Napoleon II
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Napoleon II (Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte; 20 March 1811 – 22 July 1832) was the disputed
When Napoleon I tried to
His cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, founded the Second French Empire in 1852 and ruled as Emperor Napoleon III.
Biography
Birth
Napoleon ll was born on 20 March 1811, at the
The baptism ceremony was beautiful and impressive; the scene in which the emperor took the infant from the arms of his noble mother and raised him up twice to reveal him to the public [thus breaking from long tradition, as he did when he crowned himself at his coronation] was loudly applauded; in the monarch's manner and face could be seen the great satisfaction that he took from this solemn moment.[1]
He was put in the care of Louise Charlotte Françoise de Montesquiou, a descendant of François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, who was named Governess of the Children of France. Affectionate and intelligent, the governess assembled a considerable collection of books intended to give the infant a strong grounding in religion, philosophy, and military matters.[1]
Succession rights
As the only legitimate son of Napoleon I, he was already constitutionally the Prince Imperial and
Reign
On 29 March 1814, Marie Louise, accompanied by her entourage, left the
In 1815, after his resurgence and his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon I abdicated for the second time in favour of his four-year-old son, whom he had not seen since his exile to Elba. The day after Napoleon's abdication, a Commission of Government of five members took the rule of France,[4] awaiting the return of the Bourbon King Louis XVIII, who was in Le Cateau-Cambrésis.[5] The Commission held power for two weeks, but never formally summoned Napoleon II as Emperor or appointed a regent. The entrance of the Allies into Paris on 7 July brought a rapid end to his supporters' wishes. Napoleon II was residing in Austria with his mother.
The next Bonaparte to ascend the throne of France, in 1852, would be Louis-Napoleon, the son of Napoleon's brother Louis I, King of Holland. He took the regnal name of Napoleon III.
Life in Austria
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From the spring of 1814 onwards, the young Napoleon lived in Austria and was known as "Franz", a German language cognate of his second given name, François. In 1818, he was awarded the title of Duke of Reichstadt by his maternal grandfather, Emperor Francis. He was educated by a staff of military tutors and developed a passion for soldiering, dressing in a miniature uniform like his father's and performing maneuvers in the palace. At the age of 8, it was apparent to his tutors that he had chosen his career.
By 1820, Napoleon had completed his elementary studies and begun his military training, learning German, Italian and mathematics as well as receiving advanced physical training. His official army career began at age 12, in 1823, when he was made a cadet in the Austrian Army. Accounts from his tutors describe Napoleon as intelligent, serious and focused. Additionally, he was very tall, having grown to nearly 6 feet by the time he was 17.
In 1822 the
His budding military career gave some concern and fascination to the monarchies of Europe and French leaders over his possible return to France. However, he was allowed to play no political role and instead was used by Austrian
Upon the death of his stepfather, Adam Albert von Neipperg, and the revelation that his mother had borne two illegitimate children to Neipperg prior to their marriage, Franz grew distant from his mother and felt that his Austrian family were holding him back to avoid political controversy. He said to his friend, Anton von Prokesch-Osten, "If Joséphine had been my mother, my father would not have been buried at Saint Helena, and I should not be at Vienna. My mother is kind but weak; she was not the wife my father deserved".[7]
Death
In 1831, Franz was given command of an Austrian battalion, but he never got the chance to serve in any meaningful capacity. In 1832, he caught pneumonia and was bedridden for several months. His poor health eventually overtook him and on 22 July 1832 Franz died of tuberculosis at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.[8] He had no children; thus the Napoleonic claim to the throne of France passed to his uncle Joseph Bonaparte and later to his cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who later founded and reigned over the Second French Empire, styling himself Napoleon III.
Disposition of his remains
On 15 December 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the remains of Napoleon II to be transferred from Vienna to the dome of Les Invalides in Paris.[9][10] The remains of Napoleon I had been returned to France in December 1840, at the time of the July Monarchy.[11] In December 1969, the remains of Napoleon II were moved underground to the cella of Napoleon's tomb.
While most of his remains were transferred to Paris in 1940, his heart and intestines remained in Vienna, which is traditional for members of the
Legacy
- In 1900, Edmond Rostand wrote a play, L'Aiglon, about his life.
- Serbian composer Petar Stojanović composed the operetta Napoleon II: Herzog von Reichstadt, which premiered in Vienna in the 1920s.
- Victor Tourjansky directed a French-language film titled L'Aiglon in 1931, and he also directed a separate German-language version.
- Arthur Honegger and Jacques Ibert collaborated on an opera, L'Aiglon, which premiered in 1937.
- The journalist Henri Rochefort joked that Napoleon II, having never really governed, was France's best leader, since he brought no war, taxes or tyranny.[12]
He was noted for his friendship with Sophie, a Bavarian princess of the House of Wittelsbach.[13] Intelligent, ambitious and strong-willed, Sophie had little in common with her husband Franz Karl, the brother of Napoleon II's mother, Empress Marie Louise. There were rumors of a love affair between Sophie and Napoleon II, as well as the possibility that Sophie's second son, Maximilian I of Mexico, born in 1832, was the result issue of the affair.
Honours
- Austrian Empire: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen, 1811[14]
- First French Empire: Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour
- Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class
- Duchy of Parma: Knight Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Coats of arms
-
King of Rome
(1811–14) -
Duke of Reichstadt[15] (1818–32)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Napoleon II: King of Rome, French Emperor, Prince of Parma, Duke of Reichstadt". The Napoleon Foundation. napoleon.org. March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Château de Fontainebleau". Musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ISBN 2-207-23023-6.
- ^ "(N.275.) Arrete par lequel la Commission du Gouvernement se constitue sous la présidence M. le Duc d'Otrante". Bulletin des lois de la République française (in French). 23 June 1815. p. 279.
- ^ "(N. 1.) Proclamation du Roi". Bulletin des lois de la République française (in French). 25 June 1815. p. 1.
- ^ "Napoleon II Biography". Archived from the original on 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
- ^ Markham, Felix, Napoleon, p. 249
- ISBN 1-888071-02-8
- ISBN 978-1-929631-67-4(Synopsis & Review by Maria C. Bagshaw).
- ISBN 2847361847French wags at the time countered Hitler's propaganda by saying "Hitler stole France's coal, but returned to them the ashes." (French)
- ISBN 0-87338-484-9
- ^ Leo A. Loubere, Nineteenth-Century Europe: The Revolution of Life, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, p. 154.
- ^ Palmer 1994, p. 3.
- ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai". Archived from the original on December 22, 2010.
- ^ Hassel, Georg (1 January 1830). "Genealogisch-historisch-statistischer Almanach". im Verlag des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs. – via Google Books.
Sources
- Palmer, Alan (1994). Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-665-1.
- Welschinger, Le roi de Rome, 1811–32, (Paris, 1897)
- Wertheimer, The Duke of Reichstadt, (London, 1905)
External links
- German description of the arms of the Duke of Reichstadt, circa 1830
- Rose, John Holland (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). p. 49.