#klemens von Metternich

[jrkyy]

Metternich wip for a dumb video

[cedyat]

Oh, the things I would do for a Napoleonic themed fighting game...

Feel free to suggest some more characters in case I ever finish this. I was kinda running out of ideas 😅

[empirearchives]

I am now imagining Napoleon monkey hunting in America and eating coconuts to reflect on his past greatness

[little-candy-store-of-horrors]

To be fair everything was shit with Napoleon

[historicconfessions]

[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.

[classic-art-favourites]

Reception of Grand Duke Alexander Nikolayevich by Prince Metternich in the Vienna Hofburg in 1829 by Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller, 1839.

[ciderbird]

Sorry if this request bothers you but where are you reading stuff about the Congress of Vienna? I heard it's really chaotic there XO

Or maybe you could update us some interesting parts that happened in the Congress. I would appreciate it a lot! Thank you for answering 💗

It’s no bother at all! And to be honest, I myself need to read up on the Congress of Vienna because I only encountered bits and pieces about it in different memoirs and I know the timeline very loosely. But to give you a brief overview: five major European powers got together to discuss the future of the continent in the post-Napoleonic world and it went about as well as you’d expect. The meetings lasted for 9 months, interspersed with entertainment, intrigue, infidelity, personal drama, and interrupted by Napoleon himself returning from exile, at which point the participants decided to finally get their shit together. It effectively set up a new system in Europe, centered around preserving old monarchies and protecting the balance of the great powers.

But, of course, the numerous love affairs and anecdotes from the period is what makes up most of my personal interest (also Napoleon just straight up sending Alexander the letters between Talleyrand and Metternich plotting a secret anti-russian alliance and Alexander calmly showing it to them got to be one of my favorite moments)

I can’t recommend something definitive to read, as my own knowledge is really fragmented, but this book by Adam Zamoyski is a pretty good start

[araiz-zaria]

That Time When Midshipman Farragut Met Emperor Franz and Prince Metternich

While the ship that Midshipman Farragut was a part of anchored in Naples, aside from his visit to Murat's palace, there was other interesting events happening. One of them was the visit of the Austrian Emperor Franz and the King of Naples aboard the ship.

During this visit, Farragut was acting as an interpreter to the Emperor, and this happened... 👀

Metternich be like "...this Yankee boor, daring to call His Imperial Majesty 'Mister' like that??" 😒🥴🤪

...and this was what Farragut thought of Emperor Franz's and the King of Naples appearance 👀🙈🙈

[josefavomjaaga]

The Metternichs about Junot

Metternich to Mme Metternich, 14 February 1810 It is with true sorrow that I take up my quill today. Your letter of 26 January contains one of the scenes that show us the people of 1792 and 1793 exposed and naked. Place a being like J[unot] in a very high position, he will drink blood without letting any misgivings stop him.

That’s Metternich reacting to the news of the scandal Junot had caused after having discovered the correspondence between his wife Laure and Metternich, proving they had had an affair. Metternich himself was not in Paris at the time but had left some time after the war of 1809 between France and Austria had begun, and in the meantime had taken over the ministry of foreign affairs in Austria. However, Lorel Metternich with the kids had stayed in Paris, and Junot had dragged her right in the middle of a scene of severe domestic violence that she immediately informed her husband of, with the help of a secret agent Metternich had in Paris, Benoit des Androuins.

Interestingly, Lorel Metternich at first does not mention any involvement of Caroline Murat in this event, she only lists her as one of the people gossipping about it.

Other than that, Lorel apparently behaved as prudently as she could once she had entered Junot’s house. According to the letter by Androuins, Junot had forced Laure to write a message to Lorel, urgently inviting her over. On entering, Lorel found Laure Junot crying on the sofa, hiding her face in both hands. - According to Laure’s own journal intime, the last hours had been a nightmare for her, including attempted rape and attempted murder. - Once Lorel Metternich was in the room, Junot locked the door behind both women and started to rage against Metternich, demanding Lorel take revenge upon him etc. The only thing Lorel answered was: "But you are mistaken, Monsieur le Duc. This is not my husband’s handwriting." - Despite the fact she had obviously recognized it. Again, according to Laure’s journal intime, she at some point managed to silently ask Laure if she could do something for her.

Despite Lorel’s calm reaction, the scene must have scared her a lot. At least she seems rather relieved to learn that the Junots were to leave the capital, when she writes to her husband:

Bluebeard has finally left with his amazon and, as I am assured, probably never to return.

"Bluebeard" obviously referring to Junot.

Edit: Forgot to add the source for the two letters: Conti, "Metternich und die Frauen", Vol. 1 - The description of what may (or not) have happened during the night when Laure was alone with Junot are a brief summary of the excerpts from Laure's "journal intime" quoted in Toussaint du Wast, "Laure Junot". It is to be noted that this "journal intime" may have been written years after the event for Balzac, and that it is per se unverifiable.

However, Lorel Metternich calling Junot "Bluebeard" at least strongly hints at her, too, being convinced that Junot had physically abused and possibly tried to murder Laure.

Edit II: On second reading, I added an "attempted" to the accusation of rape. Of course, by the reasoning of the law at the time, rape in the judicial sense would not even have been possible between spouses. Obeying to the husband's needs was the wife's job. - As to Laure's "journal intime", she describes that Junot tried to force himself on her, but claims that she managed to make him stop. (I am not sure I fully believe her.) Junot then at some point attacked her with a pair of scissors, wounding her, before trying to strangle her. He only stopped when Laure was close to loosing consciousness and when he literally saw her blood on his hands. That's how Madame Metternich found Laure on entering.

[cedyat]

There is a Metternich wine being sold in basically every German supermarket. I've known about if for years, but only now decided to look into the backstory of that and it turns out that Metternich was gifted the vineyard Johannisberg in the Palatinate (a region known for its vineyards) to secure his financial situation after the wars.

I mean if Napoleon gets accused of "starting wars for fun" I'm gonna start spreading the word that Metternich stirred shit up so that he could eventually slap his name on some mid wine :P

[lordcastaway]

"Je t'ai écrit dernièrement que, quand je rêve, je suis pendant vingt-quatre heures dans une disposition particulière et qui jamais n'est gaie. Eh bien, j'ai rêvé la nuit dernière que j'étais à Londres; je suis allé à Drury Lane et, peu après mon arrivée dans la salle, je t'ai vue arriver dans une loge vis-à-vis de la mienne. Tu m'as reconnu sur-le-champ. Ton mari était avec toi. Tu m'as fait signe de ne pas venir chez toi... J'étais au désespoir".

part 1 out of probs just 1 cause i am a clown of a passage from metternich's letters to lieven that haunts my own dreams. the haunting part is not included in this art, though 🤡

[napoleonic-confessions]

[historicconfessions]

[otdhistoricalbirthdays]

Happy birthday to Klemens von Metternich! (May 15th, 1773)