#Napoleon and Marie Louise

[napoleondidthat]

My assassination at Schonbrunn would have been less fatal than my marriage to Marie-Louise.

-Napoleon Bonaparte

[empirearchives]

Louise and Nana

[historicconfessions]

[psycheswrathsposts]

Marie Louise Duchess of Parma in the 1955 Napoleon Movie

[natasyart]

Can anyone explain to me how Marie relationship with her son, Napoleon II? I really want to know why people hate her but I found no source in google 😔😔

[kririawhahha]

Napoleons son :3! 1!1!

original version under the cut

[captainknell]

*BOOK REPORT*

Napoleon and His Son by Pierre Nezelof

First of all, this book is called a "fictionalized biography" so that leaves me to doubt most of it as "fact", at least in a word for word sense. That is my disclaimer.

This book, unlike most Napoleon books I have read, tells what the characters are thinking and feeling and saying. It seems that normally in books, direct and known quotes are the only dialogue that occurs. The way that this one is written makes it feel as if you are really there and it is easy to visualize. It's not just some dry spouting of facts. That being said, I'm not sure how historically accurate it really is.

Our story begins with Marie Louise finding out that Napoleon has divorced Josephine and is looking for a bride. She soon finds out that she is the intended target and is upset, calling Napoleon "the devil" and "the antichrist".

The story progresses through their marriage and the birth of Napoleon II. Here is the one part where I actually feel bad for Marie Louise. I can relate to her on a mom level. She had a difficult birth and then, by etiquette at the time, didn't have the moments of bonding needed for a mother and baby, especially your first baby. Napoleon II had servants for everything. He did not even need his parents. A wet nurse breastfeed him, which again, was common at the time, but breastfeeding and skin to skin contact with a baby is a HUGE thing in bonding. Marie Louise never had that chance. Now I'm not condoning her neglectful behavior later on, but I understand the reason. She did not feel close with Napoleon II, and I think that made it easier for her to just ignore him and leave him to be brought up by tutors. I know with my first son, not having EVER been around babies, that I didn't know how to connect with him at first. My husband went as far as to accuse me of not loving our son when really I just didn't know how to interact with a baby. Once I figured that out, things were much better. But what I'm saying here, is that she didn't get the chance to figure that out. She didn't have to. There were people for her son's every need except that of a real mother.

Once Napoleon went into exile, first at Elba, and then again to St. Helena, Marie Louise ran back to the only life she knew without Napoleon: Austria. Napoleon II was only a toddler. They took away his toys and French clothes and did their best to make him an Austrian prince under Metternich's careful watch. They began calling him Franz. Eventually all his French staff were removed and replaced with Austrian staff. He was kept in the dark about many things concerning his father, especially where he currently was and how he was being treated. Meanwhile, Marie Louise had quickly fallen in love with Count Neipperg, and was concealing her new life, and even new children! from her son. She was away from Franz for years at a time, often making excuses on why she couldn't travel to see him.

Franz's only friends were Sophie of Bavaria and Prokesch von Osten. Sophie was his comfort and Prokesch was his hope. They were always making grand plans to help Franz return to the French throne. He felt that these were the only people he could trust. Everyone else reported back to Metternich, who was basically holding him prisoner, keeping him away from France and even his own inheritance.

Unfortunately, Franz was a sickly young man. By the time he was 21, he was on his deathbed. Unfortunately, Prokesch was away - meeting with Franz's grandmother, Laetitia (as it is spelled in this book), mother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Sophie went into labor also at this time with her second child, and was unable to see Franz once more. She had barely left his bedside during his illness despite her pregnancy. Begrudgingly, Marie Louise showed up, ordered by her father to do so. She couldn't stomach the sight of her dying son and kept fainting/running out of the room/leaving him alone. Franz died of Tuberculosis and Metternich slept easily, knowing that the threat of Napoleon was gone.

It was a very good book with an engaging story. I would definitely recommend, but again, I caution that it might not be 100% fact.

[crazykotyara12]

But there was a twist

The original reference:

[suburbanbeatnik]

I was interested about Napoleon ii , and do you think the reason or in part why his mother Marie Louise neglectfully treated him that way, was because of his French/ Corsican heritage, her Austrian prejudice upbringing against the French/Napoleon ? That’s would make sense on her having them (at times forcefully) assimilate him even altering his name.

Hmm, I think it's definitely possible. What do you think, @bunniesandbeheadings?

[microcosme11]

The Comtesse de Boigne likes the Emperor a little more this time

The Comtesse de Boigne was an émigrée. She later had a famous salon in Paris. These memoirs were only published many years after her death while her relatives waited for most of the people in it to die.

Some years afterwards I was present as an onlooker at a ball given upon the occasion of the baptism of the King of Rome. [...] The Emperor, followed by his escort, crossed the room as he arrived to reach the platform which occupied the back. He walked first with such speed that almost everybody, not excepting the Empress, was almost obliged to run to keep up with him. Dignity and grace were thus out of the question, but this rustling of skirts and rapid pace seemed to symbolise a dominant power which suited him. It was magnificent, though not in our way.

He seemed, indeed, the master of all this magnificence. He was no longer in his imperial costume, and the simple uniform which he alone wore in the midst of all this full dress made him a yet more striking figure, and spoke more loudly to the imagination than all the gold lace in the world. He was anxious to be gracious and kind, and made a far better impression upon me than at the other ball.

The Empress Marie Louise was a fine woman, fresh in appearance, but somewhat too red. Notwithstanding her dress and her precious stones, she seemed very vulgar and entirely without distinction.

I saw there the Princess Borghese, who seemed to me the most ravishing beauty that I had ever looked upon: to all her perfections was added the air of candid maidenhood as complete as any young girl could have, though if history is to be believed, no one ever had less right to it.

Memoires of the comtesse de Boigne by Louise-Eleonore-Charlotte-Adelaide d'Osmond de Boigne, 1781-1866. Published 1907.

archive.org

[bunniesandbeheadings]

I know I’ve rambled a lot about how Marie Louise was a bad mother

And she was.

But, I just want to say…if she was a bad wife?

Whatever.

Seriously whatever.

She was forced to marry Napoleon against her will. She signed up for none of that shit.

And she tries to be loyal to him! She does! I think she did love him very much, actually.

But you read things in her biographies like, “her Austrian family tried to turn her against Napoleon by telling her that he had cheated on her.”

And, it’s like…

They’re not wrong?

Napoleon did in fact cheat on her all the time.

“Her Austrian family told her that he had welcomed his mistress to Elba, just so she wouldn’t join him on Elba!” Cool cool. But did Napoleon, or did Napoleon not, welcome his mistress to Elba?

Exactly.

I hate on Marie Louise for being a bad mother.

But in regards to her being a bad wife?

That’s literally queen behavior.

Empress behavior.

If Napoleon hadn’t been a sack of shit husband maybe she would’ve been a better wife to him.

[napoleondidthat]

When you have to pick up your horse from valet parking.

[empirearchives]

Gown and train of Marie Louise of Austria, second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte

(Bust of Napoleon and painting of Marie Louise in the background)

Museo Glauco Lombardi

[duchesssoflennox]

”In the Arms of Empires: The Tender Tableaux of Napoleonic Motherhood”✨️❤️🤍

Napoleon-Era Maternal Portraits That Stole Hearts💗💗💗

[tiny-librarian]

Miniature of Napoleon, Marie Louise of Austria, and their son Napoleon II.

[historicconfessions]