He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 300

(300) A Monarchist Craze Sweeps France

October 1801, France is now completely in the era of Napoleon.

“Goodness, I thought you’d be back in a flash. Why did it take you so long, Marie?”

Marie Antoinette scolded her daughter, who had returned home after a long absence, and glared at her.

Strictly speaking, Marie Thérèse had returned to France in September.

However, Marie had been burdened with the backlog of work from the Boarneh Cartel, leaving her little time to relax at home.

She would only come home to sleep at night.

Therefore, it was only now that the mother and daughter had time to sit down and have coffee together.

“Russia didn’t take long. There weren’t many people to meet.”

“Hmph, yes. Uncles who only want to steal your brother’s position are not worth seeing.”

“Louis’s position? There’s no such thing, Mother.”

Seeing Marie’s slight worry, Antoinette burst into laughter.

“What’s gone is the throne of France. I know that too. But the birthright attached to your brother is not just that.”

Louis Charles, Marie’s younger brother and the only legitimate son of Louis XVI.

However, Louis Charles was not currently considered a candidate for the throne by the royalists.

This was because, during Marie Antoinette’s death sentence trial, Eugene had deliberately created a scandalous distraction to prevent the execution.

It was the affair scandal between Fersen and Marie Antoinette.

Marie Thérèse, of course, vividly remembers that event.

It was because of that incident that Eugene was dragged off to the battlefield.

Does Antoinette not remember what happened then?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Surely you don’t believe Eugene’s lies, do you? Louis is your father’s son, not Fersen’s.”

“Of course, I know that, but we can’t say that openly in times like these.”

Conversely, it was thanks to that scandal that Louis Charles survived.

What if Louis Charles had been recognized as the legitimate son of Louis XVI?

He would have become a target that the revolutionaries would have had to kill.

However, Antoinette only made very carefree remarks.

“Why not? The Bonapartists, not the Jacobins, hold power now. They are friendly to our family, especially Eugene, aren’t they?”

Marie frowned with a heavy heart and retorted.

“The Bonaparte family opposes my marriage to Eugene. Don’t expect to benefit from Eugene.”

“I’m against it too, Marie.”

“Mother! Eugene is no longer my attendant. He’s a general of France. There’s no reason why he can’t marry me because of our family!”

Marie, who had just told her not to expect to benefit from Eugene, became angry, and Antoinette chuckled and said.

“Marie, I like Eugene too. That child risked his life for you and me. He even went to the battlefield. He was lucky enough to become a hero, but he could have died if things had gone wrong.”

“You know that, and yet you say that?”

“But I don’t want to see you unhappy. Or our Louis.”

Antoinette sighed as she drank her coffee.

“If Eugene marries you, you will become the object of hatred for the Jacobins, the royalists, and the Bonaparte family. I don’t want to see that.”

Marie felt her hands trembling.

Jacobins, royalists, Bonaparte family.

Those who once led France, still have immense influence, and now lead France.

All of them are currently on friendly terms with Eugene.

But that’s only when he is a general of the revolutionary army, a knight of the princess, and the adopted son of Bonaparte.

The Jacobins find it difficult to forgive Eugene for becoming the son-in-law of the old royal family.

The royalists will not forgive the knight who dared to ‘defile’ the [only] official heir to the royal family.

Also, the Bonaparte family will obviously feel uncomfortable with Eugene being combined with the old royal family.

Marie squeezed her eyes shut as if the world in front of her was collapsing.

But then Antoinette said something completely unexpected, causing her to open them wide again.

“Besides, it will block Louis’s future.”

“What are you talking about, mentioning Louis’s position since earlier? Is there anything else besides the French throne?”

“There is. Navarre, Sardinia, and perhaps even Spain.”

Antoinette explained excitedly to Marie, who was blinking her eyes.

“Originally, your father’s royal title was King of France and Navarre, didn’t you know?”

“Was it? I don’t remember well. Anyway, isn’t Navarre a country that no longer exists?”

“Not the French territory. But I believe Spanish Navarre still has autonomy.”

Navarre was a kingdom located on the border between France and Spain.

Originally, a branch of Castile ruled it, but in the 14th century, it passed to the Champagne family, a French noble family, and then in the 16th century, it became a French royal territory.

However, during the reign of Henry IV, the situation arose where it was completely integrated with France while he was carrying out the integration of France.

In fact, part of the Kingdom of Navarre, the area bordering Spain, had been transferred to Castile since the 14th century.

In the 19th century, it still remained as an autonomous region with its own assembly, the Cortes [Spanish parliament].

It’s easy to think that Antoinette is indulging in delusions.

However, as recently as 20 years ago in 1779, the War of the Bavarian Succession was still taking place in Europe.

Even if it is a perfectly normal Spanish territory, if there is a right to inherit through bloodline, it means that there is still a [claim] to assert ownership.

“Besides, what about Sardinia? The Queen there, Marie Adelaide Clotilde, is your aunt.”

“Yes? But that’s the territory of the House of Savoy. Although the mainland territory was taken by France.”

“But there is no heir. Of course, there is the exiled king’s brother, but depending on the circumstances, you may be able to claim the right of succession.”

In 1796, the King of Sardinia, Vittorio Amedeo II, died in exile in Sardinia.

Unlike the original history, Napoleon annexed northwestern Italy to France, so the Sardinian royal family was truly driven out to the island of Sardinia.

The successor, Carlo Emanuele IV, is married to the French royal family.

She was the Queen, Marie Adelaide Clotilde, the younger sister of Louis XVI.

The problem is that Queen Clotilde has not had any children.

Furthermore, due to her obesity, there was no prospect of her having children in the future.

The succession of the royal family itself will return to the House of Savoy, and in the original history, his younger brother Carlo Felice succeeds.

However, the succession to the European throne sometimes involves claiming succession rights through marriage.

Furthermore, isn’t the mainland territory of the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed to France?

Depending on what the French government claims, it could steal the throne of Sardinia.

All of this is naturally possible when the Consulate government moves for Louis Charles.

Of course, the world will not turn out as Antoinette wants it to.

Nevertheless, Antoinette’s ideas did not end.

“Of course, the best thing would be to get something from Spain. That country has been ruled by the Bourbon family since the reign of Louis XIV.”

With an astonished feeling, Marie looked at her mother and sighed.

This is a plan that would not be easy even if Louis XVI were alive and king.

But why would Napoleon bother to do this?

Unless Eugene marries Marie and then moves excessively to create a [position] for Louis Charles.

“You’re not going around telling Louis such things, are you?”

“Why not?”

“Mother! Louis is still young! If he goes around carelessly, he could die!”

Then Antoinette scoffed.

“He’s already 16 years old. He’ll be good at keeping his mouth shut. Anyway, I have no intention of giving up. His rights, and your happiness.”

Only then did Marie realize.

The real problem was not Louis Charles, but Antoinette.

***

However, the powerful are busy changing the world.

“National public education and elite education separately! This is my plan!”

Inside the Cabinet meeting room of the Tuileries Palace, Napoleon is giving a long speech.

What he is handing down to the cabinet ministers today is the issue of education.

Since the beginning of the Great Revolution, this education issue has been a major concern for the revolutionaries.

However, Napoleon’s focus is on a slightly different part.

“All citizens have the right to education! That is the spirit of the revolution!”

“That’s right, Consul. I originally created an education reform plan at the beginning of the revolution.”

“Isn’t that all well-known, Talleyrand? The important thing is that, despite that, elite training through education is necessary. Especially in the field of engineering! Military science elites to lead the new 19th century are absolutely essential!”

In terms of the original history, modern times, science and engineering education was Napoleon’s main concern.

“There is already a school in place, isn’t there? École Polytechnique [a prestigious French institution of higher education]. Create a new system centered around that place.”

When he was a student, Napoleon’s best subject was mathematics.

He even briefly had Pierre-Simon Laplace, who taught mathematics at the time, in his cabinet.

Although he was fired a long time ago while Eugene was away in Russia due to a lack of administrative skills.

Interior Minister Lucien nodded this time with a slightly satisfied face.

“I understand, Consul.”

“Now, next! How is the legal system reform going?”

“It is being carried out under the direction of Minister Cambacérès.”

Napoleon turned his head sharply and asserted to Cambacérès.

“Report all the processes to me. I will check all the laws and proceed! The principle of equality for all must be implemented!”

This is the famous Napoleonic Code [French civil code established under Napoleon I in 1804].

Of course, this code is actually a civil code, so the work of collecting and reorganizing a wide range of past laws and Roman law was underway.

In addition, criticism remains that it is a typical example of formal rule of law.

However, even in modern France in the original history, the foundation created at this time remains, so it was by no means a useless task.

Then Lucien intervened again.

“I have something to say regarding the code.”

“What is it, Minister of the Interior?”

“What are your thoughts on how to handle relations with the church?”

Talleyrand, who had been silent after being rejected for intervening in the education issue earlier, widened his eyes.

“That is a diplomatic issue. Minister of the Interior.”

However, Lucien shook his head vigorously with unprecedented enthusiasm.

“No, this is a domestic issue. Minister of Foreign Affairs! The church is currently demanding land compensation, and the majority of the population is still Catholic. Without improving relations with the church, there will be no domestic stability!”

“But isn’t that ultimately establishing relations with the Vatican? There is also the issue of the Italian Peninsula.”

“Isn’t it all the same as France domestically now?”

Lucien looked at Napoleon again and advised.

“Furthermore, this is a matter directly related to administrative reorganization. How long will you leave the Italian Peninsula and each satellite republic alone? In the end, governance becomes possible only by cooperating with the church, which has strong local influence!”

Education reform, code establishment, administrative reorganization.

All of this ultimately leads to the establishment of a centralized modern state.

However, there are several tasks that France must overcome in order to achieve modernization.

Revolutionaries considered the expulsion of church power as the top priority.

This is where the story that atheists dominated the revolutionary period comes from.

It is by no means a wrong idea, since the monopoly of power and wealth by clerical aristocrats was one of the causes of the revolution.

The problem was that the church still had considerable influence among the people.

Furthermore, there is also the problem of the Italian satellite republics, which include the Lombardy Republic, the Venetian Republic, the Romagna Republic, and the Naples Republic.

Especially in those places, the Vatican’s influence on the people is strong.

Napoleon stroked his smoothly shaven chin and smiled.

“That’s a valid point.”

“Then, how about signing an agreement with the church!”

“But doesn’t that also go against the principle of separation of church and state? Which is one of the starting points of the revolution.”

Napoleon held out his finger to Lucien, who was changing color, and ordered a postponement.

“Let’s watch this a little longer.”

“How long will you watch? There are still many complaints in the provinces. The reason why the royalists are stirring is also because of the church!”

“Will the church really trust our Consulate government and sign an agreement?”

At that moment, Lucien frowned, but Napoleon patted him on the shoulder without paying attention.

“We change whenever our term ends. Isn’t that right? Let’s watch a little longer. Minister of the Interior. Now, then, is the next task road network construction?”

In his second year in office, Napoleon, the powerful man who won the parliamentary elections, is still busy.

To the extent that the church issue has to be postponed.

***

But that’s even stranger.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. It’s something that needs to be resolved quickly. Chief Aide, do you know anything?”

Justice Minister Cambacérès tilted his head and asked Eugene.

Of course, Eugene only smiled because he was burdened by Cambacérès’s interest.

This was because there was a prejudice that he might be seen as a homosexual.

Fortunately for Eugene, it was not Cambacérès’s taste.

“No, not yet.”

In fact, there is a reason why Cambacérès finds it strange.

Unlike ordinary revolutionaries, Napoleon is a person who treats church issues with considerable care.

Also, his half-uncle Fesch is a priest with Corsica as his diocese and is already receiving preferential treatment from the Vatican.

Above all, due to the ‘restoration of the Holy Land,’ which is an achievement of the ‘Bonaparte’ family, the Vatican is also showing a friendly attitude.

So why postpone the church issue without resolving it?

There will be opposition from the hard-line revolutionaries centered on the Jacobins, but there is no reason for Napoleon to suffer a loss.

Even in the original history, Napoleon eventually concludes a [concordat] [an agreement between the Pope and a head of state].

Then Lucien, who was heading to the lounge, took something out and threw it.

“It must be because of this! You wouldn’t mention the term of office for no reason, would you?”

“What is it?”

“Look at this. Eugene. This terrible sound!”

Eugene was startled when he took the paper that Lucien had thrown.

-〈Consul Bonaparte, planning the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty?〉

A pamphlet.

It is also a propaganda pamphlet with harsh phrases that were rampant in the early days of the revolution.

But the content is even more terrifying.

It is a slanderous plot that Napoleon is trying to restore the king.

“Why is such a terrible story circulating, Eugene?”

“I don’t know. Uncle. It’s definitely not something I wrote.”

“But in our ‘Bonaparte’ family, the one most closely related to the Bourbon family is you!”

Lucien, the Minister of the Interior and the highest authority in charge of security, flashed his eyes.

“It would be good to find out the mastermind behind this pamphlet. Otherwise.”

Eugene looked alternately at the pamphlet and Lucien, and replied coldly.

“You don’t need to tell me, Uncle. I will definitely find it.”

Autumn 1801.

A strange monarchist craze began to sweep France.

Moreover, with rumors spread by unknown people.