Last post to convince me, I feel this spiraling. Also, you're one to talk. You have Prussia, Austria, Hungary, Belgium and I believe a few Balkan states. That is more colonies than you would think. France alone would also give you most of SE Asia anyways, not to mention French West Africa and Canada and the Louisiana territory.
EDIT IN RESPONSE TO ABOVE POST (We were writing at the same time): I asked if that was legal for story purposes, and the response was yes.