Financial Choke Hold
Under the Treaty of Fontainebleau the french King louis was legally required to pay Napoleon 2 million francs annually and Britain to enforce it.They never did without this money Napoleon couldn’t essentially feed his 1000 elite guards that had accompanied into exile.He would eventually go bankrupt and they would had have to leave him.He would have been extremely vulnerable to assassin or kidnapping attempts.
His Wife Was Kidnapped from Him
They basically intercepted all his letters from his wife Marie louise and didn’t allow her or her son to visit him the treaty basically recognized his wife and son as the Sovereigns of Parma so they should have been allowed to visit them.So when he wrote to her the letters never reached her and when she wrote to him they never reached him.Empeor francis Napoleon father inlaw and Metternich then told her that Napoleon didn’t love her anymore and was seeing other woman on Elba.He then hired an austrian man named Count von Niepperg to basically seduce her and make her forgot about Napoleon.By the time Napoleon return from exile she basically had fallen for him.
His Son Was Kidnapped From Him
Napoleon son french name and title name was changed from Napoleon II, or the king of rome to Franz and titled an austrian one Duke of Reichstadt.His austrian tutors then told the boy that his father was a criminal and a monster he was basically held hostage in the Schonbrun Palace and forbidden form seeing any of his father loyal french servants.The boy was basically told not to speak french anymore and told you are not the king of rome you are an austrian.
Planted Rumors Of Rock In Atlantic
When Napoleon was on elba he had spies who vienna who told him they overhead the allies thought that elba was simply to close to europe.And that they were planning on moving him to either St helena or The azores.
Why Napoleon escaped Exile
He wanted to reclaim the French Throne and get his son and wife back
What The Kings Told The People And What Movies Tell Us
The monster has escaped from Elba to conqueror all of europe he is a mad dog we must get rid of him
Napoleon Mistake
The funny part for someone that was so smart he played right into their game they wanted the world to see him as a monster.Napoleon did send letters to the same kings that had betrayed him asking for peace and they just send it back to him unopened and he just give up.He basically allowed them to control the narrative to have the peoples support for the war they caused.He then got pissed they didn’t open his letters and then invaded Belgium which give the kings the excuse to say see he is a monster he attacked us first.Essentially he didn’t explain his motives to the press until he was dying in a rock in the atlantic in St helena writing his memoirs but by then he had lost it all
What He Should Have Done Manifesto April 5 1815
Once he was labeled an outlaw and realized that the kings were not opening his letters he should have in my opinion basically have written an manifesto of sorts saying why he left elba why the treaty was broken specific names how he was betrayed how they were planning on exiling him to a rock on the atlantic before he escaped.He should have framed his escape as a rescue mission to save his wife and son and basically printed them and spread them everywhere he possibly could.And basically said if I am an outlaw and have no right then come and kill me yourself.He should have said that France will not attack anyone unless they cross our borders not be aggressive.This would have at least helped him flip the moral narrative what would people be most likely to believe that a man escaped an island want on a succide mission to overthrow an entire nation with 1000 man to conquer all of europe or that he did because he wanted to reclaim his throne and get his son and wife back.
What He Should Have Done Duel Request Count Neipperg
By Napoleon requesting the duel he is basically saying even though he is an Emperor he still doesn’t mind putting his life on the line like a common gentleman to defend the honor of his marriage.This proves to the people Napoleon is a Man of Honor.In the 19th century your reputation wasn’t just a feeling it was your legal and social currency if the count refuses to fight Napoleon in a duel then he is admitting he is a man without honor a coward.You would be kicked out of every gentle man club no officer would salute banks wouldn’t loan to you essentially you became a ghost in high society.If Austria refuses to let count Neipperg to duel Napoleon they look like cowards to the rest of the collation Austria refusal would be seen as contagious they would been seen as cowards too by staying in the alliance.Because it essentially looks like the collation is using 800k man to protect the count from Napoleon wrath.Napoleon is basically saying if you were brave enough to sleep with my wife while I was exiled in Elba then you should be man enough to face me in the field.
Why It Would Had Helped Him
This would have at least helped him flip the moral narrative what would people be most likely to believe that a man escaped an island want on a succide mission to overthrow an entire nation with 1000 man to conquer all of europe or did that because he wanted to reclaim his throne and get his son and wife back.Now the allies become the aggressors and it becomes harder for them to justify the war if Napoleon just siting in France borders and does not attack unless an enemy crosses.If they attack they are the aggressors and look guilty if they do nothing he stays in power if they kill him he becomes a martyr that could cause revolutions on their countries.Worst case scenario he would probably get a better exile cause they can’t sent him st helena now that he has exposed their secret.What's interesting even after Napoleon gives himself up to the British and boarded the HMS Belleron in july 1815 thousand of curious British citizen got on row boats to get a glimpse of him they waved at him and lowered their hats in respect of him.The British government seeing he would become a celebrity probably decided to exile him to st helena even there he actually received a lot of visitors.On top of that in 1815 the british public was exhausted by 20 years of war the whig party in Parliament was already questioning why Britain was spending millions to restore a bourbon King louis who wasn’t popular especially since France just accepted Napoleon back.The issue is if the kings just ignore Napoleon diplomacy after his PR attack and just invade france and kill him then they look like the big villans of the 19th century.The only reason the collation was so strong was because everybody was convinced they were the good guys and Napoleon was the bad guy.
Duel Request How It Helps
Napoleon Sacrifice:Usually an emperor social status is too high to duel a count by lowering himself to Nieperg level Napoleon is saying his love for his wife Maria louise is more important than his imperial dignity the woman of europe might view him as a romantic hero this is the ultimate declaration of love.
If they accept:Then Napoleon probably kills the count and as a result becomes a national hero and it because almost politically impossible to get rid of him
If they accept least likely outcome:Even if the count manages to kill Napoleon it would just turn him into a martyr and it could start revolutions which is why they didn’t kill him historically after waterloo.
If they reject it:If Neipperg refuses he is branded a coward and a poltron because he was a hand-picked representative of the Austrian Emperor austria it would also stain the reputation.By refusing the austrian emperor is basically saying the counts life is too precious to risk so I will instead hid him behind the collation 800k man.Just by association the other countries would be embarrassed by Austria because it makes it look like they are defunding a degenerate and adulterate from a wronged husband.It turns the whole war all the sudden into an embarrassing family scandal.
If they reject outlaw claim:If they say the duel doesn’t count becomes Napoleon is an outlaw the issue is to soldiers of the time a duel was the ultimate test of manhood.When the kings refuse the duel based on technically like this they don’t see the law they just view them as cowards hiding behind it.If count as brave as he is in the emperor wife chambers then he should have no problem facing bonaparte in the open if he is a man of honor defending a lady he must fight.
What He Should Have Done Defensive War Britain Deb Problem 200% GDP
In the original timeline Napoleon was in a race against time he had only 100 days to rebuild an army that had been gutted by the Bourbon dynasty he only managed to scrape around 220-250k man.The manifesto and the duel request would led the allies to argue and blame each other.The british parliament would also have to investigate the claims this could buy him 2-3 more months.The whig opposition in the government of brittan would have demanded an inquiry which and stop the flow of gold for 4-6 weeks. They were many French veterans originally that were war weariness that did not join him and the allies had branded him as a power-hungary mad man.Theyre were also many soldiers in far off forts that couldn’t make it in time or stayed neutral The manifesto and duels request would allow him to be able to rally more troops to his side than he did orginally.He could probably get around 400-500k troops in total from the national guard volunteers.Historically Britain has basically almost bankrupt with a gdp of 200 percent and struggled to get the votes to go to war with Napoleon. Brittan was the banker of the collation basically all the other great powers are funded by them.So all Napoleon has to do play a defensive war and delay Britain cannot maintain a long war they will go bankrupt if they go down the whole collation goes down bonaparte just has to make the war too time consuming expensive and embarrassing that they have to sue for peace or go bankrupt.You only need 1/3 of the invading army to play a good defensive war.
Alternative Timeline
Troops France Vs 7th Collation
400-500K FRENCH
VS
800K 7th Collation
by Opposite-Craft-3498