#king of Rome

[lesespoirsgrands]

[napoleondidthat]

Napoleon could always count on Chucky when no one else would be his friend.

[bunniesandbeheadings]

[louriee]

Napoleon II

#5- Angsty French Prince and The Duke Ever.

[empirearchives]

French people, here is the Prince, object of all our wishes. By Benjamin Zix, 1811.

Français, voilà le Prince, objet de tous nos voeux

Napoleon presenting Napoleon II to a French crowd in 1811.

[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.

[shannonselin]

Napoleon II, styled King of Rome, later Duke of Reichstadt, by Thomas Lawrence, 1818-1819

Napoleon’s only legitimate child, Napoleon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, was born at the Tuileries Palace on March 20, 1811, to all the splendor of the French Imperial Court. His birth was a touch-and-go affair. The doctor feared that either Napoleon’s wife, Marie Louise, or the baby might die. Napoleon said he would have preferred being at a battle.   

The baby was given the title of King of Rome. He was later known as Napoleon II, the Prince of Parma, and the Duke of Reichstadt. He did not hold all of those titles at the same time, and you can tell whether someone was a supporter of Napoleon based on how they referred to the boy after 1815. His nickname was l’Aiglon, or the Eaglet (one of Napoleon’s symbols was the eagle).

He led a short, sad life, living in exile from France and dying of tuberculosis at the age of 21. For details, see “Napoleon II:  Napoleon’s Son, the King of Rome.”

[songspiral]

"King of Rome" by Pet Shop Boys

[microcosme11]

The only review. It doesn't surprise me that it's confusing. Napoleon probably got distracted while dictating it along with five other things. And he told his son, The world is governed by love and fear? I think greed should be in there.

[lesespoirsgrands]

Look what I've found on Internet Archive:

L'Aiglon in Spanish!

https://archive.org/details/elaguiluchodrama4051rost

(I hardly know a word of Spanish, but it appears to be abridged; which I, honestly, understand, because Rostand as an author is a magpie and a chatterbox – still, can't help but love him; and look at those sweet little pictures!)

[captainknell]

I have been trying to formulate a response for some days, but when I was reading I came across this passage which I thought summed it up nicely:

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 😔😔

[napoleondidthat]

“Look at you! I am disappointed! Needed an heir to conquer the world and all that you do is lay there like you’re dead!”

[empirearchives]

Allegory of the Birth of the King of Rome, 1811

Ernest Joseph Bailly

Museum of Fine Arts Ghent

[sforzesco]

WILL NO ONE RID ME OF THIS TROUBLESOME PRIEST ROMAN?

When Caesar arrived in pursuit on the third day, Theodotus showed him Pompey's head and ring, but Caesar was offended and wept.

-Liv. Per. 112.4

the title quotation is referring to the famous quote associated with the henry II-thomas becket conflict. the uhhhhh. the themes match, somewhat. feels the same, in some kind of way. anyway, fucking RIP to caesar and pompey. it's gotta be lonely, to start off as three, and then two, and even locked in conflict, there's a familiarity of being known that you're never going to have again. ah, what loss. what tragedy. etc etc etc.

[alexjcrowley]

Those About To Die's decision to make Domitian an evil twink must be the best rebranding I have ever seen

[lesespoirsgrands]

Lydia Yavorskaya as the Duke of Reichstadt in L'Aiglon

I've seen images of Sarah Bernhardt and Maude Adams in here, but... Early 20th century Russia also did have a Rostand craze! One of our most admired — and truly groundbreaking, and very very queer — female poets, aged 17, even contemplated sneaking a pistol to the theatre for L'Aiglon and shooting herself in the audience during the show. Y'know, normal teenage shit.

And one of my absolute favourite artists created a ginormous panel after La Princesse Lointaine, which, in spite of its size, got sort of lost for several decades, but then rescued, and now it can be viewed in all its glory in the Tretyakov Gallery.

However, turns out, only Cyrano de Bergerac was really here to stay, it is still staged and well-known and loved (who could ever guess that a country known for its literature-centric culture and the ugliness of its men would develop a special fondness for a story of an unfortunate-looking gifted man of letters?), while L'Aiglon and La Princesse Lointaine are basically forgotten.