#claude francois de meneval

[mamelukeraza]

my fucking depiction of the baron de méneval because i'm obsessed with that twink

tw: cringe

that's all yall peace

[captainknell]

At least he knew it was writing and now a map...

Méneval's first time seeing Napoleon's handwriting

Méneval was one of the few people that knew how to decipher Napoleon's bad handwriting but it wasn't like that at first.

Shortly after the 18th Brumaire, the Consuls still occupying the Luxembourg Palace, I was at the house of Colonel Louis Bonaparte, who had been appointed to the command of the 5th regiment of dragoons; he was living at the Hotel La Trémoille, in the Rue de Vaugirard. He showed me a manuscript of about fifteen folio pages, entirely written by Napoleon. It was the draft of a speech composed by him whilst still only an artillery lieutenant, on the subject proposed for a prize essay by the Academy of Lyons: “What are the Truths and the Sentiments which it is Most Important to Inculcate to Men for their Happiness?” Louis Bonaparte had tried to decipher this manuscript, but, rebutted by its difficulties, had given it up. That was the first time that I saw Napoleon’s writing. I seemed to have hieroglyphics before my eyes.

Hieroglyphics 😂 What a comparison. If he had said Chinese characters, it'd be more funny lol.

De Méneval, Baron C.-F. Memoirs of Napoleon: The Court of the First Empire, Vol. I (p. 42). Friedland Books.

[microcosme11]

Gothic dream of Baron Méneval

Claude Méneval, Napoleon’s former secretary (then Marie Louise’s secretary) intended to follow Napoleon’s fortunes after his second abdication; they were at Malmaison. Due to a pressing desire to see his wife and child, Méneval left temporarily. In the morning, Napoleon had gone without him. He desperately tried to catch up to Napoleon’s entourage but was prevented by barriers and official orders. Méneval felt terrible, that Napoleon must have thought he’d abandoned him. Only when Mme de Montholon returned to France (1819) did he find out that Napoleon had said only nice things about him. But he apparently still had a lot of guilt.

The news of the Emperor's death caused a consternation in me against which I should have thought myself better armed. I became the victim of veritable hallucinations. In one of my painful sleepless nights it seemed to me that I was in a drawing-room at the Tuileries, hung with dark green velvet hangings. A semi-obscurity which reigned in this room and the absence of all apparent ornaments gave it a sad and severe aspect. I saw the Emperor standing here, leaning against the mantelpiece, on which a candle was burning, whose feeble ray only lighted a small part of the drawing-room. He was alone, and seemed to expect me. His face bore the stamp of profound sorrow. He was dressed in a white flannel dressing-gown and wore a Madras handkerchief knotted round his head. After some moments, the silence was so solemn that I did not dare to break it, he said to me these only words : "Let us go to dinner." At the same time he stepped towards an open door opposite the mantelpiece, I followed him. We passed through numerous drawing-rooms all the doors of which were open, and which were hung with sombre coloured stuffs and feebly lighted. Like ghosts we glided over carpets whose thick folds deadened the sound of our feet. A gloomy silence reigned in the apartments. There were neither officers, nor pages, nor servants there. We at last halted in a room which appeared to me to be immense, and in the middle of which was a large table covered with a green cloth. On this table were two silver trays and a plate on each, opposite each other. A three-branched flambeau, with a shade over it, separated the two trays, behind each of which was placed an armchair. This room was as desolate and as unfurnished as the others. The Emperor motioned with his hand to the side of the table which was nearest the door by which we had entered, without saying a word, and went and sat down on the other side before his plate. I found my plate full of a kind of black broth which I tried to taste, but which seemed to me unendurably bitter. The light which was placed between Napoleon and myself prevented me from seeing him, but on raising my head and casting my glance in his direction I remained stricken with terror on beholding the Emperor's head above the light, with his eyes, full of a strange expression, fixed upon me. He was standing up and appeared to me of a gigantic size. His face was livid and cadaverous. His wraith staggered some steps forward and then disappeared in an obscurity which my eyes could not penetrate. My hair stood up on my head, and in spite of my efforts to follow him my feet were fastened to the ground. I tried to cry out but my tongue clove to my palate. The light had gone out and a fearful silence, the silence of solitude, reigned in the apartment. It was indeed at the banquet of death that in a dream I had been present. The convulsive agitation in which I found myself aroused me from my sleep. I was bathed in perspiration. The vision had disappeared, but I remained for a long time under its painful impression.

Memoirs to serve for the history of Napoleon I by Claude-Francois Meneval, vol. 3, p.484

[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!

[snowv88]

Napoleon Tells His Secretary to Get Married

Perhaps this could be part 2 of the 'Napoleon Wants You to Get Married' series? I've shared about how Napoleon matchmaking his ADCs, here.

Now, we have Napoleon's secretary, Menéval, recalling in his memoirs how Napoleon kept bringing up the topic of marriage starting as early as 1805, when Menéval was still 27 years old.

...He used to urge me to get married, assuring me that he would arrange my work in such a manner that I should get some rest. Various matches were proposed to me by him and the Empress Josephine, including a lady who was one of her relations, and whom she obliged me to call upon at her house. But at that time I did not feel any vocation for marriage. Besides, I was determined that if I ever did make up my mind to get married I would choose my own wife. As a matter of fact, more than two years passed before I contracted the irrevocable bonds, the solemnity of which so impressed me...

Oh it's not just Napoleon, Josephine also matchmaked -- probably Nap's influence 😆 It must have been a drag to call on that lady whom he wasn't interested in getting together with.

In any case, here is an example where Napoleon's influence didn't work but it didn't mean he didn't keep trying to get his secretary hitched and by 1807, Menéval finally had enough of the Emperor's nagging and courted a wife on his own terms,

The Emperor always wanted me to get married. He was constantly speaking to me on this subject. He was constantly saying: “Well, when are we going to get married?” I had had time to think the matter over. But I was so jealous of my independence that I did not want the Emperor or the Empress to interfere in my marriage. It was only later that I determined to face this great problem, which was solved to my entire satisfaction. I selected my wife from an honourable family and in making my choice was not influenced by anybody else. I did not regret what I had done, for the future which opened before us was sufficiently bright to satisfy all our ambitions...

Imagine coming into work and your boss starts off the day by saying, "So when are you getting married?" 😅

But good on Menéval on deciding his own spouse! He married in October 1807 after the Treaty of Tilsit was signed and when everyone was pretty optimistic of the upcoming peace in Europe hence the "...future which opened before us was sufficiently bright to satisfy all our ambitions..."

Napoleon gave Menéval 100,000 francs as a wedding gift which is a pretty good gift. He also gave Menéval and his new bride a new set of apartments in the Tuileries where they will be staying due to the nature of Menéval's job.

De Méneval, Baron C.-F.. Memoirs of Napoleon: The Court of the First Empire, Vol. II (pp. 20-21, 89-90). Friedland Books.

[snowv88]

Méneval's first time seeing Napoleon's handwriting

Méneval was one of the few people that knew how to decipher Napoleon's bad handwriting but it wasn't like that at first.

Shortly after the 18th Brumaire, the Consuls still occupying the Luxembourg Palace, I was at the house of Colonel Louis Bonaparte, who had been appointed to the command of the 5th regiment of dragoons; he was living at the Hotel La Trémoille, in the Rue de Vaugirard. He showed me a manuscript of about fifteen folio pages, entirely written by Napoleon. It was the draft of a speech composed by him whilst still only an artillery lieutenant, on the subject proposed for a prize essay by the Academy of Lyons: “What are the Truths and the Sentiments which it is Most Important to Inculcate to Men for their Happiness?” Louis Bonaparte had tried to decipher this manuscript, but, rebutted by its difficulties, had given it up. That was the first time that I saw Napoleon’s writing. I seemed to have hieroglyphics before my eyes.

Hieroglyphics 😂 What a comparison. If he had said Chinese characters, it'd be more funny lol.

De Méneval, Baron C.-F. Memoirs of Napoleon: The Court of the First Empire, Vol. I (p. 42). Friedland Books.