#napoleonic fiction

[microcosme11]

Three women and an Emperor

Three Women and an Emperor, also called The Three Loves of Napoleon by Janine Boissard, 1989.

I'm reading it in French, I don't see it translated anywhere. I'm probably missing a lot although I understand much of it and translate some.

Once I pick it up, I can't stop reading it. There is a great scene with Talleyrand and Marie Waleska. This author is a very good writer.

It's highly rated on French amazon. One reviewer writes [translation], "I loved this book because it combines raw, realistic historical facts with the author's benevolent view of a fragile Napoleon Bonaparte, emotionally moving in his desire to be loved and to have an heir."

The book is very romantic, but not a "romance novel" per se.

[josefavomjaaga]

Another snippet from yet another abandoned fic

Somehow I feel nostalgic atm and keep getting back to old stories I started and never finished. Translation by DeepL as usual. Lannes and Bessières (who's having a hangover).

Bessières looked at Lannes with dull eyes and groaned. "Don't beat about the bush, Jean, you're not in the habit of doing that. What, in your opinion, have I done wrong this time?" "Nothing," said Lannes. " Other than drinking, gambling and panting after women, which is none of my business as long as you show up for work. If there was more, I don't know it yet, so just make sure it stays that way! No, I merely wanted to hear your opinion on something." Now Bessières perked up. He took a step backwards and eyed Lannes from head to toe. "You want to hear someone else's opinion? You? And my opinion at that? Are you sure you're all right?"

[ofmiceandwomen]

Today I decided it will be a good day to talk about a private RP project I’m a part of in one secret TMA server which I share with @the-symphony-of-lydia-brown, @envisionedeternity and @thistlesandstories from our irl friend group and @mersilisk as the guest star and amazing antagonist.

I don’t post much and especially not for The Magnus Archives but I admit the podcast is very important to me. My favourite thing about it is the Regency Harem™️ and the historical episodes. Intertwining the lore with the actual historical events and characters is just amazing.

My irl friends know that I have certain level of interest in military history, and therefore I decided to make a use of it and suggested a plot line for a private RP - a short prequel story for Robert Smirke and young Jonah Magnus meeting. Also, we wanted a Slaughter story because there’s way too little of those in the podcast.

And the background is… The Napoleonic Wars. My beloved @thistlesandstories is a reenactor from that era and therefore they got very excited about the project. The excitement grew contagious and turned @the-symphony-of-lydia-brown into a proper horror DM.

The plot line so far:

Europe, 1811. Napoléon Bonaparte decided to be the problem. Given his notable military accomplishments, the Slaughter just couldn’t leave him unnoticed. After all, the concept of the Total War is born. One day, the Slaughter had came to the young Napoléon and offered him that he would become the greatest warrior of all time. The First Consul of France has agreed.

The Slaughter is rising, therefore it is convinced that the time has come to attempt a ritual. But for a war ritual you sorta need to have two sides, right. There are plenty of “other sides” - and there is one talented general, very dedicated to defending his country. Honourable and skilled man - Viscount Arthur Wellesley, soon to be the Duke of Wellington. Wellington was not having a great time in the Portuguese campaign as his forces were being pushed out by the French, when the Slaughter called to him - offering a victory in exchange for his service. Wellington considered, out of loyalty, he agreed with the nightmarish pact.

The situation improved as now the British and Portuguese army set up an attrition trap with the French falling in. Then guess what - the Slaughter calls again. (The attrition war is usually not exactly Slaughter aligned thing. The soldiers die of starvation, freezing, sickness, which is inherently a corruption thing - The Slaughter wants the bloodbath). Now, the Slaughter has called for a French man again - Marshal Michel Ney, said the Bravest of the Brave, known for his extremely risky approach to the war. An ideal candidate, so it seems . When the French finally retreated and Ney successfully bought their exhausted troops some time by his rearguard actions, the Piper showed up to him, offering him the victory. However, the French marshal has none of that shit and literally tells the War itself to shut the f**k up. Obviously, the Slaughter hates him now.

But now it’s May 1811. Now, time for some historical liberties, yay! Ney lost his command after he disrespected his commanding officer, and his wife convinced him to take a break - therefore they ended up chilling in a little German spa town with their children. The resort happens to be the favourite place of one of the Würtemberger aristocrat Albrecht von Closen. This young man decided it would be nice to invite his British friend Jonah Magnus.

Jonah is very young, he just turned 18, he inherited notable amount of money from his deceased uncle and he has many admirers for his intellect and general charms. However, even now, Jonah is more of a cold academic, a silent observer, with little interest in changing the world. He only wants to know and to understand. And he is just as cold to his companion, sir Barnabas Bennet, who is not really financially stable, but somehow he managed to incite himself to go with Jonah. Barnabas is like a pure opposite of Jonah - hot headed, adventurous and painfully irresponsible.

The last guest to arrive is… nobody else than Viscount Wellesley himself. He has earned a short period of leave and he just picked the same recreational spot as his enemy, Ney. It’s not a coincidence however, the Slaughter is still feeling petty and it wants to ruin Ney for his insolence. The future victor of Waterloo seems to be a good tool for ruining the Marshal’s involuntary holiday.

Oh well. He might not be the last to arrive. There is one more man, who will go down the TMA history - a certain gifted character in his early thirties, working hard on something barely connected to the architecture. Maybe it has something to do with his paranormal obsession. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome sir Robert Smirke!

So yes. The scene is all set. So far it goes very well. Except… it is not.

The disasters are here!

Jonah Magnus seems more interested in Wellesley than in his travel mate Barnabas. Out of desperation, Barnabas decides to finally confess his feelings for Jonah. It went well in his head. He approached the armchair in the lounge, seeing those rich copper curls. He took a deep breath and finally kissed him… Only to realise that Jonah Magnus is not the only one to sport this hairstyle. Red-haired marshal Ney is not amused and his first instinct was hitting the perpetrator right in the face and showering him with list of French profanities.

Albrecht von Closen has really bad feeling about Arthur Wellesley. He is himself a very sensitive and observant man and he disapproves of Jonah’s interest in the famous British commander. It is not the first gut feeling of this kind Albrecht had and he is not exactly sure what to do with that. He meets an unlikely ally - very angry Marshal Ney who is certainly not happy about Wellesley’s presence either.

Robert Smirke found what he was looking for- the presumed Slaughter avatar, aka the Napoleon’s bravest Marshal (please consider that Smirke is a Brit and therefore the idea of future Duke of Wellington as the avatar of the Slaughter is just unimaginable to him). The architect is not exactly a good candidate for a spy and therefore he gets noticed by Ney’s children who decide to take the situation in their hands and reveal the man who keeps stalking their father.

This happened so far. But the plot shall go on because… Enter The Stranger!

The Stranger is still obviously pissed after the Slaughter’s agents ruined their ritual in 1787. So it wants a revenge. And the ideal idea of their revenge is taking the Slaughter avatars one by one and turning them into waxworks. And obviously, their victim is the Napoleons’s marshal Ney.

Jonah Magnus is getting bored of relaxing and he is ready to meet a new friend: the famous Robert Smirke. The man, who will unknowingly bring the Apocalypse two centuries later.

The reasons for posting this is the following:

It’s 255th birthday of Michel Ney! He was originally meant to be a background character, but he sort of stole the show. I might or might not be responsible since I’m the one playing the gingers.

Also, this post might or might not work as a peer pressure for @the-symphony-of-lydia-brown to turn it into a fic 👀

The special acknowledgment goes to @thistlesandstories because we have discovered that somehow we really enjoy fighting with each other after six years of being together. The prequel for Ney and Wellington in Portugal was the best part of this year’s Christmas. I’m still crying for the French officer taken by the Piper though I also love the amount of research it goes into this activity. We ended up with new books on Ney and Wellington.

Credits:

Albrecht von Closen, Aloys Ney: @the-symphony-of-lydia-brown

Robert Smirke: @envisionedeternity

Arthur Wellesley, Barnabas Bennett, Eugène Ney: @thistlesandstories

The Stranger Danger, Léon Ney: @mersilisk

Jonah Magnus, Michel Ney: Me, because I’m all the gingers

[usergreenpixel]

@maggiec70 @josefavomjaaga @amypihcs @koda-friedrich @flowwochair So, remember my Marengo story, anyone? I’m truly sorry for the hiatus but I’m thinking about turning it into a NaNoWriMo challenge like @joachimnapoleon did with her own story last November… Is anyone interested?

[maggiec70]

Hello ! My friend wants to know if there are any films or novels about Lannes, or that feature him in any significant capacity. I don't really know of any, but I figured that if anyone did it would be you. 💕

Unfortunately, Jean-Boy gets credit for some very secondary parts in films about Napoleon, most of them rather silly and none of which he'd approve. He gets a small clip in Abel Gance's 1960 movie "Austerlitz," the original French version rather than the edited English-dubbed version, and shows up in the disastrous 2002 mini-series "Napoleon," for a brief appearance that was meant to be heart-rending but sent me off in gales of laughter. I shudder to think he may appear, however briefly, in Ridley Scott's upcoming hot mess, "Napoleon." As for novels, he isn't featured any more than in the movies. However, there are two written by French authors that are nearly impossible to come by but are actually very good. One is an impossibly romantic--and pretty inaccurate--tale of Jean-Boy's first marriage to the vivacious and rather empty-headed Polette; the other is what can best be described as a "historical biography." Both of these authors were born and raised in Lectoure, Jean's hometown, so they know stuff. And one of these days--if I don't die of old age first--I might actually finish and publish my little historical fiction trilogy. I've posted a few excerpts on my blog from time to time.

[memoria-99]

Ikemen Vampire: Guys before the plastic surgery

[cedyat]

Greatly enjoyed reading it! Especially the scene of Naps meeting some of his already dead companions and the switching of real and fantastical perspectives.

The Poisoned Chalice

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Napoleonic Era RPF, French History RPF, 19th Century CE RPF, Historical RPF

Relationship:

Josephine de Beauharnais Bonaparte/Napoléon I de France | Napoléon Bonaparte

Characters:

Napoléon I de France | Napoléon Bonaparte, Josephine de Beauharnais Bonaparte, Jean Lannes, Joachim Murat, Louis-Alexandre Berthier, André Masséna, Jean-Baptiste Bessières, Jean-Andoche Junot, Michel Ney, Hudson Lowe, Paul Barras, Ensemble

Additional Tags:

Terminal Illnesses, Fate & Destiny, Death, Afterlife, Myth & Folklore, Faustian Bargain, Magical Realism, Dubious Morality, Historical References, 19th Century, Ridley Scott can bite me, r/Fanfiction Exchange, Bittersweet Ending, Napoleonic Wars, Podfic Welcome

Collections: Fandom Diversity Fest Fate and Luck

Words: 2,500

Chapters: 1/1

Summary:

When he was eight years-old, Napoleone di Buonaparte dreamt of glory on the battlefield, but the man in red saw he had an even far greater destiny ahead of him.

Echoing down through the centuries, dark rumors trail the legend of the man in red. Dressed all in crimson, be he demon, goblin, ghost, or the Devil himself, he appears when the nation of France stands on the precipice of great upheaval.

Now, Napoleon Bonaparte is fifty-one years old and he lies dying in the clutches of his captors, far from home. Does he have any last regrets?

This fic was written for the Fate and Luck Fest on the r/FanfictionExchange subreddit!

Special thanks to @cadmusfly for beta reading!

[badwolf-gallagher88]

Yes, having a crush on a fictional character is bad. But have you ever had a crush on a fictionalised version of a vaguely problematic historical figure??

[dragonkid11]

No one, not a single soul, absolutely nobody:

Me: What if, a mech with a big ass rifle that can stab it into the ground with its bayonet and use it as a monopod to stabilize its even bigger shoulder cannon.

[sunsolii]

I've been reading Tokyo Ghoul again and got inspired to make one of those character info sections that's behind each cover for Napoleon and here's the final result

I tried matching the fonts with the original layout as best I could. It pains me using more than 2 fonts but hey I gotta make some sacrifices. I also attempted to replicate Ishida's old art style as well!

Here's the full image

[apurpledust]

guys I was reading this book written in the 1950s, which is basically a fictionized retelling of Napoleon's life, but it really reads more like a romantic biography. The author includes this Napjuno crumb,,,,

oh my goddddd someone sedate me also there's this scene with Napoleon sort of joking with Murat before revealing his displeasure of Junot's "indiscreet disclosures"

the part mentioning Junot's death😭

[josefavomjaaga]

Yet ANOTHER fiction snippet

But this will be the last, I hope. And it's only because it's the 200. anniversary of Eugène's death today. The text below is in fact translated from my very first story set in the napoleonic era, after hearing about Eugène had sparked my interest. It's the longest story I ever wrote, and one of the few I finished and even self-published. I've also shortened it a bit because I tend to be blabbering too much.

The scene takes place in Milan in early June 1805. Napoleon has turned the Italian republic into the Kingdom of Italy and now is searching a monarch for it. But his brothers, to whom he turns, all refuse. After having discussed his brothers and the reason why they refused at length with Caulaincourt (yes, I know, him of all people. No, I do not know why he would do that other the fact Caulaincourt happened to be in the room. Listen, this was my first story, okay? 😋), he resumes:

"All right, so my brothers are letting me down one by one. I have to take the crown myself, but I can't rule France and Italy at the same time without risking trouble with Austria. I must at least appoint someone to act as my governor in Italy. Any suggestions?" "Well, for the sake of argument, I must point out to Your Majesty that Prince Jérôme was not even asked whether he would accept the kingship of Italy." "I was thinking of serious suggestions, Caulaincourt. Jérôme can't command a rowing boat without help. If he gets his act together for a few months, gives up his American wife and submits to my command, we can consider elevating him to higher honours. Not before that. Who else do we have?"

"The most obvious candidate for the office would be your current Vice President of the Italian Republic, Francesco Melzi d'Eril." "Melzi? No, no. As vice president, he was a simple civil servant. This guy won't go any higher than that. I definitely don't want an Italian as viceroy. Fickle people, only pursuing their own interests. I need someone I can rely on here, a Frenchman, preferably someone from my family." "Well, both Prince Joachim Murat and Her Imperial Highness Princess Caroline Murat have repeatedly expressed their willingness, indeed their hope, to be considered for the posts in Italy."

"Did I not make myself clear, Caulaincourt? I said: I need someone I can rely on. - Murat!" He fervently motioned with his hand through the air. "Have you forgotten the ways he managed here as governor during the revolutionary wars? The Italians haven't, you can bet your life they haven't! [...] Pauline's husband is Italian, so he's out of the question, especially as the Lombards wouldn't accept a Roman as their ruler. And Elisa's Baciocchi? I'd rather pick a random oaf off the street to crown him! - Which reminds me ..." He wheeled round, stormed to the door and tore it open. "Duroc!" he shouted out into the anteroom. "Where's our little cutie?" Grand Court Marshal Duroc, busy sorting through some papers, seemed to have to think for a moment. "He's invited some officers from his chasseurs regiment to breakfast, if I'm informed correctly."

"Get him over here right away! His guests can have their coffee without him." He slammed the door shut again, folded his arms behind his back and continued to walk up and down, trapped in gloomy brooding. Grand Stable Master Caulaincourt, who knew his emperor, was careful not to disturb this contemplation. A few minutes passed in complete silence before the Grand Marshal entered in person to announce Prince Eugène Beauharnais. »At last!" Napoleon hastened across the room towards Eugène. "Listen, Prince, I have a task for you. If you've already packed for your journey back to Paris, go unpack straight away. You will stay in Milan. I hereby appoint you Viceroy of Italy."

"P-Pardon?" stuttered the young man, and both the grand marshal and the grand equerry shouted in disbelief: "Eugène?" "Yes." The emperor beamed and slipped a hand inside his unbuttoned vest. "What's wrong with that, gentlemen? The boy is not stupid and he has been in need of something meaningful to do for a long time. Besides, with him I can be certain that he will at least try to do what I tell him. An ideal solution. I'm very pleased with myself; the best idea I've had for a long time." "But sire," the young man objected. "I'm only twenty-three. And a soldier. I mean, I haven't learnt anything else. I don't speak Italian. I have no idea about portfolios and budgets and taxes and accounts…"

"Well, at least you realise that there are such things. With that, you're probably ahead of quite a few of my civil servants." His tone changed abruptly, he stepped next to his stepson and put his hand on his shoulder. "Listen, my boy, I know I'm throwing you in at the deep end. But you can do it, I'm sure of it. You don't need to worry about important things anyway, I'll decide those myself. What I want you to take care of here is the day-to-day business. Parliamentary sessions, submissions, petitions, promotions. [...] You'll have a lot to do. Italy has almost no army and what it has is in a terrible state. You will have to rebuild everything from scratch; reorganise the existing regiments, streamline the administration, build barracks, bolster fortifications, establish officer schools ... now don't look at me so fearfully. I'll write it all down for you. You'll see, it's not witchcraft. It's important that you don't allow them to steal your thunder. You have to show the Italians who's boss. Don't be too soft, don't be too kind-hearted. [...] Don't let anyone read my letters, not even Méjan or Melzi! Preside over the parliamentary sessions, meet your ministers once a week for reports, and learn Italian. Don't pretend to know more about things than you really do; nobody will believe you anyway. Don't let the Italians fool you and beware of flattery. Don't trust anyone! Above all," he added in a suddenly changed tone, "never sit on my throne! The only exception: you have to represent me in an important matter and I have expressly ordered you to do so. And if you do, hang a picture of me behind the throne so that it is clear that you are only representing me and speaking on my behalf. Otherwise, you are to sit on a chair next to or in front of the throne. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sire." Eugène nodded, having grown increasingly pale over the course of the speech. "At your command, Sire." "Very well. Then I will shortly present you to the parliament. Go and say goodbye to your mother in time; I think the Empress and I will return to France soon." "The Empress won't be at all pleased to see her son stay behind in Italy," Grand Court Marshal Duroc dared to remark. Napoleon dismissed the objection. "She will have to get used to the fact that he can no longer cling to her apron-strings all the time. And you, Caulaincourt, why are you looking so gloomy?" "If I may be so bold as to say so, Sire: the appointment of Prince Beauharnais will undoubtedly cause discord in the imperial family." "Yes," Napoleon Bonaparte beamed. "That's what I like best about my plan. I can't wait to see which of my dear siblings will be most annoyed."

[rpfshippingpolls]

⚠️ DON’T START DISCOURSE ABOUT RPF IN THE NOTES!! YOU WILL BE BLOCKED IF YOU DO SO ⚠️

Do you ship it?

Reason:

“1.They kissed (which contrary to popular belief, was not normal between men at the time) 2."if he were a woman I would make him my mistress" 3. Alexander became so shocked at the invasion of Russia he became a religious mystic and never recovered 4. Alexander saying Napolen's bed was "durable". 5. Long talks that lasted til the middle of the morning 6."Did you notice his clear grey eyes, which are so piercing you can hardly bare to look."-Alexander AND 7 NAPOLEON SAYING HE LOVED ALEXANDER MANY TIMES ON SAINT HELENA TY”

Submitted by @goddammitjosef

[usergreenpixel]

@josefavomjaaga @maggiec70 @amypihcs @koda-friedrich @flowwochair

Welp, just my luck. Fever again. Guess I’m going to be a bit late to the NaNoWriMo party. Oh well, shit happens.

Either way, I’m going to post as soon as I’m better, so please stay tuned!

[king-ofworms]

little portrait references for the characters and OCs in my napoleonic wars roleplay :p

[microcosme11]

Old YA book about Napoleon

A Boy of the First Empire by Elbridge Streeter Brooks, 1913

I've seen some of its illustrations before, not knowing where they came from. This book was originally serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine (1873).

google books