WI: Louis XVII lives... what does Napoleon do with him?

[GameBawesome]

Louis XVII was the son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antionette. Despite his title, he never really was king, as after his father was executed, he was imprisoned, and later die of an illness at age 10.

There would be various people who claimed to be Louis XVII, such as Karl Wilhelm Naundorff and Eleazer Williams, though all of them were false. In the end, after the Bourbon Restoration, when his uncle became King, he his uncle proclaimed himself Louis XVIII.

However, what if Louis XVII, the Young Dauphin was treated better and never fell ill, living to his teenagers' years...Just in time for Napoleon Bonaparte to rise to power.

Given that Louis XVII was son of King Louis XVI, Royalists would try to flock to him, which would be a problem for Napoleon. So, what to do with him?

Here's a few options I could come up:

A. Execute Louis XVII - Given that Napoleon did order the execution of the Duke of Enghien in real-life, he could probably do the same for Louis XVII. However, Louis XVII would be in his teens or even close to his 20s, and it probably would make Napoleon look even worst, and anger a lot of Royalists and the other European powers, meaning the backlash could be worst.​

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B. Keep Louis XVII imprisoned - Napoleon could also keep the Young Dauphin imprisoned like he already was before, whether it be under harsher conditions or more of a house-arrest with better conditions. But again, if the Young Dauphin dies in prison, same outcry from Royalists and European powers, who'll blame Napoleon. Or even worst, Louis XVII escapes and rallies French Royalists to his cause. Less bad outcome, Louis XVII remains imprisoned till Napoleon's downfall, where he becomes King of France instead of his uncle.​

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C. Exile Louis XVII - Another possibility, Napoleon could exile Louis XVII at minimum to another part of Europe, at extreme to the Americas. Though the least likely, for how dangerously stupid it would be to do so. Same results as above, with Royalists rallying Louis XVII for a Bourbon Restoration, and he later becomes King of France after Napoleon's fall.​

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D. Keep Louis XVII close to him- This is probably the most unorthodox idea (One that admittedly I was going to make a separate thread about), what if instead of executing, exiling, or imprisoning Louis XVII, Napoleon just takes the Young Dauphin into his household and sort of raise him or gives him to one of his Bonaparte Siblings. Not outright adoption, but more like a sort-of-ward. Maybe Napoleon can get the teenage prince to renounce his claim to the French throne. That way, it appeases the Royalists a bit, even if disgruntledly (Or just a veiled threat to execute the Dauphin). Though, it doesn't seem in character for Napoleon to do so and probably anger a lot of Revolutionaries. Meaning probably the least likely option, though a fun scenario that I may want to explore more in the future.​

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E. Other- Write in the comments, any other idea of what Napoleon can do with Louis XVII​

 

[Kaiser of Brazil]

More likely is for Napoleon to keep him in House Arrest like he did with Ferdinand VII. He only executed Enghien for believing him to be in a conspiracy with Cadodau that Fouché has been tracking for a while. If Louis has been imprisoned since his childhood, he won't have the foreign contacts needed to organize an uprising, ir anything he would be more akin to Henry VI, a puppet for a faction to nominally rally around but who in practice did little of his own.

 

[Avrorrange]

Rule as Mayor of the Palace Napoleon with Louis XVII as puppet king?

 

[Polish Eagle]

Rule as Mayor of the Palace Napoleon with Louis XVII as puppet king?

One problem with this idea was that the army, by and large, was more Jacobin in its sympathies than the government or Napoleon himself were. Actually pulling a Monck might contribute to more instability in France, not less.

With that said...Louis's only two years younger than Hortense de Beauharnais, and perhaps one avenue for Napoleon to take might be to compel the Dauphin to marry his stepdaughter. It would be a total farce, but the boy-king might not be in any position to resist that kind of offer. Royalists might go along with it, since it puts the Dauphin back into the succession (even if they're not happy about where the legitimacy comes from, per the law). And Napoleon might decide being father-in-law to the King is good enough.

 

[Lalli]

Executing of Louis XVII would be indeed horrible and stupid idea since it would just anger royalists deeply. Best option would be house arrest and ensure that he stays alive but still can't escape.

One option might be that Napoleon makes himself all-powerful military dictator but not emperor and appoints Louis as his scucessor. But this seems really out of character for him and probably politically impossible idea anyway.

 

[Avrorrange]

Executing of Louis XVII would be indeed horrible and stupid idea since it would just anger royalists deeply. Best option would be house arrest and ensure that he stays alive but still can't escape.

One option might be that Napoleon makes himself all-powerful military dictator but not emperor and appoints Louis as his scucessor. But this seems really out of character for him and probably politically impossible idea anyway.

Realistically though, what more could angered royalists have done? It’s not like they didn’t already hate his guts and didn’t already revolt. Haters gonna hate.

 

[KaiserWilhelm]

Keep him in house arrest but treat him well and keep him as a defender of the revolution.

 

[SunZi]

B. Keep Louis XVII imprisoned - Napoleon could also keep the Young Dauphin imprisoned like he already was before, whether it be under harsher conditions or more of a house-arrest with better conditions. But again, if the Young Dauphin dies in prison, same outcry from Royalists and European powers, who'll blame Napoleon. Or even worst, Louis XVII escapes and rallies French Royalists to his cause. Less bad outcome, Louis XVII remains imprisoned till Napoleon's downfall, where he becomes King of France instead of his uncle.

This is the most likely solution. Its survival will coincide with the royalist push in the Vendémiaire elections of Year IV (October 1795) which had the OTL consequence of facilitating the release of Madame Royale in December. Surely, they will obtain the transfer of Louis XVII to a more sanitary place, although this would be called into question by the expedition of the Count of Artois to Brittany. Although the coup d'état of 18 Fructidore of Year V (September 4, 1797), could re-aggravate the conditions of detention of Louis XVII, accentuated by the Montagnard push in the elections of Year VI. But the coup of Prairial year VII and Brumaire year VIII, aimed at repressing the left, loosened the reins around the pretender.

Finally, the consul Bonaparte, will seek to accentuate the anonymization of Louis Capet, surely he will move him away from the capital after having repressed the royalists, who are then the most dangerous adversary. A sort of second "man in the iron mask" (without a mask) that Fouché and Bonaparte will watch carefully (he will not be the only one of the Emperor's political prisoners but certainly the most important). I can't imagine his identity being completely erased. The consulate, the Empire and the entire revolutionary period, is not a totalitarian dystopia, surely Louis XVII is completely aware of who he is (his treatment and the people around him, whether by royalist sympathy or antipathy republican will make him understand). At best, he would like to join the Grand Army (he reached 20 when the War of the Third Coalition broke out) by asking permission from the Emperor, who would obviously refuse. The rest of his life under the Empire would evolve according to the desires of Napoleon I - either he sought to make it completely disappear so as not to have a competitor (probably in the first years of Bonaparte's power) and perhaps at the birth of the king of Rome as at the height of the Empire, Bonaparte can imagine reintroducing him discreetly (perhaps making him a noble of the Empire, knight or baron, count would be too far ahead). In the end, perhaps nothing was done and Louis XVII was released in May 1814.

 

[JanWellem]

Executing Louis XVII would not only make Napoléon look like a monster for murdering an innocent child, it would also legitimise the Count of Provence (OTL's Louis XVIII), who, unlike Louis XVII, was living in exile and thus outside of Napoléon's control. Napoléon could also do what Franco did one and a half centuries later and promise to reinstate the monarchy "once things had stabilised", however long that would take (most likely until his death or deposition).

 

[Lalli]

Realistically though, what more could angered royalists have done? It’s not like they didn’t already hate his guts and didn’t already revolt. Haters gonna hate.

They might bring more revolts. Yes, Napoléon probably would crush them but why try to get more problems than it is worth?

Executing Louis XVII would not only make Napoléon look like a monster for murdering an innocent child, it would also legitimise the Count of Provence (OTL's Louis XVIII), who, unlike Louis XVII, was living in exile and thus outside of Napoléon's control. Napoléon could also do what Franco did one and a half centuries later and promise to reinstate the monarchy "once things had stabilised", however long that would take (most likely until his death or deposition).

True. Even radical revolutionariers didn't execute Louis after his parents were beheaded altough I don't know if they were worried about reactions or what prevented them to commit such thing. But Napoléon wouldn't do that. At least it would be indeed very bad idea.

 

[alexmilman]

Keep him under close observation but in the descent conditions and “convince” him to issue a declaration disavowing the royalists’ activities for the “nation’s good” because these activities had been financed by the traditional enemy of France. Until coronation Napoleon did not have to commit himself to any definite course of action and after coronation everything becomes irrelevant.

 

[GameBawesome]

So, here's a hypothetical scenario: Say Napoleon did keep Louis XVII close to monitor him and treated him very well and even kindly, to the point Louis XVII willingly worked under Napoleon to denounce Royalist activity abroad...

How would the Bourbon Restoration go if Napoleon still falls? Would Louis XVII be put on the throne due to him being the son of Louis XVI (And if any previous renouncing of the throne, is seen as illegitimate because most of Europe views it as forced upon by Napoleon), or would it go to his uncle, the Count of Provence (Louis XVIII) if Louis XVII reiterates his renouncement to the throne or the Coalition deems Louis XVII too sympathetic to Napoleon.

And if Louis XVII is put in power, how would the Hundred Days go (If Napoleon still decides to return)

 

[alexmilman]

So, here's a hypothetical scenario: Say Napoleon did keep Louis XVII close to monitor him and treated him very well and even kindly, to the point Louis XVII willingly worked under Napoleon to denounce Royalist activity abroad...

How would the Bourbon Restoration go if Napoleon still falls? Would Louis XVII be put on the throne due to him being the son of Louis XVI (And if any previous renouncing of the throne, is seen as illegitimate because most of Europe views it as forced upon by Napoleon), or would it go to his uncle, the Count of Provence (Louis XVIII) if Louis XVII reiterates his renouncement to the throne or the Coalition deems Louis XVII too sympathetic to Napoleon.

And if Louis XVII is put in power, how would the Hundred Days go (If Napoleon still decides to return)

Counter-question: what would be effect of Louis’ visible presence at Napoleon’s side during the 3rd Coalition War?

 

[GameBawesome]

Counter-question: what would be effect of Louis’ visible presence at Napoleon’s side during the 3rd Coalition War?

Well, I was more thinking that Napoleon just leaves Louis XVII in comfortable place with someone trustworthy to not conspire against him to install the kid on the throne (Like, leaving Louis XVII with one of his brothers or even his own mother, and under heavy guard), while Louis writes declarations of renouncing the throne.

But going the fun-route, and assuming Napoleon does take the former King on campaigns (Which already carried a lot of risks) if I had to make a wild assumption:

At the very best, it sways Royalists to accept the new Bonaparte Regime with the legal King supporting Napoleon, and confirms to the Coalition that the Bonaparte Regime is legally legitimate.

At the very worst, the Coalition and Royalists just assumes Napoleon is just forcing Louis XVII to play along and holding him hostage by not letting him leave his sight, and just ignores anything that Louis XVII positively says about Napoleon, as illegitimate.

 

[Metempsychosis]

D. Keep Louis XVII close to him- This is probably the most unorthodox idea (One that admittedly I was going to make a separate thread about), what if instead of executing, exiling, or imprisoning Louis XVII, Napoleon just takes the Young Dauphin into his household and sort of raise him or gives him to one of his Bonaparte Siblings. Not outright adoption, but more like a sort-of-ward. Maybe Napoleon can get the teenage prince to renounce his claim to the French throne. That way, it appeases the Royalists a bit, even if disgruntledly (Or just a veiled threat to execute the Dauphin). Though, it doesn't seem in character for Napoleon to do so and probably anger a lot of Revolutionaries. Meaning probably the least likely option, though a fun scenario that I may want to explore more in the future.

Raising him as a junior Citizen Capet seems like the most intetesting option, kinda like Puyi, or a reverse of OTL's Napoleon II.

 

[alexmilman]

Well, I was more thinking that Napoleon just leaves Louis XVII in comfortable place with someone trustworthy to not conspire against him to install the kid on the throne (Like, leaving Louis XVII with one of his brothers or even his own mother, and under heavy guard), while Louis writes declarations of renouncing the throne.

Keeping him close and pretty much as a family member (“to make a descent citizen”, blahblahblah) solves quite a few problems: removes chances for conspiracy in Paris, puts opponents into inconvenient ideological position eliminating all pretenses of them being anti-Napoleonic instead of simply anti-French, potentially helps to indoctrinate young Louis properly. For Louis the old royal France is, at best, a fairy tale, the revolutionary period - a nightmare and Nappy is the first person who treats him nicely during the formative years and has a chance to indoctrinate him properly: Nappy, when he wanted could be quite charming and persuasive and Josephine was definitely a kind person who spent some quality time in prison during the Terror, while her son is only 4 years older and they may become friends. A lot of things could be conveniently placed into his head.

But going the fun-route, and assuming Napoleon does take the former King on campaigns (Which already carried a lot of risks) if I had to make a wild assumption:

At the very best, it sways Royalists to accept the new Bonaparte Regime with the legal King supporting Napoleon, and confirms to the Coalition that the Bonaparte Regime is legally legitimate.

Which is spmething because AI’s main and only official reason for joining the 3rd Coalition was execution of Enghien and other ideological garbage: it would be rather inconvenient to acknowledge openly that the only true reason is a never fully satisfied desire to be permitted to lick the British butt. 😉

In practical terms it may not change too much even if all emigres return to France: none of them had been truly important except for the Duke of Richelieu who made Odessa into international port.

At the very worst, the Coalition and Royalists just assumes Napoleon is just forcing Louis XVII to play along and holding him hostage by not letting him leave his sight, and just ignores anything that Louis XVII positively says about Napoleon, as illegitimate.

This is also a possibility but there can be an interesting propaganda war in which position of the anti-napoleonic side would be quite shaky: if the royalty is divine, etc., then it is not up to the lowly journalists and politicians to question it. If it is not <whatever>, then what is the whole noise is about? 😂

 

[GameBawesome]

potentially helps to indoctrinate young Louis properly. For Louis the old royal France is, at best, a fairy tale, the revolutionary period - a nightmare and Nappy is the first person who treats him nicely during the formative years and has a chance to indoctrinate him properly: Nappy, when he wanted could be quite charming and persuasive and Josephine was definitely a kind person who spent some quality time in prison during the Terror, while her son is only 4 years older and they may become friends. A lot of things could be conveniently placed into his head.

Agreed. That’s why Option D is so interesting and fun scenario.

Imagine if Napoleon still gets defeated and Louis XVII is put on the throne, Louis XVII ends up keeping a lot of liberal policies from the Revolution & Napoleon. Like, if he sides more with the Doctrinaires over the Ultra-royalists, so now Second White Terror.

Heck, maybe he allows Napoleon to visit France from time to time.

Speaking of which, after some thought, there might not even be a Hundred Days, as I think one of the reasons why Napoleon tried to retake power was OTL Louis XVIII never gave him the promised pension

Although all of this would make the other European powers eye Louis XVII with suspicion for not suppressing Liberal ideals, and May ruffle the most extreme Ultra-Royalists feathers

 

[alexmilman]

Agreed. That’s why Option D is so interesting and fun scenario.

Imagine if Napoleon still gets defeated and Louis XVII is put on the throne, Louis XVII ends up keeping a lot of liberal policies from the Revolution & Napoleon. Like, if he sides more with the Doctrinaires over the Ultra-royalists, so now Second White Terror.

Heck, maybe he allows Napoleon to visit France from time to time.

Speaking of which, after some thought, there might not even be a Hundred Days, as I think one of the reasons why Napoleon tried to retake power was OTL Louis XVIII never gave him the promised pension

Although all of this would make the other European powers eye Louis XVII with suspicion for not suppressing Liberal ideals, and May ruffle the most extreme Ultra-Royalists feathers

The whole Allies’ dilemma of 1814 would look silly: they want to replace Nappy with a legitimate king and here is unquestionably legitimate king who tells them to go and screw themselves because France does not need their “help”. Louis does not have to abdicate in the early 1800s, because he is not a crowned king, but he can state that the whole old royal regime was rejected by the people of France. Restoring a monarchy over the head of a legitimate candidate who officially declares that the monarchy is dead is quite funny.
Unless Nappy is playing “Franco scenario” and is voluntarily replacing himself with Louis. The goal of overthrowing the Corsican Ogre ceases having sense and from that point you can come with more than one scenario. 😉

 

[holycookie]

Unless Nappy is playing “Franco scenario” and is voluntarily replacing himself with Louis. The goal of overthrowing the Corsican Ogre ceases having sense and from that point you can come with more than one scenario. 😉

If Napoleon is smart that would be the best thing to do, with him being the Consul (basically the real power behind the throne). This would allow for greater diplomatic flexibility that did not occur in the OTL. At the same time Napoleon may well declare himself emperor (he is napoleon after all), but when he actually starts to lose he resigns and Louis takes the throne. Both Austria and Russia would find a marriage with Louis more interesting than with Napoleon.
It's something with so many possibilities, I'm surprised no one has made a timeline of it yet.

 

[alexmilman]

If Napoleon is smart that would be the best thing to do, with him being the Consul (basically the real power behind the throne). This would allow for greater diplomatic flexibility that did not occur in the OTL. At the same time Napoleon may well declare himself emperor (he is napoleon after all), but when he actually starts to lose he resigns and Louis takes the throne. Both Austria and Russia would find a marriage with Louis more interesting than with Napoleon.
It's something with so many possibilities, I'm surprised no one has made a timeline of it yet.

Actually, there was AH book with a somewhat similar schema when Nappy eventually becomes the Great Connetable of France (IIRC). There was no imperial period, however.