WI Louis-Napoleon, Prince Imperial lives?

Vitruvius

Donor
Two; In regards to marriages and potential couples, though Napoléon was favored by many in Britain there was little to the rumors of him and Beatrice joining. However, Napoléon was known to be romantically involved with Maria del Pilar de Borbón y Borbón. As his father had married for love instead of political gain, and being raised in that atmosphere, if it is possible and perhaps likely that the Prince Imperial would follow the same route - assuming that Napoléon and Maria were that close.

Unfortunately Maria del Pilar died in August of 1879 only two months after the Prince Imperial. Its unlikely that the butterflies can prevent this. Though I do think 'marrying for love' is a possibility, given the political complication of finding a match for an exiled French prince. Which means it could be anyone, Eugenie was only a Spanish countess after all.
 
Possibly. It would depend on the exact chronology of events.

Do you mean a Bonaparte upon the throne of Spain, or simply a Bonapartist House within Spain?

EDIT: Here's a rough sketch of a TL:

1879: POD, Napoléon lives
1880: Napoléon returns to Britain. He and Marie are married within the year.
1881: Birth of Napoléon and Marie's first son Louis-Napoléon (Napoléon V)
1883: Birth of a second son, Victor-Napoléon
-
1898: Napoléon V, under an alias, volunteers for the Spanish and gains military experience fighting in the Spanish-American War
1899: Death of President Félix Faure during the Dreyfus Affair. Napoléon launches his coup, though he's thwarted by a similar effort made by Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans. The Third Republic survives, just barely. Alfred Dreyfus is NOT given a second trial.
1900-1901: French Civil War between Bonapartists, Orléanists, and republicans. Ultimately Napoléon IV is able to take Paris and institute the Third Empire.
1903: Marriage of Napoléon V to Princess Patricia of Connaught and Victor-Napoléon to Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain, securing France's ties to its two closest allies.

I was thinking of the Spanish throne, but that would be interesting too.
 
Unfortunately Maria del Pilar died in August of 1879 only two months after the Prince Imperial. Its unlikely that the butterflies can prevent this. Though I do think 'marrying for love' is a possibility, given the political complication of finding a match for an exiled French prince. Which means it could be anyone, Eugenie was only a Spanish countess after all.

IIRC her death was a suicide ('broken heart') after Napoléon's death that was polietly covered up by her family and friends.
 

Vitruvius

Donor
IIRC her death was a suicide ('broken heart') after Napoléon's death that was polietly covered up by her family and friends.

Really? Not that I wouldn't put it past the family to cover it up a la Mayerling but every source I've seen, contemporary and modern, specifically sites a case of acute meningitis. I can't seem to find anywhere any mention of a suicide or cover up or anything about unusual circumstances or rumors surrounding her death. I suppose it could be one of those 'she died of a broken heart / just gave up on life' kind of metaphorical things but even that is not referenced anywhere I've seen.
 
Really? Not that I wouldn't put it past the family to cover it up a la Mayerling but every source I've seen, contemporary and modern, specifically sites a case of acute meningitis. I can't seem to find anywhere any mention of a suicide or cover up or anything about unusual circumstances or rumors surrounding her death. I suppose it could be one of those 'she died of a broken heart / just gave up on life' kind of metaphorical things but even that is not referenced anywhere I've seen.

Now that's interesting; I've never seen it cited that she died of meningitis. All that I've read on the subject has always references to her 'dying of a broken heart' or similar, which I always read to mean suicide.

Perhaps it was meningitis, though that would mean ITTL she could not contact the disease and thus live a longer life. Either way her death could potentially be butterflied away.
 

Vitruvius

Donor
Now that's interesting; I've never seen it cited that she died of meningitis. All that I've read on the subject has always references to her 'dying of a broken heart' or similar, which I always read to mean suicide.

Perhaps it was meningitis, though that would mean ITTL she could not contact the disease and thus live a longer life. Either way her death could potentially be butterflied away.

Well I broke down and consulted Spanish language wiki article on her and it mentions Tubercular Meningitis. It also states that it was covered up by the court physician as a 'stroke' presumably because TB was stigmatized as a poor person's disease. Perhaps that's where the 'suicide cover up' comes from. Unfortunately I don't have access to the book cited by the article so I can't confirm that info.

Though if it was true that it was TB Meningitis its unlikely it can be prevented because of the incubation time, 2-8 weeks of fever and headaches before severe symptoms manifest, its likely she contracted it before Napoleon's death. However, several sources I could access describe her death as sudden which sounds more like typical bacterial meningitis, which has a much shorter 3-10 day incubation period. But then again the info is so scant, and epidemiology being well outside my area of expertise, its impossible to be sure of anything. Either way it seems hard to butterfly away her contracting the disease given that even if she contracted it after Napoleon's death. If it was viral she probably contracted it at Escoriaza where she was staying with her brother and sister and its likely she goes there no matter what happens to Napoleon. So yes its possible butterflies save her but by no means likely. Sorry, I don't mean to rain on your parade so to speak.
 
Well I broke down and consulted Spanish language wiki article on her and it mentions Tubercular Meningitis. It also states that it was covered up by the court physician as a 'stroke' presumably because TB was stigmatized as a poor person's disease. Perhaps that's where the 'suicide cover up' comes from. Unfortunately I don't have access to the book cited by the article so I can't confirm that info.

Though if it was true that it was TB Meningitis its unlikely it can be prevented because of the incubation time, 2-8 weeks of fever and headaches before severe symptoms manifest, its likely she contracted it before Napoleon's death. However, several sources I could access describe her death as sudden which sounds more like typical bacterial meningitis, which has a much shorter 3-10 day incubation period. But then again the info is so scant, and epidemiology being well outside my area of expertise, its impossible to be sure of anything. Either way it seems hard to butterfly away her contracting the disease given that even if she contracted it after Napoleon's death. If it was viral she probably contracted it at Escoriaza where she was staying with her brother and sister and its likely she goes there no matter what happens to Napoleon. So yes its possible butterflies save her but by no means likely. Sorry, I don't mean to rain on your parade so to speak.

CNFHg.jpg


:p

In all seriousness I agree; the scant info makes it hard to put down anything precise. ITTL she could or could not contact the disease at all; I tend to lean towards not (perhaps she stays in London visiting Eugénie ITTL).
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
I could see him becoming the darling of those who supported Boulanger, who himself started out as a Bonapartist and welcomed them into his faction when he became boss.

If you have someone as distinguished as the Prince Imperial leading the far-right instead of the rather schizoid second lieutenant of OTL, then we could very well see the reestablishment of a Bonaparte dynasty and a Third Empire coming out of the Third Republic.
 
That would be OOC for the Prince, considering that by all accounts he was a political liberal and a constitutionalist. Coming to power with the help of a proto-fascist caudillo wannabe would alienate his natural political base. It seems more natural to build a monarchist coalition in the National Assembly, then hold one of the many votes of OTL. Or become PM first, though that would be somewhat more complicated and necessitate Ferry's death.
 
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