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Originally Posted by violent by design
Was there any practical difference when Napoleon called himself Emperor instead of King?
Also, was it established that if Napoleon died, someone from his house would legally take over as his successor?
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Napoleon declared himself "Emperor of the French" and not merely of France, suggesting the greatness of not only himself, but that the country was a "global power" with lands, territories and dominions beyond traditional borders.
Napoleon got busy creating a dynasty soon after making himself emperor. He got short of Empress Josephine and married Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, grand niece of Marie-Antoinette who gave him a son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte .
Upon his abdication Napoleon tried to do so in favour of his heir, but the victorious powers would have none of it and thus the thing was made unconditional.
Napoleon II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Napoleon really did love Josephine, and were circumstances different he probably would not have divorced her, however age was against the empress. It was clear her baby making days were over and the emperor needed to consolidate his gains. There is no point in starting a new dynastic monarchy if you don't have dynasts.