Geoffroy-Château, Louis-Napoléon. Napoléon et la conquête du monde, 1812-1823: histoire de la monarchie
universelle [vt Napoléon apocryphe]
Title trans.: Napoleon and the Conquest of the World, 1812-1823: History of the Universal Monarchy
Divergence: 1812 CE
What if: Napoleon sought out and destroyed the Russian army rather than freeze in Moscow.
Summary: Napoleon keeps on going. Of special note are a chapter on developments in the arts and
sciences during 1812-1832 and another in which the author discusses a fantasy novel in
which l'empereur suffered an incredible defeat in a minor Belgian town called Waterloo.
Comments: The first novel-length alternate history written in French. Likely also the
first such in any language, as Disraeli's 1833 Alroy, q.v., is
perceived by some as secret history rather than alternate history. Certainly one of the
first stand-alone alternate histories of any length, and apparently also the first
recursive alternate history. Extensive synopsis in Alkon's "From Utopia to
Uchronia". The 1983 edition includes as an appendix "Comme quoi Napoleon n'a jamais
existe", by Jean-Baptiste Peres.
Published: As Napoléon et la conquête du monde, Dellaye 1836; and J. Bry 1851.
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Revised as Napoléon apocryphe, Paulin 1841; and Librairie illustrée 1896.
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As Histoire de la monarchie universelle (as by Louis Geoffroy), Tallandier 1983
(2235015301).
Original in: French.
Web link: Archive.org (1841 edition)
Uchronia is copyright © 1991-2024 Robert B. Schmunk