#meeting of Napoleon and Louise

[ciderbird]

Is there a single European monarch Alexander was NOT rumored to have slept with??

the ambassador in question is Caulaincourt btw. Oh but that’s not all.

the author then goes to assure that these relationships remained strictly platonic (which I’m inclined to agree with). But it is insane that Josephine died mere days after his last visit

[napoleonic-sexyman-tournament]

Jean Lannes:

a. “short, angry, ladderlord”

b. “His personality is attractive, plus the portrait of him by Julie-Louise Volpelière is so fine.”

c. “ITS LANNES also any1 who calls napoleon a whore with no fear of repercussions gets my vote”

Henry Paget:

a. “In 1809, Paget scandalously eloped with Lady Charlotte Cadogan (born 12 July 1781), the wife of Henry Wellesley and daughter of Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan and Mary Churchill. On 28 March 1809, Charlotte's brother, Henry Cadogan, challenged Paget to a duel: "My Lord, I hereby request you to name a time and place where I may meet you, to obtain satisfaction for the injury done myself and my whole family by your conduct to my sister. I have to add that the time must be as early as possible, and the place not in the immediate neighbourhood of London, as it is by concealment alone that I am able to evade the Police." It was suggested to Wellington that working with Uxbridge might be awkward. He said that he'd be sure not to elope with Uxbridge. Later, when Uxbridge was wounded in the leg at Waterloo, he said to Wellington "By God, Sir, I've lost my leg" to which Wellington responded "By God Sir, so you have." According to his aide-de-camp, Thomas Wildman, during the amputation Paget smiled and said, "I have had a pretty long run. I have been a beau these 47 years and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer." Had a total of eighteen children with his two wives.”

Admin note: His leg that he lost at Waterloo became a tourist attraction. This probably doesn't sway you on whether he's sexy, but it is fun nevertheless.

[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.

[josefavomjaaga]

A what if...

From the memoirs of general de Ségur, volume 1:

At the same time, M. de Thiard, one of us, had been invited to a secret meeting by the Prince of Lichtenstein. There, either because this personage had a mission, or because he himself was inclined by the custom of his court to come, through marriages, to the aid of his arms, his insinuations were such that, on leaving him, Thiard immediately felt he had to be announced to the Emperor: Lichtenstein, he told him, had just questioned him on the rumour that a princess of Bavaria was being sought for Prince Eugène; on his reply the Austrian prince had added: ‘Why would you stop halfway down the road? Doesn't Vienna also have princesses available? And couldn't peace be sealed by another marriage?’

So, basically the idea was that Eugène's Bavarian marriage should be replaced with an Austrian marriage - four years before Napoleon himself married Marie Louise. Interestingly, this idea ties in with one that Talleyrand seems to have proposed to Napoleon earlier, who was equally eager to secure a lasting peace between France and Austria (that would also set some limits to Napoleon's desire to expand France's borders).

It's an interesting what if. So what if Eugène had married some archduchess`?

Bavarian princess Auguste would have been free to marry her cousin Karl von Baden whom she believed herself so smitten with. Which... well maybe she would have become happy anyway.

In this case, Josephine could have remained empress for some more time. There likely would have been no treaty of Tilsit, no "division of Europe" between France and Russia. Maybe no Spanish quagmire then? There surely wouldn't have been a Fifth coalition war.

Or, Napoleon could have gotten rid of Josephine some years earlier and married Auguste herself, as had been proposed to him by Caroline (possibly Murat) and most likely King Max. Which would have created an interesting South versus North situation in mid-Europe.

France occupying Naples would have become extremely unlikely.

Which begs the question: What princesses did Vienna have "available", as Liechtenstein had said? Unfortunately I don't know much about Vienna's court at the time. This probably cannot have referred to Marie Louise who was only 14 at the time and a little young to be called "prête" for a marriage. The only other archduchess at the court in Vienna I could think of is this one:

Maria Luigia of Austria-Este, future empress of Austria (Francis' third wife).

Other than that, there were two unmarried daughters of Maria Carolina of Naples, but I don't think they were in Vienna at the time. Or were they? In any case, as Maria Carolina seems to already have vehemently refused an earlier proposal to become related to that monster Bonaparte, negotiating her into such a marriage probably would not have been easy.

If anybody knows more about possible Habsburg brides at the time (end of 1805/beginning of 1806) I'd be very happy to learn!

[flowwochair]

Doves and their Peculiar Taste (Aimevout) - Prologue

After much debate (and because apparently I have to wait to make an AO3 account????) I decided to post the prologue to the fic I have been working on here, depending on how long AO3 takes to release me from purgatory I might just go ahead and post the chapters I have so far on here too. NOTE: The fanfic starts with Aimée's engagement to Lannes and is meant to end with her wedding to Davout following her as she becomes disillusioned with Lannes and falls in love with Davout, who she meets by chance at an event hosted by her brother, the prologue is set before this. Although I tried to stick as much as possible to historical accuracy here there will most likely be bits that are not as accurate. I attempted to be as accurate as I could be to Aimée's initial engagement to Lannes and how things were going back then but I don't have a lot of specific info on that and the specific circumstances she was in and this fic is largely my own creative take on how the engagement was dissolved and how Davout and Aimée met. In reality, I don't even know if Davout and Aimée had met at all prior to their wedding, let alone have a soapy lovey dovey will they won't they slowburn romance develop between them. Likewise, I did my own take in characterization to some extent, I wrote the characters involved the way I see them/think of them, but some of them will change throughout the fic (notably Lannes, Davout, and Aimée). I apologize for any historical inaccuracies, like I said this is my own creative take about a very specific situation which I don't have a lot of insight on :((( . TLDR: there will probably be some historical inaccuracies here and there PLEASE dont be mean to me about it or I'm gonna cry and show up in your living room and throw up on your carpet, thank you. Anyways, enjoy.

Prologue – Scene 1

“An illegitimate child with another man?”

The words slapped Lannes back into consciousness as they left Bonaparte’s mouth.

“I find I should be concerned myself, my situation is not much better than yours, but, how do you feel?”

Lannes realized he had been venting to Napoleon without a second thought, and only then did the reality hit him. What now? Well, Napoleon was the best person to ask wasn’t he? “What now?” Lannes looked up at Bonaparte with a puzzled look, seeming almost as if half awake. “I guess I need a new wife”. Bonaparte could see his sorrow being converted into anger, typical for Lannes given his nature, “And have you thought of someone?” he asked, to which he earned  a quick reply from Lannes’s increasing frustration “Fuck no.”

Bonaparte reclined on his chair, staring down at Lannes who sat on a camp bed, his back hunched, his eyes on the floor. “Lannes,” as Bonaparte called, he looked up, eyebrows still furrowed, “You’ve become a close friend to me… and what do we want in life if not to see our friends cared for?”. Lannes’s expression changed to one of confusion, “What? Do you have someone in mind?”, he didn’t like it when Napoleon was vague with him. “I have already sought connections for my sisters, they are cared for, however, they themselves have connections which aren’t.”

“Well honestly I’m not sure if I wanna think about women at all right now.” Lannes hastily got up as he spoke, grabbing his hat in the process and turning towards the tent’s opening, until Napoleon stood up and grabbed him by the arm, “God, listen to me won’t you” with a movement of his chin he gestured towards he chair he previously occupied, “Sit.”

“Fine”, Lannes sat “Hurry up.” “My sister, Pauline, is married to Charles Leclerc, you know him do you not?” “Yeah whatever I think so”, Lannes gestured vaguely. “Leclerc has unmarried sisters, one in particular who is at proper age, Louise-Aimée-Julie Leclerc.” “I never met this girl.” “I have heard and read snippets of her character here and there, she seems like a docile girl, well behaved, just a bit shy but perfect for marriage, especially as a rebound after something like this. Not to mention, by marrying her, you would be brought into my family through her connection to my sister. You would be cared for in being provided with a good loving wife, a wealthy familial connection to the Leclercs, and a connection to me.” He spoke more as if he were pitching a business deal than as if he were pitching a marriage.

Lannes still looked at him, but this time with some interest. It would seem the ‘sales’ pitch may have been successful at hooking him in. Access to wealth… a connection to Napoleon… a docile wife who would not give him a bastard child. “Huh… What does she look like?”.

“Brunette, brown eyes, small stature, she is quite petite.” Bonaparte replied, still in the tone of someone selling furniture. “Well you know how I am-“ “I do and I am hoping you would not take such a style with her.” Bonaparte replied sternly, “Her brother is quite protective of her Lannes, you should treat her as a crystal if anything.” “Sure… well, fine, let’s give it a shot.” Lannes said, standing up once again, this time with a much more interested expression. “Great.” Napoleon stood up as well, extending his hand towards Lannes, “I will propose the idea to Leclerc tomorrow, he has been looking for a suitor to his sister, surely he will be pleased.” Lannes shook his hand “Surely”, he said with a smirk.

Lannes, having put his hat back on, then left Napoleon’s tent, as Napoleon sought an aide to write a letter to Leclerc on his behalf.

Prologue – Scene 2 Egypt had been hell for everyone involved, by then the campaign was falling apart and if anyone knew this for certain it was its leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, his return to France was already in plans. One of the many men condemned to stay in the hellish uncaring desert was one Louis Nicolas Davout. In a situation not too dissimilar from that of Lannes, having recently divorced his wife for an incident of a similar nature, he was down on his luck, one of the few things which at the very least kept him alive was his friendship to one Louis Desaix. “Davout?”, Desaix whispered, entering Davout’s messy tent, a stained jacket sat in rough shape on a chair near his bed, where Davout himself was sitting, staring at his glasses, the left lens badly shattered.

“Still awake hm?” Desaix sat on the chair facing him, his eyes attempting to meet Davout’s downward gaze. “Mhm.” He didn’t speak much, he never did, even to his closest friends, but still Desaix could read him so well, and he knew Davout was tired, he had been for a while. Desaix gently took the pair of glasses from Davout’s hands, which made Davout look up at him, “I’ll get take these with me, and send you a brand new pair from France! Whaddya think?” Desaix smiled at him. Although his expression did not change, Desaix could tell Davout’s mood had lightened slightly at the interaction. “Have you thought about what I said to you?”, Desaix kept his eyes fixed on Davout, concentrating in reading his expression. Davout looked down again, making Desaix concerned. “I don’t see the point. I tried once, it did not go well, why should I try again? I doubt it would result in success, besides I don’t have much to offer, it would simply be a pointless transaction on both ends.” Davout answered in a matter-of-fact manner, he looked up at Desaix once more with a straight expression. “You just haven’t met the right girl yet, you’ll see”, Desaix had been insisting a similar plea to Davout for long now, it wasn’t the first time Davout had heard him say this. “I am to return soon… I could… I could sneak you, yes, in the ship back to France, and-“ “General Bonaparte would never-“ “I don’t care what he has to say! I’ll sneak you in, I’ll take you to France, maybe you’ll meet someone there! Maybe at least you’ll change your mind, I could-“ “Desaix.” At this point, Davout was looking at him with concern. Desaix realized he was failing at hiding his distress. “I’m sorry.” He realized he had lifted off the chair towards Davout when he was speaking, he sat back down. “I worry about leaving you alone, I really do.” He placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his knuckles. There was silence between them for a little while.

“I’ll be fine,” Davout spoke, as he did Desaix looked up at him, his smile slowly reappearing. “I suppose as long as I am alive I am fine”, Davout shrugged. “Surely”, Desaix chuckled. Hesitantly, he stood up. “Keep me informed Davout, we should meet as soon as you yourself return to France, which I am hoping will be soon.” “I’ll try to remember to write to you, but you should write to me when you get there.” Davout responded, Desaix laughed at his response much to Davout’s confusion. “I will, have a good night Davout, I hope you’ll be at the port before I leave.” “I am hoping you do not intend to-“ “I won’t sneak you into the ship I swear! I just want to say my goodbyes that’s all” Desaix spoke honestly. “I’ll be there.” In a rare sight, Davout smiled at Desaix.  “See you.” Desaix gave Davout a pat on the shoulder before leaving his tent, still holding Davout’s glasses in his left hand. Not long after, Davout blew the only lit candle inside the tent, and tried his best to fall asleep.

Surely I’ll be fine.

[impetuous-impulse]

At What Point Did Ney and Soult's Relations Become So Embittered?

The more I find out how Ney and Soult are mentioned and perceived (in relation to each other) in the Napoleonic timeline, the more I am convinced that they were on decent terms up until the Empire was well-consolidated. This is mostly a response to this episode, which takes place four days before Napoleon's coronation. During that time, Soult was commandant-in-chief of the Camp of Boulogne and Ney was commandant-in-chief of the left wing of the army at the Camp of Montreuil. They mst have corresponded and cooperated well with each other on various matters, at least on a professional level. Attridge’s Ney biography has an episode about a hay bale conspiracy by the English that necessitated communication between both camps. Hayman, in his Soult biography, even hedges that they were willing to play court with each other through the unpublished correspondence of General Marchand (which he frustratingly paraphrases and does not give a date for).

[...] Marchand accompanied his own chief, Ney, to dinner with the Soults, indicating that these two rivals from the Sambre-et-Meuse were still on social terms. The dinner was followed by a magnificent ball given in honour of Louise Soult, who appeared in an elegant black dress covered with diamonds. The ball cost some six million francs to which senior officers were asked to contribute. Marchand hoped that a similar ball would not be given in honour of Madame Ney since he and his comrades just would not be able to afford it! (p. 50)

We can infer from this letter that around 1803-1805, Soult was still civil with Ney by inviting him to a dinner, and Ney still had some sense of being an equal to Soult despite being the Commander of Montreuil. I wonder if Ney himself contributed to Soult's ball (and if he was willing).

If the primary sources these biographies use are not all too reliable, at the very least, the first big rift in Ney and Soult's relationship that I found was in Saint-Chamans’ memoirs, quoted in Gotteri's Soult biography. This was after the battle of Eylau, 3 February 1807, when Napoleon held a meeting with his Marshals to discuss objectives. As I translate in approximation below:

Marshals Murat and Ney wanted to march onto Königsberg; marshal Soult held that it was necessary to retire behind the Passarge (a small river which was difficult to pass, fifteen miles behind Eylau), to fortify the points of passage, and wait in this position so that the troops can alleviate the fatigues they had accumulated, and so the reinforcements who, in our depots in France, were in route to come join us, would arrive; the discussion was lively, and the opinion of marshal Soult prevailed; marshal Ney was very offended by this [the original word is "piqué", lit. stung], and, from this moment, they were completely at odds [lit. they always made quarrels]. (p. 181)

And even then, Ney would make his remark about borrowing Soult's culottes to Soult himself just four months later, around 6 June 1807. They were evidently still able to joke around with each other after their military disagreements, which always happens on campaign, even between civil colleagues (examples I can think of include Lannes and Murat or Desaix and Saint-Cyr). Or maybe Soult did not reciprocate Ney's jokes by 1807; I have no way of knowing right now.

[sollannaart]

Józef Poniatowski’s women.

Part V. The rest of ladies who might have been of some interest to him

Good day everyone and let me share with the rest of information I possess on Prince Poniatowski's love interests. (Though, I have to admit, the ladies from this list were the least likely - from all the mentioned in these series of post - to have some kind of affair with Pepi.

To start I would like by Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen of Prussia.

On the right - unidentified artist, miniature portrait of Prince Poniatowski, 19th century. On the left - portrait of Queen Louise by Giuseppe Grassi, 1802.

Prince Józef had the opportunity to meet the wife of the king Frederick William III at least four times, because the royal couple visited Warsaw - which had become a part of Prussia as a result of the third partition of Poland - three times, in 1798, 1802 and 1805. And in 1802 Poniatowski himself had to go to Berlin, to settle the matter of the inheritance left by his uncle Stanisław August.

According to Juliusz Fałkowski, while at Warsaw Prince Józef "…gave a ball and a dinner in the Copper-Roof palace in their honor [the King and Queen of Prussia - A.S.] and was flirting with the Queen everywhere", for which he received the star of the black eagle, although he rather "expected something else from the beautiful queen." After the departure of the royal couple, "he longed a little for the crowned beauty who had easily won his heart in passing."

An Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun painting of Queen Louise, c. 1801

The second source that mentions the relationship between these two is the book by Marian Brandys "Kozietulski i inni", which states (without giving sources, unfortunately) that during Pepi's visit to the capital of Prussia "… it was also said that the beautiful Queen Louise fell in love with in a knightly Pole."

However, if you ask my opinion about the likelihood of an affair between Pepi and the Queen of Prussia, I will say that in my opinion he was "flirting" her to make it easier to solve the inheritance problem. As for the fact that she could also be in love with the prince, I have no opinion because my knowledge about Queen Louise is not very great.

The second lady in today's list will be prince Józef's first cousin once removed, Anetka Potocka (née Tyszkiewicz, the daughter of Konstancja Poniatowska and a grand-daughter of prince Kazimierz, the oldest of the Poniatowski siblings).

On the left - Poniatowski's portrait by Franciszek Paderewski, on the right - Portrait of Anetka Tyszkiewiczówna, Giuseppe Grassi, 1796.

Born in 1779, she was 16 years younger than Pepi, and she remained unmarried for quite a long time, becoming the wife of the Count Aleksander Potocki in 1805. (Marian Brandys, in the biography of Anetka's uncle prince Stanisław, states that some time before 1791 there was an idea to join all the Poniatowski estates marring Stanisław to his niece, but it was eventually abandoned.) The marriage brought them three children, but after 16 years Anetka asked for divorce and then wedded Colonel Stanisław Dunin-Wąsowicz. During the times of the Duchy of Warsaw, she was a frequent guest at the Copper Roof Palace, visited Paris, witnessed Napoleon's sojourns in Warsaw, with all of those events been described later in her memoirs.

Portrait of Countess Dunin Wąsowicz, Anna née Tyszkiewicz, 1836.

As for her relationship with Prince Józef, it were her own words that made Fałkowski write that "the beautiful prince fell in love with Anetka" although "it was a platonic feeling".

"… Mrs. Aleksandrowa (Anetka Potocka - AS ) herself half-admitted thisin her old age. ''On disait alors que le Prince Joseph avait pour moi un sentiment plus tendre que l'amitié (it was said that Prince Joseph had for me a feeling more tender than friendship),' she would recalled with a dreamy expression on her face."

The second thing that leads historians to believe that Pepi could have distinguished this cousin of his from other relatives is the provision in his will, according to which she was to receive, after the death of the prince's sister, Teresa Tyszkiewicz, his favorite palace in Jabłonna near Warsaw. And when this did happen, Anetka ordered a triumphal arch to be built in the park in memory of Prince Józef.

The palace in Jabłonna, 2019

The triumphal arch from Jabłonna's park, 2019

And collage of mine is an illustration to the part dedicated to the rest of the women, whose portraits I wasn't able find. And honestly, the evidence that they might have been Prince Józef's love interests is very weak. But, since historians from time to time do mention these ladies' names, I thought them worth being included as well…

For example, in the prince's testament, together with Henriette de Vauban, Zofia Czosnowska and the above mentioned Anetka Potocka, there was mentioned Elżbieta Merlini, the daughter of Dominique Merlini, an Italian architect, the last main builder of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But such concern for the architect's daughter may have been explained by a sense of moral debt to her father, which the prince Józef inherited from King Stanisław with the rest of the things.

Then, the list of Pepi's women sometimes complemented by another "Elżbieta" - Cichocka (although her real names were Emilia Karolina - or Katarzyna) née Bachmińska I° voto Szymanowska, II° voto Cichocka, III° voto Abramowiczowa. It is said she even sojourned in Jabłonna before 1810, until being apparently forced by Zofia Czosnowska to leave the place. After that Madame Cichocka went to Vilna, where she married her third husband. However, what IMHO should be taken into account in regards with this lady is that her second husband, Michał Cichocki, was an illegitimate son of Stanisław August, which might have made Prince Józef consider her a relative and thus take care about.

The same can be said about Madame Kicka - Józefa Martyna Rozalia née Szydłowska, who was a sister of Elżbieta Grabowska, another mistress of King Stanisław.

Sometimes the names of women who were friends and companions of Madame de Vauban are also included to the list of prince Józef's love interests. Those are: Anna Krasińska, a relative of general Krasiński and the wife of Mikołaj Oppeln-Bronikowski; Salomea Wielhorska née Dembińska; Anna Trębicka née Czerska, future wife of general Kamieniecki, and Józefa Potocka née Sollohub.

PS. As the regular visitors to the Copper Roof Palace are as well mentioned two ladies of the surname Walewska: Józefina née Lubomirska, the wife of Adam Walewski and the future wife General Witt, and Maria, the wife of Anastazy Walewski. The first of them was known for her kind of loose behavior, so presumably she might have at least flirted with Pepi; the second one is the famous Maria Walewska, but all I know about her makes me think her love for the emperor left no room in her heart for other men.

Portrait of Maria Walewska by Robert Lefèvre

[empirearchives]

Actual live footage of Marie Louise meeting Napoleon after complaining about having to marry the Corsican ogre, circa 1810:

[sappho-draws]

French Revolution lesbians that haunted my mind a couple days ago!! Meet Josephine de Anne(Pink dress with doves) an anonymous author publishing works against the king and was heavily involved during the Age of Enlightenment and Louise/Jean des Pierre(Gray Masc clothing with tricorne hat) who is disguised as a man to join the French Navy and taking down France's monarchy by force. Also fun fact, Louise des Pierre was actually inspired by Louise Antonini who also disguised herself as a man to join the French Navy during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars!! Also if you guys have any crits, or resourced regarding historical accuracy or any mistakes i made, shoot em right at me in the notes!!! ^^

[wickedsick]

Psychonauts Secret Santa 2023

@wonderlaneyart I'm your secret Santa this year! Sorry if it's a little short.

“This is going to be horrendous.”

Gloria sat behind a large black curtain, the only thing protecting her from what would surely be the worst flop of her entire acting career.

Nearby, Fred hovered nervously, wanting to help but unable to find the right words.

“...No?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw Napoleon looking at him with disdain.

“Non? You did this for a living and you say non?”

“Shut up,” Fred muttered under his breath. Turning back to Gloria, he tried again. “Look- e-even if it doesn't go to plan, it- it's going to be alright. There's no critics out there, nobody's going to- to do whatever mean people who don't like plays do. I don't know.”

Sitting down next to Gloria and adjusting his cape, he continued. “But, if you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. We can just show off Edgar’s props,” he said, gesturing to the backdrop and props of cardboard and black velvet Edgar had prepared.

“No-no, I can do this. I want to do this,” Gloria said, standing up.

“Gotcha. Well, I'll go raise the curtain then,” Fred said, running off to do just that.

Turning to face the thick curtain, Gloria felt the nerves that Fred had help calm get jumpy again.

I haven't been onstage in ages-

What if I've lost my talent-

Am I forcing everyone into this-

But then the curtain started to rise and she didn't have the time to think of those things.

It was time to act.

“The year is 1815,” Edgar narrated from behind the stage, flicking switches on his light board. “The month is May. The location is Blois, France. The weather is sunny. Our heroine sits in her study.”

The spotlight landed on Gloria.

“Ah, woe is me,” she said, “my husband, Napoleon, has been dethroned- and I know not yet what will happen to me, nor my son.” She gestured to a cardboard cutout of a small boy. “We were sent to this small village to escape the Sixth Coalition, but what are we to do now?”

As the light spread across the rest of the stage, Boyd entered, holding a prop letter. “Uh- madam, this arrived for you. It comes from Paris.”

As Gloria took the letter, she spared a quick glance to stage left, where Fred waited in the darkness.

“My dear Marie Louise,” Gloria read. As Fred’s spotlight flicked on, he began speaking with Gloria, writing the letter as she read it.

“I am writing you this letter to inform you that I have returned from exile. I have, with the support of my army and those fools who claimed to betray me to Louis XVIII, retaken my throne as Emperor, and removed the usurper who dared sit in my home.” Gloria stopped speaking, letting Fred lead. “Various countries- Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia- have pledged large armies to destroy me, and yet it shall be I who destroy them.” Fred’s French accent was comically over-the-top; he said he did it to annoy his ancestor. “Soon, ai shall march to meet zese armees, ét drive between zem a wedge. Ai mak fair bélgium een déux month's time. Béfaire zén, ai invité you to rejoin me een paris. Yur 'usband and empairair…” Fred’s light shut off-

“Napoleon,” Gloria read. “Oh, what am I to do? It is three days’ travel to Paris, so I have almost sixty days to decide. Ally myself once again with Napoleon, or remain here in Blois?”

She turned to the cardboard cutout boy. “Ah, my son. The Treaty of Fontaine prevents you from inheriting your father’s lands, his titles- You, who were once the heir to the French Empire, the King of Rome- what would you wish? To remain the prince of Parma? Or to reunite with your father, for a chance to reclaim the titles you were bestowed at birth? Be it better to stand upon the cliff, safe, or to leap for the heavens, at risk of falling like did Icarus to far lower than you have ever been?” Gloria was proud of that monologue- she had written that part herself. Most of the script was Fred’s invention.

“What troubles you, milady?” Edgar came in from offstage, as Boyd took over the lights.

“A-ah! Count Niepperg! What brings you here?”

“Checking in on you. And your son,” Edgar said. “No doubt that madman did horrible things to you both back in Paris- but worry not! The Seventh Coalition shall deal with him.”

Gloria’s face and tone turned icy. “The first five Coalitions did not ‘deal with him’. Even the sixth only deterred him for a time. Why should this one be the one to succeed?”

Edgar stepped back. He was quite a good actor- managing to make himself look small, as the shadows made Gloria seem more regal. “Milady, I- if it will assuage your fears-”

“I do not fear Napoleon. I bear no ill will towards him, as I hope he bears none to me. However, while there are no fears to be assuaged, you have indeed helped me- by helping me make up my mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“Napoleon has invited me to return to Paris. And now, I shall. I know not what will happen, with Napoleon or the Seventh Coalition, but I know the path I must walk.”

“Then I shall walk that path with you,” Edgar said. “May we both live to see the path’s end.”

As the curtain fell, the lighting changed to basic, warm light. With a deep exhale, Gloria stopped being Marie Louise and went back to just plain old Gloria. “How was that, everyone?” She asked, as Boyd and Edgar came out from behind the painted backdrop.

“I- I think that went pretty well,” Boyd said. “I mean, I only had one line, but I think I said the line well!”

“It’s your play, Gloria,” Fred said. “Do you think it went well?”

“Yes, I enjoyed it,” Gloria said, “But I don’t think I wanted it to be my play. I wanted to do it with you- so I do hope you all enjoyed it.”

“I liked painting the backdrop,” Edgar said. “I may have preferred to be the mailman, though.”

“I’d be good with being the- the Neeper guy,” Boyd offered.

“Niepperg,” Fred corrected. “Napoleon’s still muttering in my ear about that accent, but he says you made a great Marie Louise.”

“Oh, good,” Gloria said. “In that case, I say we take our bow.”

As the former inmates came out from behind the curtain, they looked out at the crowd- particularly, at row three, seat seven, where a kid in goggles sat, clapping louder than anyone.

As everyone worked together to take down the makeshift stage, Razputin came up to them.

“Hey, so- there’s no second act, so I was wondering what happened. Is this before or after the board game?”

“Before,” Fred said, chuckling. “Count Niepperg and Marie Louise went back to Paris, after which Napoleon left for the battle of Waterloo- which he lost. Ow!” Flinching, Fred turned back to Raz. “Yeah, he wanted me to say the game’s inaccurate. He actually lost because of the French Psychoseparatist Movement.”

“The huh?”

“A bunch of psychics who wanted to secede from the country and make their own little psycho-nation. A few of them attacked during the battle of Waterloo and messed up Napoleon’s back lines with a horde of bunnies.”

“Wait, bunnies?” Raz said.

“Yeah, some guy named Marcel Oleander controlled, like, three thousand bunnies to attack the French forces. Combined with a whole bunch of other stuff, they actually tilted the scales against Napoleon, and he ended up losing the battle.”

Raz looked deep in thought. “Huh.”

“They added some of that stuff in one of the expansions, but I always felt it messed with the game’s balance too much.”

[sensitiveuser]

Victorine Rouchy-Brocher

Heroine of the Commune, one of icon of anarchism...

Victorine Malenfant is the daughter of Pierre Malenfant, a fervent republican, who had taken part in the fighting. In December 1851, her father was on the proscription list as an opponent of Napoleon III. He took refuge in Belgium. At the age of 21, she was forced to marry Jean Rouchy, a member of the Imperial Guard. She worked as a seamstress. In 1865, Victorine joined a section of the International, then she participated in the founding of a grocery cooperative. Her commitment allowed her to meet Eugène Varlin.

On March 20, 1871, she enlisted as a canteen worker for the Battalion of the Defenders of the Republic. On April 7, the battalion marched towards Neuilly, where a violent battle took place. Victorine became an ambulance woman.

On May 17, she was congratulated by the Official Journal of the Commune for the audacity she had shown "in following the battalion into action and for the humanity she showed towards the wounded during the days of April 29 and 30."

On May 25, the court martial of the 7th sector unjustly condemned her as an arsonist. She managed to take refuge in Switzerland. In Geneva, she worked in a shoe factory. She founded a "shoe cooperative", which allowed her to help former Communards and Russian refugees.

After the St Imier Congress, Victorine joined the Jura Federation, and she was in contact with the Lyon refugee circle. According to Max Nettlau, François Dumertheray (co-founder of the newspaper Le Révolté with Kropotkine) and Antoine Perrare, who had both been involved in the Lyon Commune, "preferred anarchy to communalism very early on" and "arrived in their own way, independently, at anarchy; especially in opposition to certain circles of the Geneva proscription who still felt in possession of the power they had had during the Commune" (Max Nettlau, Histoire de l'anarchie, 1927). What is important, concerning their involvement in the Jura Federation, is that Victorine, François Dumertheray and Antoine Perrare were the first to evoke the idea of ​​a form of communist anarchism (Kropotkine would develop the idea in his theses a few years later). In 1878, while she was clandestinely returning to French soil, Victorine met Ballivet in Lyon. She belonged to the circle that had prepared the speech that Ballivet presented at the Congress of Lyon.

After the amnesty, in 1880, she returned to Paris, and she met Andrea Costa and Errico Malatesta. She is said to have witnessed Malatesta's arrest. It was then that she frequented an anarchist group. She wrote for La Révolution sociale, a magazine directed by Egide Spilleux alias Serraux, secret agent of prefect Louis Andrieux. In 1881, Victorine participated in the founding Congress of the International Working People's Association, as a delegate of the Cercle d'études sociales and the Cercles anarchistes. Before the Congress of the IWPA, she defended the idea of ​​declaring solidarity with any revolutionary act carried out by any group, considering that the greatest solidarity must exist between groups.

In March 1883, she participated in the demonstration at the Invalides, alongside Louise Michel. I recall that it was precisely during this event that Louise Michel raised the black flag for the first time. She began to write for Le Cri du peuple and for anarchist newspapers in Lyon. Following the death of Jean Rouchy, she returned to London, where she married Gustave Brocher, who was none other than the secretary of the IWPA Congress. Victorine and Gustave made their house a refuge for many French, Italian, Russian exiles, and they adopted children of communards.

In 1890, with Louise Michel, she participated in the founding of the Ecole libre.

In 1909, in Lausanne, she published her Memories of a Living Dead Woman. A Woman in the Commune of 1871. Until the end of her days, she continued to write for anarchist newspapers.

She died in 1921.

[tothelasthoursofmylife]

Character Profiles: Scotland Yard and misc.

Index: Rowan, Mayne, Randall, Disaster Trio (Cadell, Falk, Geoffrey), George, Cager, Ignatius, Quirino, Dr Alan, Wilbur, Antonia, Theresa, Edmund

(All character ages are as of the latest chapter, or when they died. All information as of the latest chapter too.)

Navigation: Main and extras | Cloudia's grandparents and maternal extended family | Cloudia's paternal extended family (and Florentin) | Other servants and employees | Antagonists | Scotland Yard and misc.

Name: Charles Rowan

Nickname(s): None

Birthday: ca. 1782

Age: about 66

Physical description: grey hair

Affiliation: British Army (former); Scotland Yard

Occupation: Lieutenant-Colonel; Police Commissioner

Base of Operations: London

Random fact(s): He used to play chess with Oscar not long after they first met when Oscar was still a teenager. Rowan did not like it though and soon stopped this because he kept losing.

Background info:

There is not much to be found on the actual Charles Rowan (e.g., I cannot put down a birthdate because there’s none listed anywhere!). I absolutely character-assassinated him for the sake of the story. As I mentioned in the “Freebird” notes, he and Richard Mayne “have been dipped into a heavy portion of artistic license.”

Bear with me here: We once watched some Napoleon documentary in History class (I think it must have been in 8th grade?), and only one scene with Napoleon and Queen Louise of Prussia got stuck in my mind. They despised each other (she called him a “monster” all the time), but it was a diplomatic meeting as Napoleon won the War of the Fourth Coalition, and the Queen pleaded for her people. I searched the documentary to rewatch that part for the first time in ages, and it’s not quite like how I remembered it. In my memory, Louise was even more quietly imposing, and Napoleon even more quietly seething being in the same room as her. At any rate, they are portrayed as disliking but also admiring each other for their qualities, with him being slightly drawn to her but ultimately (and with “great strain”) not giving in (to her pleading). I sort of always think of that bit when I think of Rowan and Trudy’s relationship if that makes any sense. (And looking up the Queen now, she was similar to Trudy in many aspects.) As Rowan says in “Destruction,” there was something that drew him to her, and it bothered him greatly.

First appearance: Freebird (Side Story 2)

----

Name: Richard Mayne

Nickname(s): None

Birthday: November 27, 1796

Age: 51

Physical description: grey hair

Affiliation: Scotland Yard

Occupation: Barrister; Police Commissioner

Base of Operations: London

Random fact(s): Mayne and Rowan are good friends. However, their relationship soured for a while after they had gone fishing together at Rowan’s suggestion, and it turned out that Mayne (who has an abrasive nature) was very unsuitable for that activity. They eventually made up, but the Met officers had to walk on eggshells for a few weeks.

Background info: None. (Except for the bit mentioned in Rowan’s section.)

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Countess, Mystery; Chapter 22)

----

Name: Arthur Randall

Nickname(s): /

Birthday: 1826

Age: 22

Physical description: dark brown hair, brown eyes; looks perpetually sour

Affiliation: Messenger Boys (former); Scotland Yard

Occupation: Messenger boy (former); Detective constable

Base of Operations: London

Random fact(s): He started working for Scotland Yard as a messenger boy in 1840 when he was 14 because he really wanted to be part of the Met and “fight for justice.” He has become jaded since. The next decades won’t help in that regard.

Background info:

In WotQ, Randall will be bestowed the title of lord sometime after he becomes police commissioner in 1868. That’s why he’s not one right now. He’s just a normal person and not someone from a noble/notable family.

I’m pretty sure I calculated a possible birth date for him out of boredom in class (at school) once. It took quite a long time for him to finally appear in WotQ though.

First appearance: The Countess, Mystery (Chapter 22)

----

Name: Cadell Beaumont

Nickname(s): Cadi

Birthday: 1820

Age: 28

Physical description: black hair, brown eyes

Affiliation: Beaumont family; Disaster Trio; /

Occupation: Lord of Beaumont

Base of Operations: Beaumont Manor; Beaumont townhouse

Random fact(s): He is surprisingly observant.

Background info: He is based on Takeshi Yamamoto from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (“Takeshi” is written with the kanji for “military, martial,” and “Cadell” means “battle.” “Yama” means “mountain,” as does “mount.”) I needed an “idiot trio” and decided to base it on KHR’s. He uses darts with blue fletching because Yamamoto is the Rain Guardian, and his rain colour is blue.

First appearance: The Countess, Malady – Part 1 (Chapter 23)

----

Name: Falk Flanagan

Nickname(s): None

Birthday: 1820

Age: 28

Physical description: silver hair, green eyes

Affiliation: Flanagan family; Disaster Trio; /

Occupation: Lord of Flanagan

Base of Operations: Flanagan Manor; Flanagan townhouse

Random fact(s): He’s unbelievably the smartest of the group, and not just by comparison.

Background info: He is based on Hayato Gokudera from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (“Haya” means “falcon.” “Flannagán” means “blood red” which is a nod to his flame colour and a part of the manga.) He uses darts with red fletching because Gokudera is the Storm Guardian, and his flame colour is red.

First appearance: The Countess, Malady – Part 1 (Chapter 23)

----

Name: Geoffrey Bentley

Nickname(s): Geoff

Birthday: 1819

Age: 29

Physical description: white/ashen hair, grey eyes

Affiliation: Bentley family; Disaster Trio; /

Occupation: Lord of Bentley

Base of Operations: Bentley Manor; Bentley townhouse

Random fact(s): Never get into a fistfight with him.

Background info: He is based on Ryohei Sasagawa from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (“hei” can mean, i.a., “peaceful,” and the second element of “Geoffrey” (fridu) means “peace.” “Bentley” means “bent grass/woodland, clearing.” “Sasa” means “bamboo grass,” and Ryohei is called “Grass/Lawn Head” by Gokudera.) He uses darts with yellow fletching because Ryohei is the Sun Guardian, and his flame colour is yellow. In the future, Ryohei dates a character named Hana; that’s why Geoffrey’s wife’s name is Hannah.

First appearance: The Countess, Malady – Part 1 (Chapter 23)

----

Name: George Midford

Nickname(s): Gigi

Birthday: 1826

Age: 22

Physical description: blond hair, green eyes

Affiliation: Midford family; Weston College (former)

Occupation: Lord of Midford; Knight; Prefect of Green Lion (former)

Base of Operations: Midford Manor

Random fact(s):

He is the only son and child of Adaline and Harold Midford. Harold is the current Head Knight.

George likes his uncle which annoys Harold a lot. (Many things and people annoy Harold; George, thankfully, doesn’t take after his father.)

His middle name is “Audamar” which he very much dislikes (it was his mother’s wish, and disliking that name is one of the things George agrees on with his father).

Background info: He’s Alexis’ future father! While I dislike the first two anime seasons, I did consider the full name they gave to Elizabeth (which is dubiously canon) when naming characters. As such, George’s future wife is going to be named Ethel; he hasn’t met her yet, however.

First appearance: The Reaper, Hosting a Party (Intermission/Bridge)

----

Name: Cager Castello

Nickname(s): Cager is his nickname

Birthday: April 19, 1809

Age: 39

Physical description: thick, curly dark brown hair, green eyes, sun-kissed skin

Affiliation: Some ass that doesn’t pay him enough

Occupation: Informant; Accountant

Base of Operations: Below the Royal Suspension Chain Pier in Brighton; his apartment

Random fact(s):

He is an American; he moved from New Orleans to Brighton when he was 17.

“Cager” is derived from his full given name. His friend Ignatius used to call him by it.

After Cloudia and Cedric gave him Ignatius’ death certificate, Cager had a picnic to honour his friend’s memory.

Background info: None.

First appearance: The Poker Game (Side Story 1)

----

Name: F. Ignatius E. Freeman

Nickname(s): /

Birthday: February 9, 1822

Age: 19 (at time of death; June 1841)

Physical description: fair hair, glasses

Affiliation: ???

Occupation: ???

Base of Operations: ???

Random fact(s): He committed suicide. Maybe he’s still around?

Background info: /

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Poker Game; Side Story 1)

----

Name: Quirino Quario

Nickname(s): Quiri

Birthday: January 1, 1824

Age: 24

Physical description: black hair, golden eyes

Affiliation: Somerset House (Registry of Births, Marriages, and Deaths)

Occupation: Archivist

Base of Operations: London

Random fact(s):

Even though Quirino is excellent at his job, he is still fallible. After all, registering births, marriages, and deaths still isn’t done diligently despite the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1836, i.a. because it did not require that the cause of death had to be certified by a medical practitioner.

He has a poor immune system.

Background info: He is actually one of the main characters from my original novel idea Pizza Boy (working title). I needed an archivist, so I transferred over my archivist character, the titular Pizza Boy. I changed his name though, (“Quirino” is in theme with his actual name, and “Quario” is his grandmother’s surname!) and aged him up from 17 to 24. “January 1” is Pizza Boy’s birthday. I hope that I manage to have him properly appear in the story one day!

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Poker Game; Side Story 1)

----

Name: Dr Alan Reeves

Nickname(s): Al

Birthday: 1806

Age: 42

Physical description: brown hair, brown eyes

Affiliation: His medical practice

Occupation: Physician

Base of Operations: His medical practice

Random fact(s): His lack of presence is partially deliberate on his part as he’s avoiding Kamden as much as he can. (He still feels very bad that he could not help Kamden’s adoptive parents, who had been his friends, when they got sick.)

Background info: He’s named after Alan Ryves from The Demon’s Lexicon. Like that Alan, Dr Alan has a brother named Nicholas/Nick, but he has not even managed to be mentioned yet.

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Countess, Captured; Chapter 16)

----

Name: Wilbur Hopkins

Nickname(s): Wil

Birthday: 1820

Age: 28

Physical description: brown hair, green eyes

Affiliation: Hopkins’ Tailor Shop

Occupation: Tailor

Base of Operations: Hopkins’ Tailor Shop

Random fact(s): A surprisingly young but very talented tailor. Even though he can create the most stunning clothes, his personal attire is very odd and makes him stick out like a peacock amongst pigeons.

Background info: He’s named after and based on Wilbur Evans from Geek Girl. He is set to adopt Nina in the future.

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Countess, Captured; Chapter 16)

----

Name: Antonia Rossini

Nickname(s): None

Birthday: 1821

Age: 27

Physical description: black hair, dark green eyes

Affiliation: Rossini’s Tailor Shop

Occupation: Tailor

Base of Operations: Rossini’s Tailor Shop

Random fact(s): Her favourite animals are swans. She likes feeding them in her spare time and always attends the swan upping. (She also thinks it’s silly that Queen Victoria owns all unmarked swans in the Thames.)

Background info:

She’s named after and based on Madame Rossini from Ruby Red. Madame Rossini is French though; I made Donna Rossini Italian because I thought that made more sense with her surname.

I created her before we found out that the Hopkins family has been making clothes for the Phantomhives for generations. I would say Cloudia does still sometimes go to her instead of Wilbur, even if Antonia hasn’t even been mentioned in ages because of his introduction.

At the same time, she was meant to eventually return to Italy and stay there when her mother got sick anyway.

First appearance: The Countess, Meeting the Queen (Chapter 9)

----

Name: Theresa Dale (née Light)

Nickname(s): Tessa, Tess

Birthday: 1803

Age: 45

Physical description: dark brown hair, grey eyes

Affiliation: Aristocrats of Evil (former)

Occupation: Aristocrat of Evil (former)

Base of Operations: New York; London (former)

Random fact(s):

Her husband William was a very sickly person. Various doctors would attend to him (they were quite rich). Theresa would watch and listen to them as well as read up a lot on her own so that she could look after her husband herself.

She’s very well-read and often grew frustrated with Barrington because he’s not and could not understand her references. Apart from that, they got along well and were friends.

She asked Simon to instruct her in fighting, just in case, after she became an Aristocrat of Evil in 1824. However, motherhood/pregnancies/widowhood often interfered with her joining Barrington and Simon for more active activities.

Background info: She’s named after and lightly based on Theresa “Tessa” Gray from The Infernal Devices. Her late husband William James Dale is named after Tessa Gray’s two husbands William Herondale (Theresa’s surname is derived from his last name) and Jem Carstairs. Theresa’s children share the same names as Tessa��s: James (1823), Lucie (1825), and Wilhelmina (1828).

First appearance: Mentioned only (First: The Lady, Bonding; Chapter 12); has not appeared in the present yet

----

Name: Edmund Oxley

Nickname(s): Ed, Eddie (but don’t call him that if your name is “Cedric Rossdale”)

Birthday: 1731

Age: 19 (at time of death; 1750)

Physical description: dark brown hair, brown eyes

Affiliation: Grim Reaper Dispatch

Occupation: Grim Reaper

Base of Operations: Grim Reaper Dispatch

Random fact(s):

His Death Scythe is a bush trimmer, and he always found Cedric’s choice pretentious and ridiculous.

He exasperates those who oversee the Dispatch supplies with his Turkish delight orders. (Cedric said he doesn’t like Turkish delight when they were trainees, but that’s not the (full?) reason why Edmund cannot stand him.)

Background info: He’s named after Edmund Pevensie from Narnia. Edmund Oxley also had three siblings who were named after the other Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, and Lucy.

First appearance: The Green Ghost of Nephelius Cemetery (Part 2): The Reaper, First Encounter; The Countess, Faint and Low 5.0 (Chapter 20; present)

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

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Some Prussian Glory to gild your weekend :)

This sculptural bust of Prussia’s Crown Princess Luise by the artist Gottfried Schadow. A fashion queen, working mother, and even the Queen of Hearts? Perhaps Queen Luise of Prussia had a little bit of all that in her. Yet, above all else, since 1797, she had been Prussian queen, mother of 10 children, and wife of Frederick William III, to whom she was a faithful companion through all of life’s ups and downs. Photo: SPSG/Wolfgang Pfauder

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine children, including the future monarchs Frederick William IV of Prussia and Wilhelm I, German Emperor. Her legacy became cemented after her extraordinary 1807 meeting with French Emperor Napoleon I at Tilsit – she met with the emperor to plead unsuccessfully for favourable terms after Prussia's disastrous losses in the Napoleonic Wars. She was already well-loved by her subjects, but her meeting with Napoleon led Louise to become revered as "the soul of national virtue". Her early death at the age of thirty-four "preserved her youth in the memory of posterity", and caused Napoleon to reportedly remark that the king "has lost his best minister". The Order of Louise was founded by her grieving husband four years later as a female counterpart to the Iron Cross. 

[captainknell]

BOOK REPORT

Marie Walewska Napoleon's Great Love by Christine Sutherland was a nice break from the monotony of another giant Napoleon biography. At this point, I know how the story goes and they can get tedious at points. Yes, it was the same story but from a new and different perspective. From the views of Poland and specifically Marie Walewska, I saw a different side of the story. A country longing for Napoleon to be their savior. A young girl who hero worshipped the very man she became a mistress to.

It told of Marie's beginnings and her first marriage to the old Count Anastase Colonna Walewska, the birth of her first son Anthony, how she came to meet Napoleon, captivated him, and was encouraged to become his mistress for Poland's cause. She was reluctant at first but continued to go and see him, for Poland. It seemed that she and Napoleon were truly happy when they were together and it makes me prefer Marie over his wives and any of his other mistresses. She became pregnant and it was heartbreaking for me to read how Napoleon took such good care of her, but he was already planning his divorce from Josephine and marriage to Marie Louise, now that it was confirmed that he could father children. (He had doubts about his son with Eleonore Deneulle de la Plaigne.) Their son, Alexandre Florian Joseph was born and officially called the son of Count Walewski to prevent scandal on Marie's part. Napoleon made sure to provide for Marie and his son and even visited with them many times throughout the years, including when he was in exile on Elba. Once Napoleon was defeated and sent to St. Helena, Marie finally remarried (she had gotten a divorce, but waited until after Count Walewski died, and there was no more chance with Napoleon). She married Napoleon's cousin, Phillipe-Antione d'Ornano. They had a son, Rudolph Augusta, shortly before she died at the young age of 31. Napoleon did not learn of her death before he died.

It was a very good book and I learned a lot. Not just about Marie Walewska, but Poland as well! I would definitely recommend having some background knowledge on Napoleon before reading.

[josefavomjaaga]

Hello, dear Josefa ✨

I hope you are doing well!

While Flower and myself were talking about our favourite couples of the napoleonic era, our conversation found its way to the Soults which we would love to group with couples like the Davouts or the Mortiers but can't because of the cheating on our monsieur le maréchal Soult's part.

With that in mind, we wondered: Do we know how madame Soult reacted to the cheating? How did her behaviour change through the first days, weeks, months after finding out? Did it even change?

We are aware that we don't know any details of the actual conversation where the couple discussed this matter but we still wanted to ask!

Thank you for your time and effort! c:

We do not really know, I fear. We do not even know when and how exactly she learned about Soult's little secondary Spanish family. It is quite possible that it did not come completely unexpected anymore, as people in Paris had been gossipping about Soult's alleged infidelities ever since 1810, and in one of his 1811 letters Soult kind of had admitted to a marital misstep.

If I remember correctly, Soult finally was granted permission to leave Spain by mid-February 1813, and could leave at the beginning of March. On his way through Southern France he took the occasion to go see his old mother in Saint-Amans, whom he originally had wanted to visit four years earlier, on his way into Spain. I do not remember (I'm not even sure if it is clear) if Louise and the kids already met with him in Saint-Amans or if they waited for him in Paris but I suspect they went to Saint-Amans and from there back to the capital that Soult reached at the beginning of April. He soon had to leave again, this time with Napoleon to Germany, on the 1813 campaign, and on 12 April he already gave full powers in all matters to his wife so she could handle affairs during his absence.

Did she at this point already know about the full extent of these affairs? It's likely, but we do not have any real clue.

She must have known by late June 1813, however (interestingly, that's the same time when, many miles away, Maria de la Paz Baylèn and her little baby son leave Spain and enter France). We know that because Soult in his letter fom 23 June at least vaguely hints at how hurt Louise must have been by his confessions. He invites her to come to meet with him at Dresden with their children, despite the fact that [...]

you will not be lodged very well, but you will be with me, your sorrows will cease, your cheerfulness will return, and you will be certain that, despite everything that has happened, you have never ceased to be tenderly loved [...]

"Despite everything that has happened" clearly means that by that point, Louise is fully aware of the existence of Maria de la Paz and her baby. And she had taken it badly, as was to be expected. Obviously, she doubted Soult's love for her, and she may have considered taking further steps, or at least that's something Soult feared:

I'm not talking about the other feelings, for nothing could add to their strength other than the step you're taking right now.

(All emphasis by me)

And then he continues to implore her to come and sit down with him and talk it all over.

So, obviously lots of trouble in honeymoon land. From the looks of it, I'd say Louise did not so much react with fury, but rather turned sad and depressed - which probably hit Soult far more. Her fury she apparently kept in stock for one French emperor to be used when she heard that her husband was about to be sent back to Spain again. But that's a different story 😁.

Thank you for the question, and I hope this kind of suffices, as it seems to be all information there is. (All quotes from N. Gotteri, "Le Maréchal Soult", as usual.)

[theintexp]

The Battle of the Berezina on 29 November 1812 by Peter von Hess

The Battle of (the) Berezina (or Beresina) took place from 26 to 29 November 1812, between Napoleon's Grande Armée and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Wittgenstein and Admiral Chichagov. Napoleon was retreating back toward Poland in chaos after the aborted occupation of Moscow and trying to cross the Berezina River at Borisov. The outcome of the battle was inconclusive as, despite heavy losses, Napoleon managed to cross the river and continue his retreat with the surviving remnants of his army.

The immediate result of the Battle of Berezina had been simple: the French retreat went on, the Russian Army followed. Although it had been a Russian tactical victory by definition as the losses of the "defeated" outweighed those of the "victor", the victorious Russian force failed to meet its original objectives. Indeed, despite enormous losses, Napoleon was in a position to claim a strategic victory, having snatched what was left of his army from a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe. There would be no large military confrontation for the rest of the retreat, although the incessant harassment of Russian Cossacks and the weather continued to take a toll on the surviving members of the French army.

The losses had been extraordinary. It is estimated that 20–30,000 French combatants became casualties. "To the number of the slain in action must be added probably as many as 30,000 non-combatants." The Guard, which had not come into action at all, lost about 1,500 men out of 3,500. Much, however, had been saved. Napoleon, his generals, 200 guns, the war chest, much of the baggage, and thousands of officers and veteran soldiers had escaped. Overall, approximately 40,000 members of Napoleon's army were saved. Without this core of experienced men, Napoleon could not have rebuilt his armies for the battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition.

According to author Andrew Zamoyski: The next two days were, according to some, among the worst of the entire retreat[...]no fallen horse or cattle remained uneaten, no dog, no cat, no carrion, nor indeed, the corpses of those who died of cold and hunger. Napoleon left his army on 5 December at Vilna. The temperatures dropped to -33.75 °C on 8 December and the number of combatants was down to 4,300. On 14 December the rest of the French main army crossed the Niemen. 36,000 French prisoners of the Grande Armée were taken by the Cossacks between 1–14 December. The only troops that had remained were the flanking forces (43,000 under Schwarzenberg, 23,000 under Macdonald), about 1,000 men of the Guard and about 40,000 stragglers. No more than 110,000 were all that was left from 612,000 (including reinforcements) that had entered Russia. The Russian losses may be about 250,000 men. Louise Fusil, a French actress, who was living in Russia for six years, returned with the army and offers details in her memoires. In French historiography, Berezina is later associated with disaster. Sources. French invasion of Russia, The Battle of the Berezina, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia