WI: No Peninsular War

So, effectively speaking, there is no endgame for Napoleon? He's just invariably going to keep strong-arming the nations of Europe for the sake of strong arming other nations of Europe until the whole continent gets sick of him?
The Continental System was a blunder for this very reason, it required Napoleon to continuously overreach to enforce it. Without it there may very well not have been a Spanish Ulcer or Russian campaign.
 
So, effectively speaking, there is no endgame for Napoleon? He's just invariably going to keep strong-arming the nations of Europe for the sake of strong arming other nations of Europe until the whole continent gets sick of him?

The Continental System is (from Napoleon's perspective) the way to get Britain to the negotiating table. He has to give it up as a condition of the peace. So the strong-arming of countries that aren't part of his empire, like Russia and Spain, would presumably end. Dependent states like the Confederation of the Rhine would probably still be exploited economically, as they wouldn't be in much position to resist.
 
They stop blockading Europe and recognize France's conquests. Maybe they return some of the colonies they've seized, in exchange for Hanover.

I suspect the British wouldn't want Hannover back: they kind of resented having to defend it anyway, and TTL it would just provide an easy way for Napoleon to threaten Britain in future.
 
But doesn't George III want it back?

No.

George III is a British king through and through. He was the first Hanoverian king to speak English as his first language, and who never set foot on Hanover in his life. His mind, and his heart, unlike his grandfather and great-grandfather, was British.

So no, he would not sacrifice British national interest for Hanover.
 
I imagine that Britain would still prefer to control Hanover over it being part of a French puppet state or given to Prussia.
 
Top