WI: Napoleon defeated and captured at Lützen

What if Napoleon Bonaparte had been defeated at the Battle Of Lützen (May 1813)?
How likely is he to be captured by Coalition forces? Is he likely to be executed?
What about Frederick Augustus? Will he be able to maintain his enlarged Saxony? Will he be able to keep his polish fiefdom alive? And what about the rivalry that was brewing between the Sixth Coalition, will there be a war between Prussia and Austria over conflicting demands?
 
Last edited:
Another bump. No takers?
I think this one has potential, especially surrounding Frederick Augustus. I hear that the guy was starting negotiations with Austria to join the coalition before Napoleon came back and pulled him back into France's alliance system. If Napoleon is defeated before he can meet FA, then the latter may be coaxed into continuing his negotiations, and we may probably see Saxony fighting against France -- i don't know how this affects the Duchy Of Warsaw. I also hear that the prussians and austrians had disputes on the saxon territories, which may lead to complications later on...
 
There is no scenario where the Duchy Of Warsaw survives. Russia had already assumed control over most of it and isn't going to give it up, especially not to a Saxon King that had supported Napoleon. Bonaparte is a prisoner of Russia, their position has not gotten weaker with a victory at Lützen.
 
What if Napoleon Bonaparte had been defeated at the Battle Of Lützen (May 1813)?
How likely is he to be captured by Coalition forces? Is he likely to be executed?
What about Frederick Augustus? Will he be able to maintain his enlarged Saxony? Will he be able to keep his polish fiefdom alive? And what about the rivalry that was brewing between the Sixth Coalition, will there be a war between Prussia and Austria over conflicting demands?

Lützen would be a historical mark for the end of another conquerer. There might be a meme, that Lützen is cursed an a conquerer´s grave.
 
There is no scenario where the Duchy Of Warsaw survives. Russia had already assumed control over most of it and isn't going to give it up, especially not to a Saxon King that had supported Napoleon. Bonaparte is a prisoner of Russia, their position has not gotten weaker with a victory at Lützen.
Can Saxony preserve its napoleonic borders?
 
Can Saxony preserve its napoleonic borders?

If it joins the winning side at the same time as Bavaria etc it will survive as they did. Of course any 1807 acquisitions from Prussia will have to be returned, but otherwise it's pretty much as you were.

Any thoughts on what Prussia gets in place pf Northern Saxony? Schleswig-Holstein? Liege? Something else?
 
What if Napoleon Bonaparte had been defeated at the Battle Of Lützen (May 1813)?
How likely is he to be captured by Coalition forces? Is he likely to be executed?
What about Frederick Augustus? Will he be able to maintain his enlarged Saxony? Will he be able to keep his polish fiefdom alive? And what about the rivalry that was brewing between the Sixth Coalition, will there be a war between Prussia and Austria over conflicting demands?

Why Lutzen ? Picking Lutzen is quite puzzling because Lutzen was a napoleonic masterpiece. Marengo, Essling, the Berezina crossing or Leipzig make more sense.
 
Why Lutzen ? Picking Lutzen is quite puzzling because Lutzen was a napoleonic masterpiece. Marengo, Essling, the Berezina crossing or Leipzig make more sense.

It's quite easy to picture Napoleon getting killed at Lutzen and his army collapsing in the aftermath. After all, that was the day about which no less a figure than Marmont said -

“This was probably the day, of his whole career, in which Napoleon incurred the greatest personal danger on the field of battle. He exposed himself constantly, leading the defeated men of III Corps back to the charge.”

One of the disadvantages of an army consisting mostly of underage conscripts after all is that they need more PDAs from the senior staff in order to not fall apart. That said, it's somewhat harder to get him captured - perhaps he takes slightly too long to rally a broken unit and is caught in a Prussian surge, or something?

I think so long as he survives immediate captivity though he is not going to be executed - the allies will enjoy exhibiting him as a prisoner too much. Killing him would make him a martyr, caging him just makes him pathetic.
 
Top