Thomas-Alexandre Dumas more prominent in the French Revolution?

[Zioneer]

I recently read the book The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss, and I've been fascinated by his biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, and the role he played in the French Revolution. However, Dumas was captured by the Neapolitans in 1799, and apparently was a broken man from then on.

What's the most prominent role General Dumas could get, and how could he get it? Could he rise to be a Consul of the French Republic? From The Black Count's words, it doesn't appear to be likely that he would try to become a monarch like Napoleon.

 

[snerfuplz]

My gut feeling is that he wouldn't be able to raise above a prominent general. The experience of Haiti seems to suggest Dumas would face increasing discrimination and hostility from Frenchmen.

 

[alexmilman]

I recently read the book The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss, and I've been fascinated by his biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, and the role he played in the French Revolution. However, Dumas was captured by the Neapolitans in 1799, and apparently was a broken man from then on.

What's the most prominent role General Dumas could get, and how could he get it? Could he rise to be a Consul of the French Republic? From The Black Count's words, it doesn't appear to be likely that he would try to become a monarch like Napoleon.

If he did not manage to get on the wrong side of general Bonaparte during the Egyptian campaign (and his health was not ruined while he had been held a prisoner) he had a decent chance to end up as one of the marshals of the Empire: he was already high-ranking general, popular, brave, and void of the political ambitions.

The funny thing about you question is that there is an humorous alt-history book in which he does become a ruler of France with the title of Basileus and is a great general and conqueror famous for his aggressive tactics. His 1st offset (a draw) is near the place called Austerlitz (but not exactly there) when his attacks are dwarfed by the artillery ambush organized by the Russian fieldmarshal Bonaparte.