his children who were still young children. In 1805/1806 he'd be succeeded by Ferdinand who as a child and not of the best mental faculties, would be unable to do much. His uncle Archduke Charles might take the regency, but Vienna would be in turmoil.

The path would be clear and now everyone would basically be expecting Napoleon now to take the title of Holy Roman Emperor from the gutter he basically tossed in, and placing it atop his head.

What would be the ramifications of such an event?

How would Germany now be reorganized under a Bonapartist Empire? How would the rest of Europe and France react?

Unironically I can see him still marry Marie Louise to smooth over things with the Habsburgs leading to the birth of Napoleon II like in otl.

 

[Evil Crusader]

I feel that only German princes would want that outcome (as it provides them with more protection), most others rather expected and/or feared Napoleon taking that crown from the gutter (which would grant him new tools and privileges, especially vis-à-vis the Habsburgs and the Prussians and in attaining a 'regular' Crown of Italy).
However, it's clear by then Napoleon was, first and foremost, the Emperor of the French and reasoned so. He didn't really want the HRE Crown, but a new Imperial Crown that would embody this new French Empire. To have him entertain the notion, you need to butterfly the 1804 coronation, at which point he's definitely going to take the chance of snagging the crown from the gutter two years later.

 

[Fabius Maximus]

However, it's clear by then Napoleon was, first and foremost, the Emperor of the French and reasoned so. He didn't really want the HRE Crown, but a new Imperial Crown that would embody this new French Empire. To have him entertain the notion, you need to butterfly the 1804 coronation, at which point he's definitely going to take the chance of snagging the crown from the gutter two years later.

Even if he was already Emperor of the French, he might well reason that two empires are better than one. Plus there extra legitimacy in Germany would always be helpful.

Though given Napoleon's personality, I imagine he'd still end up fighting too many people and being forced into exile. No doubt he'd be forced to resign his HRE title at the same time as his French one. Ironically, this might lead to a Hapsburg-led HRE unification down the line -- Napoleon would probably force centralisation measures on the HRE to better control it (cf. the Confederation of the Rhine), so when he gets kicked out and replaced with (probably) the Hapsburgs again, the latter would inherit a much more unified and functional body.

 

[Tanaka did nothing wrong]

Not an expert, therefore sorry in advance for any errors

In general, I don't think Napoleon would stand to gain anything that he didn't have, and he could risk being forced to concede advantages. During the years of he Consulship, he and Alexander I were in many ways the key players in "third Germany", with Mediatisation helping expand French influence across the Rhine. If Napoleon made a gambit for the imperial crown, then he would probably face initial unwillingness on the part of the electors to vote for him, which would then pave the way for the latter to request/demand compensation/rewards for their support; these could be lands to be given to the various nobles - which would reduce, if not remove, the "land pool" Napoleon kept in the background, the ratification of the territorial settlements, even more autonomy for imperial states that would essentially reduce the power of the Holy Roman crown even further - essentially the means through which he could hope, as leader of France and/or potential emperor, to keep the various states in line.

At the same time, such a decision wouldn't be really popular to the German and European courts; the former would probably be apprehensive of the centralising tendencies of the revolutionary French/Napoleonic state which would threaten their newly found power and independence -which in turn would most likely lead them to drive a hard bargain, seeking the most guarantees possible in order to ensure the survival of the new status quo in Germany. In the case of the latter, Russia would most likely view it as an overreach and a potential move to dislodge its presence and infuence in the lands of the Reich, Prussia and Austria would be opposed to finding itself potentially under French suzerainty for starters.

As for France, while monarchical rule had gained traction and popularity in the years after the mid 1790s, republican sentiment/tradition still remained prominent; it was one thing to be named "Emperor of the French" and govern as a dynastic ruler of a republic (iirc, that was the arrangement in 1804), it was a different one to assume the title of Charlemagne, a clear and undeniable part of the Ancien Regime. I think that such a decision would cause consternation in various quarters, which,a lthough not much perhaps, wouldn't help the public image of Napoleon at that stage I think.