#armand de caulaincourt

[crazykotyara12]

I get him, I wouldn't wanna go either

[impetuous-impulse]

His "squire", I believe, was Caulaincourt, and the pistols were passed on to his descendants. Link to the article about the auction on the Osenat website here.

NAPOLEON'S PISTOLS

NAPOLEON’S PISTOLS

Two Pistols belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte have sold at an auction in France for $2.7 million. The pistols are decorated with gold and silver which include an engraved image of Napoleon. They were used at the end of the end of his life in 1814, when foreign forces occupied Paris. Napoleon gave the pistols to his squire to thank him for his loyalty.

#napoleon #napoleonbonaparte

[empirearchives]

Napoleon found that his friendships with men often began with physical attraction, and this took a curious form. ‘He told me,’ says Caulaincourt, ‘... that for him the heart was not the organ of sentiment; that he felt emotions only where most men experience feelings of a different kind: nothing in the heart, everything in the loins and in another place, which I leave nameless.’ The feeling Napoleon described as ‘a sort of painful tingling, a nervous irritability... the squeaking of a saw sometimes gives me the same sensation.’

Source: Vincent Cronin, Napoleon Bonaparte: An Intimate Biography

[blueiscoool]

Napoleon’s Ornate Flintlock Pistols Sell for $1.83 Million

Two flintlock Gossard pistols once owned by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte have sold at auction for €1.69 million ($1.83 million).

The guns were sold at French auction house Osenat in Fontainebleau, just outside Paris, on Sunday. They were originally valued at an estimated €1.2 million-€1.5 million ($1.3 million- $1.63 million).

According to the auctioneer, they were given to Napoleon’s friend and squire Armand de Caulaincourt just after the emperor attempted suicide in April 1814.

Leading up to this date, Napoleon had fought a series of battles against a coalition of European states formed in response to his invasion of Russia.

Despite Napoleon winning a number of these battles, Paris fell to the allied coalition on March 31, 1814.

In the days before the suicide attempt, Caulaincourt said, “Napoleon had been talking about how to kill himself for days,” according to Osenat. The emperor “had frequently examined his pistols, removing bullets from his nécessaire” during this time, Osenat reports Caulaincourt as saying.

Eventually, Osenat says, Napoleon tried to kill himself using poison after signing the Treaty of Fontainebleau. He survived the attempt, abdicated and was exiled to Elba, an island off the Italian coast.

The guns were sold in a Burr walnut box with an ebony inlay. The lid of the box is lined with green velvet embroidered with the letter N, which is bordered with embroidered flowers. The box and two guns also bear Napoleon’s cipher.

Last November, Osenat sold one of Napoleon’s famous black hats for a record €1.932 million ($2.1 million).

Osenat said that the pistols were declared a National Treasure by the French government a week before they were sold, meaning that they cannot leave France.

“This pair of pistols represents the fall, the end, the abdication” of the French emperor, auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat said in a video posted by the auction house.

“Napoleon fell from the pinnacle of power. With this pair of guns, he considered committing suicide,” he added.

“It therefore represents the end, the image of the fall.”

By Catherine Nicholls.

[a-pepper-honey]

1, 7, 8, 9, & 19 for the historical ask game? (sorry if this is too many! you don't have to do them all hnfknfhkgn)

I am so sorry I completely forgot this existed. Thank you for the ask dshjdsk

Who is your favourite historical person?

I'm going to be honest I don't really have one. I'm not obsessed with any guy's biography in particular. I do have a weird affection for Marshal Ney, and also Armand de Caulaincourt, although I could not explain why. Probably the image of Caulaincourt as the only guy in Napoleon's carriage during his retreat from Russia, desperately trying to stop him from going to visit his lover instead of, you know, returning to Paris and save the Empire

7. Historical dressing, uniform or costume?

Ughhhh that is such a difficult question. I am going to say uniform. I am not certain of my answer. How could you make me choose

8. What is the last thing you have read/listened/spoke with historical reference?

Do history books count? If so, I'm reading a book about the American Civil War that is quite nice :)

9. Favourite historical film?

Oh god. See I don't watch a lot of films, and the four that immediately come to my mind when I'm asked for my favourite film are all historical. So, uh, in no particular order: 1917, Master & Commander, The Good the Bad & the Ugly, and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

19. Favourite historical book?

The Passion by Jeanette Winterson. It delves into both the Napoleonic wars and Venetian history, which are weaknesses of mine, and the prose is breathtaking. I ugly cried over this book :)

[flowwochair]

Okay I'm officially transferring that twitter draft over to Tumblr;

Here's my list of: Napoleonic figures as Love Live! characters!!!

Some of these are quite accurate some other ones are mostly random, well, here it is, shout-out to like maybe 2 people who will see this who are both Napoleonic Era and Love Live! fans

Napoleon - Setsuna Yuki

I just feel like she matches his vibe particularly when he was younger

Joachim Murat - Karin Asaka to slay literally and figuratively

Davout - Hanayo Koizumi their room is a fucking mess, does not know how to talk to people, please just be their friend

Bessières - Emma Verde idk how to explain, she just matches his vibe

Suchet - Lanzhu Zhong demanding yet it pays off in the form of success

Soult - Eli Ayase very strict disciplinarian

Lannes - You Watanabe very reliable, loves their friends a lot, if you ask them if they're okay more than once in one go they'll start thinking abt it too much and either start crying or speedwalk away awkwardly

Alexander I - Riko Sakurauchi oooooo you have homosexual feelings ooooooo

Armand de Caulaincourt - Maki Nishikino ooooooo you have homosexual feelings ooooooooo

Jean Andoche Junot - Yoshiko Tsushima batshit insane

I ran out of space for images!!! (posting from mobile) So I will continue in a reblog, hang in there friends: I'm not done yet ^-^

[flowwochair]

Ty for the tag!!! ( ´ ▽ ` ) 3 ships: BessiMu, MadoHomu, either NapJuno or LannePo can't pick

Last Song: 247 - STAYC

Last Movie: Nightcrawler (2014)

Last Show: currently rewatching Breaking Bad w/ my gf!!! since now I'm on season 3 (where I left off last time) it's now a first time watch I guess??

Last meal/snack: brazillian cheese bread

Currently reading: With Napoleon in Russia (Armand de Caulaincourt)

Favorite flower: sunflowers and tulips

Currently craving: a milkshake </3 Tags: too shy to tag </3 sob, anyone who sees this can do it (´･ᴗ･ ` )

Tag 9 People you want to get to know better!

3 ships: yumikuri, Wenclair, Diakko

Last song: Vineyard valentine- Adeline Troutman

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Last meal/snack: those crispy corn kernels lol

Currently reading: Black Beauty

Favorite flower: Imphepho

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Nine tags:

@demigoddisaster @salemsgrave @teawiththegods @darkacademymf @dionysian-bf @blyth-thehuman @goatjoy @henasse @princesmeadow

[count-lero]

Il neigeait. L'âpre hiver fondait en avalanche.

Après la plaine blanche une autre plaine blanche.

On ne connaissait plus les chefs ni le drapeau.

Hier la grande armée, et maintenant troupeau... ❄️

A drawing I made for a good friend of mine depicting Armand de Caulaincourt and emperor Napoleon during the tragic retreat of the Grande armée from Russia in the year 1812. 🇫🇷💔

[mamelukeraza]

A peculiar napoleonic entourage.

Some drawings I made for the modern!Napoleonic AU with my gf.

Monsieur de Méneval. He's a good guy. Kind of the Sire's pet, but he's nice.

Monsieur de Caulaincourt! This time he's not balding. However, he's got a temper, be careful!

The kind Grand Marshal of the Palace; Gérard Duroc. He's very gentle, his stuffed bear "Armand" isn't tho.

The emperor's sweet bodyguard; Roustam Raza. Kinda looks like a big baby. Perhaps he is. I know I'm missing a lot of them, if you wish, you could ask me to do some. Hugs!

[josefavomjaaga]

Ney talks too much

From the »Souvenirs« of Marshal Macdonald: On April 4, 1814 Napoleon first sent Ney, Caulaincourt and Macdonald to the tsar with an offer to abdicate in favour of his son Napoleon II. Alexander welcomed the negotiators in a friendly manner and treated them with an obligatory speech praising the valour of the French army and in particular its marshals.

When he had ceased speaking, Marshal Ney first rose to address him, and said some good things and many useless ones; we wanted to stop him; he said to us briskly in a dry tone: "Let me speak; you will have your turn." The Duke of Vicenza was seething with internal anger; it would have been better if he had answered, as he knew better the proper forms and had more moderation.

… and most likely would not have snubbed his fellow emissaries in front of the tsar like that. I just love to picture Caulaincourt choking while trying to swallow his anger, while Macdonald probably mouthed an inaudible »We’re sorry, please ignore him!« to the tsar behind Ney’s back.

[napoleondidthat]

"I told you that if you didn't stop losing Russia and dying all over, I would turn this carriage around and go home! Now get in!"

[joachimnapoleon]

“In less than two months’ time,” the Emperor said to me, “Russia will be suing for peace. The great landowners will be terrified, some of them ruined. The Tsar Alexander will be in a very awkward position, for at heart the Russians care nothing for the Poles, certainly not enough to face ruin for their sakes.”

To avoid being contradicted, the Emperor delivered a rapid fire of questions and of the answers that he wished to hear, preserving meanwhile the appearance of urging me to reply, and continually asking me—without giving me the chance to get in a word—whether I did not think as he did.

When he had done speaking, my silence angered him. He wanted a response that would strengthen his preconceptions. . . .

—General Armand de Caulaincourt, With Napoleon in Russia

[histoireettralala]

Now there is nothing for it but abdication.

All that could be done had been attempted. It was a marvel that, after the disastrous campaign of Leipzig, the Emperor had been able to resist the invaders for three months. The time was come to make peace, and if Napoleon was an obstacle to it, he must be persuaded to withdraw. The enthusiasm of the soldiers was for the dispirited and disillusioned generals only a warning that there might be difficulties with the army, still so susceptible to the magical influence of its great leader. Ney, who had saved the remnant of the Grand Army amid the Russian snows, led his raw battalions of young troops on field after field in Germany, and taken such a prominent part in the obstinate struglle on the soil of France itself, was now foremost in declaring that all was over. “It is only an abdication that can get us out of this,“ he said.

It was agreed that a deputation of the marshals should wait upon Napoleon after the review. It needed some courage to beard the lion. The Emperor was in a desperate position, and might take a desperate course. He was quite capable of arresting the marshals and sending them before a court martial, for he felt he could count on the soldiers still, whatever the leaders might say. Ney, always ready to take risks, offered himself as spokesman of the deputation. Two of the elder marshals joined him, Lefebvre, Duke of Dantzig, and Moncey, a veteran of the armies of Spain, now 60 years of age, who had commanded the National Guard of Paris on the day of the Allied attack, and who was to show next year on the occasion of Ney’s trial that his moral courage was as great as the soldierly resolution he had so often displayed in the field.

Napoleon had gone back to the palace, and was with Berthier, Bassano, Caulaincourt, and Bertrand, in his study, when the three marshals asked for an immediate audience and entered the room almost before a reply could be given. There was an awkward pause. Then Ney asked the Emperor if there were any news from Paris. Napoleon, though he had just heard from Caulaincourt of a hostile vote of the Senate, answered that he had no news of any kind. Then Ney said that he himself had bad news from the capital. The Senate had declared for the abdication of the Emperor. Napoleon showed no surprise, but quietly pointed out that this was beyond the powers of the Senate, and a matter for the vote of the whole nation. “As for the Allies,“ he said, “I am going to crush them before Paris.” Ney protested that further military operations were now hopeless, and at this point Lefebvre supported him. “It is a pity,” said Ney, “that peace was not made sooner. Now there is nothing for it but abdication.” Napoleon still remained calm. He began to argue about the military possibilities of the situation. He counted up the forces at his command about Fontainebleau, and those he could summon from other parts of France.  The Allies, he said, could not maintain themselves with a large army at Paris. He would cut them off from their communications, and the first success he won would be the signal for a widespread rising against the invaders. The marshals listened in stony silence. Berthier and the others said not a word in support of the Emperor’s plea to be allowed one more throw of the deadly dice of war. They were of Ney’s opinion.

While Napoleon was thus arguing to deaf ears, Macdonald and Oudinot entered and reported the arrival of their army corps. The Emperor hoped that they would support him, and spoke of the projected march on Paris. But they sided with Ney. “I declare to you, “ said Macdonald, “that we do not mean to expose Paris to the fate of Moscow. We have taken our decision, and are resolved to make an end of all this.” Once more Napoleon argued that the struggle could be resumed with good hope of victory, and finally declared that, notwithstanding the contrary opinion of the marshals, he would attack Paris. Ney interrupted him. “But the army will not march on Paris,” he said. For the first time Napoleon raised his voice, and looking the Marshal in the face said to him: “The army will obey me!” “Sire,” replied Ney sternly, “the army will obey its generals.”

It was a declaration of war. The two men stood face to face. The others looked on silently, expecting an outburst of anger from Napoleon. But after a pause he resumed his calmer tone, and asked the Marshals to withdraw and leave him alone with Caulaincourt.

A. Hilliard Atteridge - Marshal Ney, the Bravest of the Brave

[josefavomjaaga]

Duroc so deserves a biography. But I guess nobody is willing to be the first and wade through that amount of work in the archives.

op, how was the relationship between Duroc and Caulaincourt?

Great question! (And thank you for your patience with how long it took me to answer this.)

By nature of their respective jobs--Grand Marshal of the Palace and Grand Equerry--Duroc and Caulaincourt had to work together very closely. (If you'd like more details about how the Maison impériale functioned, I'd recommend Pierre Branda's Napoléon et ses hommes (2011), which has a lot of information about both Duroc and Caulaincourt). Duroc was responsible for overseeing the palaces' security and day-to-day functions (food, heating and lighting, laundry, etc.), while Caulaincourt was responsible for the stables and organizing larger voyages. As you can probably imagine, there was a lot of logistical overlap between all these areas, but I haven't read anything suggesting that they had conflicts over who was in charge of what. They seem to have respected each other's administrative abilities: for example, while Caulaincourt was off in Russia as the French ambassador, Duroc wrote to him (in October 1807) that while travelling the imperial suite had suffered "some accidents and repairs along the way. This never happens when you're here" (quoted in Olivier Varlan, Caulaincourt, diplomate de Napoléon (2018)).

Professional duties aside, they seem to have gotten along well personally. We really only have Caulaincourt's side of the story, from his memoirs, but when discussing the events in early 1812 leading up to the invasion of Russia, a time in which he frequently argued with Napoleon and more than once threatened to resign, he often mentions Duroc trying to persuade him that Napoleon still respected him and didn't want him to go. This was Duroc in his standard role as smoother of ruffled feathers, but Caulaincourt appreciated it as a mark of friendship: he noted particularly that everything Duroc said to him was "in a spirit of kindness and concern for myself." (With Napoleon in Russia, trans. George Libaire).

As several authors have pointed out, Caulaincourt and Duroc came from similar backgrounds--military men belonging to minor ancien régime noble families who ended up in key administrative roles in the imperial household and were heavily involved in diplomacy as well. Agathon Fain, one of Napoleon's secretaries, wrote that "Duroc and Caulaincourt...lived only the Emperor's life; it was said they had no thoughts, rules, or wishes besides his." (Mémoires du Baron Fain, 1908) While that's a bit of an exaggeration--they were people, not automatons--it speaks to their loyalty and competence. Nothing typifies that more than the retreat from Moscow, when they worked together to prepare the Maison impériale to fight their way out of Russia cross-country if they had to, while also trying to make sure that people didn't realize what a desperate position they were in. Per Caulaincourt's memoirs: "We agreed that henceforth everyone who fed in the Emperor’s Mess should be responsible for his own cup, plate and cutlery if he wanted to keep them. The pretext we gave was that the canteen mules were giving out." Even at the bitter end, they were two eminently professional and loyal men trying to make the best of a bad situation.

On a sadder note, after Duroc's death in 1813, Caulaincourt was the one who took care of putting his affairs in order (with help from Duroc's secretary in Paris, Le Duc), as well as taking care of all of the Grand Marshal's duties until Bertrand was appointed as a replacement that November. He wrote to Duroc's wife, "I know too well what you have lost not to completely share your grief."

[isa-ko]

I wanted to draw a not-marshal this time