• Hi Guest!

    The costs of running this forum are covered by Sea Lion Press. If you'd like to help support the company and the forum, visit patreon.com/sealionpress

Successful Malet coup

Ricardolindo

Well-known member
Location
Portugal
In October 1812, General Malet, a republican who had opposed Napoleon's coronation, tried to convince people that Napoleon had died and restore the republic but failed. What if he had succeeded? What would happen once the news of Napoleon being alive arrived? What would Napoleon do? What would the other European states do?
 
Once Napoleon comes back alive the jig is up. Not only is Napoleon popular enough to rally the army and people behind him, but the new government would lose all credibility when it comes out that they just faked the Emperor's death. I suspect that during his time in power Malet would attempt to make peace with the Allies, but given how brief Malet's tenure is going to be those negotiations aren't going to have the time to work out the details unless Malet agrees to just straight up surrender France's territorial gains. I think you need Napoleon to actually die to get this scenario to work.
 
Once Napoleon comes back alive the jig is up. Not only is Napoleon popular enough to rally the army and people behind him, but the new government would lose all credibility when it comes out that they just faked the Emperor's death. I suspect that during his time in power Malet would attempt to make peace with the Allies, but given how brief Malet's tenure is going to be those negotiations aren't going to have the time to work out the details unless Malet agrees to just straight up surrender France's territorial gains. I think you need Napoleon to actually die to get this scenario to work.

I am not so sure about this. The French army was largely made up of conscripts who probably wanted to return home. Napoleon's later return was largely supported by career officers and former prisoners of war who had not witnessed the defeats betwen 1812 and 1814 who now made up the army as conscription had been abolished.
 
And the thing people here forget is that the French people at this time, or at any time during the past few decades, wanted peace above all else. They welcomed Napoleon because he didn’t just portray himself as a warlord, but as a peacemaker who would consolidate the revolution’s gains. Yet good old Nappy B had this idea that, if he gave up an inch of ground that he gained during the coalition wars, then the people would overthrow him.

Another thing to note is that, when the Malet coup occurred, there really wasn’t much support for it, and people were actually glad for it being stopped, so how they would react to it actually succeeding is anyone’s guess.
 
Back
Top