Young Napoleon captured by Barbary Pirates

What if the young Bonaparte is captured from the shores of Corsica somewhere around the 1780es by a raiding vessel from Algiers/Tripolis/Tunis and made a Galley slave.
 
Most likely he becomes a historical footnote. Another European captured and made a slave by North African pirates.
 
Maybe he would demand to be ransomed for a ridiculous sum of money and read them his poetry to live up to his role model? :p

In all seriousness, though, he wouldn't even be a footnote. Europe would go on without any repercussions from the Napoleonic wars. Anyone's guess from there.
 
Maybe he would demand to be ransomed for a ridiculous sum of money and read them his poetry to live up to his role model? :p

In all seriousness, though, he wouldn't even be a footnote. Europe would go on without any repercussions from the Napoleonic wars. Anyone's guess from there.

Or he rises through the ranks and becomes still famous ? He is Nappy after all .;)
 
Well he did always admire Julius Caesar.

well to follow this point. he would probably get ransomed and as implied come back and hunt down the pirates and give them a gruesome death. Pity in a way Napoleon converting to Islam and leading an Islamic Revival would be an interesting AH.
It will be one or the other Napoleon was not so wedded to Christian piety, or immutable principle that he would stay a galley slave and fail to adapt to circumstance like other former captives.
 
well to follow this point. he would probably get ransomed and as implied come back and hunt down the pirates and give them a gruesome death. Pity in a way Napoleon converting to Islam and leading an Islamic Revival would be an interesting AH.
It will be one or the other Napoleon was not so wedded to Christian piety, or immutable principle that he would stay a galley slave and fail to adapt to circumstance like other former captives.

Yes, that would be indeed an interesting timeline. Maybe after a brief time as a slave, he converts and finally becomes aleading figure himslf. Finally adapts the title of a Bey. Maybe he becomes one of the Barabary figures, who negotitates with Thomas Jefferson.
 
Lots of people on this board take the Great Man theory of history far too far. Take virtually any great figure and put them in a vastly different context, and in all probability they would never become great. Especially if it happened during the formative period of their life. Sure, they still have determination and intelligence, but the vast, vast majority of people with determination and intelligence are only footnotes in history.
 
Yes, that would be indeed an interesting timeline. Maybe after a brief time as a slave, he converts and finally becomes aleading figure himslf. Finally adapts the title of a Bey. Maybe he becomes one of the Barabary figures, who negotitates with Thomas Jefferson.


There's a parallel scenario in Edward Atiyah's The Eagle Flies From England.

Napoleon's parents go to England in 1769, he attracts the King's attention, and after a successful army career is made Viceroy of India. He falls out with the government, rebels, conquers the Ottoman Empire, and ends up marching on Moscow, failing, and winding up - on St Helena!
 
There's a parallel scenario in Edward Atiyah's The Eagle Flies From England.

Napoleon's parents go to England in 1769, he attracts the King's attention, and after a successful army career is made Viceroy of India. He falls out with the government, rebels, conquers the Ottoman Empire, and ends up marching on Moscow, failing, and winding up - on St Helena!

In Look to the West, Napoleon becomes famous in both England and France. :eek::D For separate things, that is (in England as a naval commander, France fir being a statesman).

And he's also friends with Horatio Nelson. :D
 
If the pirates noticed he was from a fairly well-off family, would they be likely to try and seek a ransom for him?
 
His life would be butterflied away. Sure, he was Napoleon, but there were plenty of French with just the same level of intellect, knowledge, and determination. Likely, the French revolution would have succeeded and founded an actual republic.
 
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