Message about Napoleon 2. Sons of Napoleon
Plan
Introduction
1 Biography
1.1 Early years
1.2 First steps into power
1.2.1 Strasbourg plot
1.2.2 Boulogne landing and imprisonment
1.3 Revolution of 1848 and rise to power
1.4 President of the French Republic
1.5 Coup d'etat of December 2, 1851
1.6 Emperor of the French
1.7 Foreign policy
1.8 Domestic policy
1.9 Franco-Prussian War, captivity and deposition
1.10 Essays
1.11 Genealogy
2 Interesting facts
4 Sources
Introduction
Napoleon III Bonaparte (fr. Napoleon III Bonaparte, full name Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, French. Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte; April 20, 1808 - January 9, 1873) - President of the French Republic from December 20, 1848 to December 1, 1852, Emperor of the French from December 1, 1852 to September 4, 1870 (from September 2, 1870 he was in captivity). The nephew of Napoleon I, after a series of conspiracies to seize power, came to it peacefully as President of the Republic (1848). Having carried out a coup in 1851 and eliminated the legislative power, through “direct democracy” (plebiscite), he established an authoritarian police regime and a year later proclaimed himself emperor of the Second Empire.
After ten years of fairly tight control, the Second Empire, which became the embodiment of the ideology of Bonapartism, moved to some democratization (1860s), which was accompanied by the development of the French economy and industry. A few months after the adoption of the liberal constitution of 1870, which returned the rights to parliament, the Franco-Prussian War put an end to Napoleon's rule, during which the emperor was captured by the Germans and never returned to France. Napoleon III was the last monarch of France.
1. Biography
1.1. early years
Received the name Charles Louis Napoleon at birth. Baptized on November 4, 1810 in the chapel of the Saint-Cloud Palace. He hardly knew his father, since the forced marriage of his parents was unhappy and his mother lived in constant separation from her husband; three years after the birth of Louis Napoleon, she gave birth to an illegitimate son, Charles de Morny (whose father was Talleyrand's illegitimate son). Louis Napoleon himself was recognized as the father, although later, in literature hostile to him (by the way, in V. Hugo), doubts were expressed about the legality of his birth, and not without factual grounds. Brought up in the splendor of the court of Napoleon I, under the influence of his mother, Louis Napoleon from childhood showed as passionate and as romantic adoration of his uncle as his mother. By nature he was a kind man, soft and meek, although occasionally hot-tempered; was distinguished by his generosity. All his instincts and feelings were outweighed by his fanatical faith in his star and devotion to the “Napoleonic ideas” that were the guiding ideas of his life. A passionate man and at the same time full of self-control (in the words of V. Hugo, the Dutchman curbed the Corsican in him), from his youth he strove for one cherished goal, confidently and firmly clearing the way to it and without hesitation in the choice of means.
Louis Napoleon spent his entire youth, starting in 1814, in wandering, which, however, was not associated with material deprivation, since his mother managed to accumulate a huge fortune. Queen Hortense could not remain in France after the fall of the emperor, despite the personal sympathy of Alexander I for her. She was also expelled from the German states and therefore, having changed several places of residence, she bought herself the castle of Arenenberg, in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, on the shores of Lake Constance, where she settled with her two sons. Louis Napoleon, during these wanderings, could not receive a systematic school education; he briefly attended a gymnasium in Augsburg. His personal tutors (besides his mother) were Abbot Bertrand and Lebas, the son of a terrorist. In Switzerland, Louis Napoleon entered military service and was an artillery captain. The result of his study of military affairs was his brochure: “Considérations politiques et militaires sur la Suisse” (P., 1833) and the book: “Manuel d’artillerie” (P., 1836; both works are reprinted in the collected works of his works).
In 1830-31 Louis Napoleon, together with his older brother, Napoleon-Louis, took part in the conspiracy of the Modena revolutionary Ciro Menotti and in the expedition to Romagna; The purpose of the expedition was to liberate Rome from the temporal power of the popes. After the failure of the expedition, during which his older brother died, Louis Napoleon managed to escape with an English passport across Italy to France, from where he was immediately expelled.
1.2. First steps into power
In 1832, the Duke of Reichstadt died, and the role of representative of Napoleonic ideas and claims passed to Louis Napoleon. In 1832, he announced this with the brochure “Rêveries politiques”, which, like the brochure: “Des idées Napoléoniennes” (P., 1839), best expresses the ideals and aspirations of the young Napoleon. “If the Rhine,” he says, “were a sea, if virtue were the only incentive to human activity, if merit alone paved the way to power, I would strive for a republic.” In reality, this is not so - and therefore Louis Napoleon prefers a monarchical form, which, at the same time, would implement republican principles. The people, the legislative body, the emperor - these are the three powers that should exist in the state. “The people have the right of election and the right of sanctions, the legislative body has the right to discuss laws, the emperor has the executive power. The country will be happy when harmony prevails between these three powers... Harmony between the government and the people exists in two cases: either the people are governed by the will of one, or one governs by the will of the people. In the first case it is despotism, in the second it is freedom.” The government of Louis Philippe I did not attach serious importance to the young contender for power, but the enemies of the government, both from the republican (Lafayette, Armand Carrel, later Georges Sand) and from the legitimist camp (Chateaubriand), believed in the personal honesty and patriotism of Louis Napoleon or hoping to use it to overthrow the existing government, they inflated its importance and spread its fame.
Strasbourg conspiracy
In 1836, Louis Napoleon made a romantic and reckless attempt to seize power. With the help of his loyal supporter, the former officer Persigny, he organized a conspiracy in Strasbourg, to which he attracted several officers, including Colonel Vaudre, who commanded one of the artillery regiments of the Strasbourg garrison. On October 30, Louis Napoleon, who had arrived in Strasbourg the day before, appeared at the regiment's barracks in a suit reminiscent of Napoleon I's, with a historical cocked hat on his head; he was accompanied by a retinue of conspirators who carried the imperial eagle. Vaudray was waiting for him at the head of the soldiers to whom he had just distributed money. Seeing Louis Napoleon, Vaudreis exclaimed that a revolution had broken out in France, Louis Philippe I had been deposed and power should pass to the heir of the great emperor, whom Vaudreis named Napoleon II. The soldiers greeted the applicant with exclamations: “Long live the emperor!” In another regiment, soldiers insufficiently treated by the conspirators arrested Louis Napoleon and his supporters. Louis Philippe I released him from prison, limiting himself to deporting him to America. The participants in the conspiracy were brought to trial, but, in view of the release of the main culprit, as well as in view of the humiliating letter read at the trial, in which Louis Napoleon repented of his crime, praised the generosity and mercy of the king and asked for mercy for his supporters, the court could only justify them all.
In 1837, Louis Napoleon returned from America to Europe and settled in Switzerland, which he, at the request of the French government, was soon forced to leave and moved to England.
Boulogne landing and imprisonment
In 1840, when the government of Louis Philippe I, with its decision to transport the body of Napoleon I to France, itself gave a new impetus to the spread of the Napoleonic cult, Louis Napoleon considered it timely to repeat the attempt to seize power. He hired a steamer, organized an expedition in London and, having attracted several officers of the Boulogne garrison to his side, landed in Boulogne on August 6, 1840. Proclamations were distributed throughout the city in which the government was accused of a sharp increase in taxes, of ruining the people, of a ridiculous African war, of despotism and a promise was made that Louis Napoleon would “rely solely on the will and interests of the people and create an unshakable building; without exposing France to the accidents of war, he will give her lasting peace.” Not limited to a suit, a hat and the usual signs of imperial dignity, Louis Napoleon had with him a tamed eagle, which, released at a certain moment, was supposed to soar above his head. But this moment did not come, since the second attempt ended even worse than the first. The soldiers of the first regiment, to whom Louis Napoleon introduced himself, arrested him and his supporters, and Louis Napoleon, during the confrontation, shot at one of the soldiers. The conspirators were tried by the House of Peers; Among the defenders were Berrier, Marie, Jules Favre. The peers, who were extremely harsh towards ordinary revolutionaries, treated Louis Napoleon and his supporters very leniently and sentenced Louis Napoleon to a punishment that did not exist in the French code, namely life imprisonment without restriction of rights.
Louis Napoleon was imprisoned in the Gam fortress, where he spent 6 years. He enjoyed very significant freedom there: he received friends, wrote articles, published books. Exaggerated by helpful journalists, the sufferings of the Gaham prisoner attracted numerous friends to his side; At this time, several press organs emerged with the express purpose of promoting his ideas. His greatest service was rendered by the Progrès du Pas-de-Calais, whose editor, the sincere Republican De Georges, believed that the mistakes of Louis Napoleon were atoned for by his sufferings and that “he is no longer a pretender, but a member of our party, a fighter for our banner.” .
Louis Napoleon himself wrote a lot in this magazine. During his imprisonment, Louis Napoleon significantly expanded his insufficiently systematic education. His main works published during this time were the treatise “Analyse de la question des sucres” (Paris, 1842) and the brochure “Extinction du paupérisme” (P., 1844). This latter contains a criticism of economic relations that is not without seriousness, leading to the fact that “remuneration for labor depends on chance and arbitrariness... The working class owns nothing; he must be made an owner.” To this end, Louis Napoleon proposes a rather fantastic, although supported by statistical tables, plan for organizing numerous farms at the expense of the state on which proletarians would be settled. The pamphlet, compiled under the undoubted influence of Louis Blanc, aroused sympathy for N. among many socialists. In 1846, Louis Napoleon, disguised as a worker, with a board on his shoulder, managed, with the help of friends, to escape from the fortress and move to England.
1.3. Revolution of 1848 and rise to power
After the revolution of February 24, 1848, Louis Napoleon hurried to Paris, but the provisional government ordered him to leave France. In May 1848, he was elected deputy in four departments, including the Seine department; but renounced his powers. In September, re-elected in five departments, he joined the constituent assembly. In his speeches and messages of this period he stated that he could only present his claims as heir to the empire in the presence of the king; but in view of the republic, based on the will of the entire French people, he renounces these claims and, as a faithful servant of the people, is a sincere and ardent republican. He abstained from voting on practical issues. In November 1848, he stood as a candidate for the presidency of the republic. His election manifesto, without making a single definite promise, tried with vague phrases to arouse hopes and sympathy among all parties; he promised “after four years to transfer to his successor power - firm, freedom - inviolable, progress - realized in practice,” he spoke about the patronage of religion, family, property, about freedom of religion and teaching, about economy, about measures in favor of workers. On December 10th the voting took place; Louis Napoleon received 5,430,000 votes (75%), against 1,450,000 received by General Cavaignac and 440,000 by the other candidates. These were the first direct (although not universal, due to electoral qualifications and the lack of women's voting rights) elections of the head of the French state. The next direct presidential elections were held only in 1965.
1.4. President of the French Republic
On December 20, he took the oath of allegiance to the republic and the constitution and took power into his own hands. The first president of France, Bonaparte is still the youngest of all elected to this post: he took office at the age of 40.
In his inauguration speech, full of vague phrases, he made one clear and definite promise: “to consider as enemies of the fatherland all those who attempt to change by illegal means what has been established by all of France.” This statement was far from the only one of its kind. In a message to the Chamber of Deputies on November 12, 1850, Napoleon declared his intention to be unswervingly faithful to the constitution. In various speeches and messages, he insisted that he never gave and would never give a reason not to believe his word. In a ministerial council, he once directly stated that a government official who would decide to violate the constitution would be a “dishonest person.” In a speech he delivered in Gama, he expressed regret that he had once committed a crime by violating the laws of his homeland. In conversations with deputies and ministers, he went even further and called the 18th Brumaire a crime, the desire to imitate him madness. With such statements he managed to significantly calm the suspicion of his enemies. In fact, however, preparations for a coup d'etat began quite early. During the review on October 10, 1850 in Satori, the cavalry shouted: “Long live Napoleon, long live the Emperor!” The infantry, warned by General Neimeyer that according to military regulations, silence in the ranks is mandatory, paraded before the president in silence. A few days later, General Neimeyer was dismissed. The commander-in-chief of the Parisian army, General Changarnier, by order of the day, read among the troops, forbade the soldiers to make any exclamations in the ranks. A few months later, Changarnier was also fired. During the debate on this matter in the Chamber, Thiers said: “the empire has already been created” (l’empire est fait). However, the House did not take any measures to prevent a coup d'état. The composition of the legislative assembly, elected in May 1849, was reactionary. At first, it quite energetically supported the president, who was following the same road. The expedition undertaken by the President in April 1849 to destroy the Roman Republic and restore papal authority found the fullest approval in the House.
On May 31, 1850, the electoral law was changed; As a result of the new registration procedure, three million citizens lost the right to vote. This law was framed by the government and introduced into the House with the approval of the President; nevertheless, in the eyes of the people, responsibility for it fell on one house. Soon after, the agreement between the president and the monarchical (Orléanist and legitimist) majority of the chamber was broken, and the chamber began to slow down the activities of the president. The necessary two-thirds majority of votes was not obtained in favor of his desired revision of the 1848 constitution, and thus the legal possibility of his re-election as president for a new four-year term was eliminated. His term of office expired in May 1852. This was one of the reasons that forced the president to hurry.
On the night of December 2, 1851 (the anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz), a coup d'état was carried out. Three proclamations signed by the president were posted around the streets. The first was a presidential decree dissolving the national assembly and council of state, restoring universal suffrage and declaring martial law. The President's signature is countersigned by the Minister of the Interior, Morni. The proclamation to the people motivated the president’s autocratic act by the fact that the constitution made him powerless against a chamber hostile to him; the President appeals to the whole nation, which let them decide whether this painful condition should continue. If the nation answers in the affirmative, then let it choose another person as president, since he, Napoleon, “does not want a power that makes him responsible for the actions of others and ties him to the helm when the ship is obviously tending to destruction.” If the nation trusts him, then let it give him the means to fulfill the great task entrusted to him. The remedy is a new constitution, the main principles of which are: a responsible head appointed for 10 years; ministers dependent only on the executive branch; a legislative assembly elected by universal suffrage and voting on laws. The third proclamation was an appeal to the army.
The dissolution of the assembly by the president, which the constitution in force at the time recognized as a serious crime entailing trial, took the national assembly by surprise. To weaken possible resistance, almost all political figures who seemed dangerous were arrested that same night, including generals Bedeau, Cavaignac, Changarne, Lamorissiere, Lefleau, Colonel Charras, Thiers and many others. Protests against the autocratic act of the president were not particularly energetic . The Supreme Court met, but instead of immediately taking action against the president, it hesitated and waited for the outcome of the fight. The surviving members of the National Assembly, led by Michel (from Bourges), V. Hugo, J. Favre, Bodin (killed at the barricade), and others, gathered here and there, dispersed everywhere by the police and troops, called for a fight, They posted proclamations, but they did not reveal either great energy or unanimity. Nevertheless, street traffic began in Paris: barricades appeared in some places.
The government posted proclamations signed by the Minister of War, in which they threatened to shoot without trial everyone caught at the barricade with weapons in their hands. This proclamation showed that the president decided not to be embarrassed by anything - and indeed, on December 4, a terrible massacre took place on the streets of Paris. Many people, some of whom did not take any part in the protest against the coup, were killed or captured and shot; among those killed were women and children; this was followed by mass exiles to Cayenne and Lambessa. Attempts at resistance in the provinces were suppressed with the same cruelty. Pope Pius IX sent Napoleon his blessing; the clergy began to vigorously campaign for him. On December 20 and 21, a plebiscite, organized under strong and skillful police pressure, sanctioned the coup by 7.5 million votes to 640 thousand.
On January 14, 1852, a constitution was published, modeled on the consular constitution of 1799; it was a purely monarchical constitution, although with a president elected for 10 years. It named the president as responsible, but did not indicate any means of holding him accountable; the legislative body retained only the right to discuss laws, which it shared with the Senate; the right of legislative initiative belonged to one state council; executive power was placed entirely in the hands of the president and the ministers responsible to him. There was only one step left to take to turn the republic into an empire. However, Napoleon still hesitated. On March 29, 1852, opening the legislative session, he said: “let us preserve the republic; she doesn't threaten anyone and can calm everyone down. Under her banner, I want to re-consecrate the era of oblivion and reconciliation.” In the autumn of the same year, however, everything was already prepared for the completion of the coup.
1.6. Emperor of the French
During the President's journey through France, a sufficient number of demonstrations were arranged in favor of the restoration of the empire; the president himself in his speeches repeatedly hinted at its desirability. “They say that the empire will lead the war. No! Empire is peace! - he said in Bordeaux. Prompted by these demonstrations, the Senate, on November 7, spoke in favor of converting France into a hereditary empire, and on November 22, a corresponding change in the constitution was sanctioned by a plebiscite; 7,800,000 votes were cast for him. On December 2, 1852, the president was proclaimed Emperor of the French under the name of Napoleon III. His civil list was set at 25 million francs. The European powers immediately recognized the new empire; only Russia was somewhat slow in its recognition, and Nicholas I refused the new emperor the usual address of the monarch to the monarch “Monsieur mon frère”. An attempt at marriage with a princess from the ruling house failed, and therefore on January 30, 1853, Napoleon III married Eugenia de Montijo, Countess of Teba.
Until now, Napoleon III had succeeded in everything; his abilities turned out to be completely sufficient to deftly take advantage of the mistakes of his enemies and, based on the brilliance of his name, to organize skillful conspiracies. But these abilities turned out to be insufficient when the need arose to independently govern a state like France.
Napoleon III discovered neither the military nor the administrative genius of his uncle; Bismarck, not without reason, subsequently called him “an unrecognized but major mediocrity.” In the first decade, however, external circumstances were extremely favorable for Napoleon III.
1.7. Foreign policy
The Crimean War elevated him to a high degree of power and influence. In 1855, he traveled with Empress Eugenie to London, where he received a brilliant reception; in the same year, the kings of Sardinia and Portugal and the queen of England visited Paris. The Italian policy of Napoleon III was peculiar. He strove for the unification of the Apennine Peninsula, but with the condition of preserving the inviolability of the temporal power of the popes; at the same time, he needed the unification to be carried out not by Democrats and Republicans, but by conservative elements. Since in fact these aspirations slowed down the progress of unification, the Italian revolutionaries looked at Napoleon III with particular hatred. Three attempts on his life were organized by the Italians: the first by Pianori (April 28, 1855), the second by Bellamare (September 8, 1855), and the last by Orsini (January 14, 1858).
In 1859, Napoleon III began a war with Austria, the result of which for France was the annexation of Nice and Savoy. Success created France a leading position among European powers. At the same time, French expeditions against China (1857-60), Japan (1858), Annam (1858-1862) and Syria (1860-1861) were successful.
From the mid-1860s, a period of failure began for France. In 1862, Napoleon III undertook an expedition to Mexico, which was an imitation of the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon I and was supposed to decorate the empire with cheap military laurels. But the expedition was a complete fiasco; French troops had to withdraw from Mexico, leaving Emperor Maximilian, whom they had placed on the Mexican throne, to suffer the revenge of the Republicans. In 1863, Napoleon III's attempt to organize the intervention of European powers in favor of the rebellious Poland failed, and in 1866 he did not understand the significance for France of the war between Prussia and Austria and allowed a brilliant Prussian victory, which significantly strengthened this dangerous neighbor, without any reward for France.
In 1867, Napoleon III tried to satisfy the offended public opinion of France by purchasing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from the King of Holland and conquering Belgium, but the untimely disclosure of his project and the threatening position of Prussia forced him to abandon this plan. In May 1870, another plebiscist was held, and the third The French voted against the government. According to those around Napoleon III, only a victorious war could save power.
1.8. Domestic policy
Failures in foreign policy also affected domestic policy. Having gained power through the cooperation of clerical and reactionary elements, Napoleon III had to abandon all his socialist and democratic dreams from the very beginning. A strictly monarchical constitution in a country that had experienced several revolutions and was familiar with freer orders could only be maintained by relying on severe police oppression: the press was subject to a regime of warnings, the courts were an instrument of the executive power, parliamentary elections were carried out under strong pressure from the administration (see Second Empire ).
Some concession to public opinion had to be made already in 1860, when, by decree of November 12, the right of address to the speech from the throne was returned to the legislative body and ministers (and not just members of the State Council) began to give explanations to the chambers on behalf of the government. In 1867, the chambers were given the right of interpellation; in 1868, a new, more liberal law on the press was passed. The strengthening of the opposition in the elections of 1869 entailed new concessions on the part of Napoleon III, and on January 2, 1870, the liberal Ollivier Ministry was formed, which was supposed to reform the constitution, restoring the responsibility of ministers and expanding the limits of the power of the legislative assembly. In May 1870, the project developed by the ministry was approved by a plebiscite, but it did not have time to come into force. The policy of the head of state maneuvering between the interests of various social groups received its own name - “Bonapartism”.
1.9. Franco-Prussian War, captivity and deposition
In the summer of 1870 complications occurred between France and Prussia. Partly under the influence of the empress, Napoleon III, confident in the military power of France and hoping with victory to make up for all the mistakes of his policy, acted in an extremely defiant manner and brought the matter to war (see Franco-Prussian War). The war revealed the fragility of the state and social system that was created on December 2. The situation was further complicated by the uprising of the Paris Commune. Near Sedan, Napoleon III himself was forced to surrender to the enemy after, in his words, he “failed to find death.” On September 2, Napoleon III went to Wilhelmgoge Castle, assigned to him for residence by William I.
A day after the surrender of Napoleon III, the September Revolution began in Paris, overthrowing the government of the emperor.
Released from captivity after the conclusion of peace, he left for England, to Chislhurst, publishing a protest against the resolution of the Bordeaux National Assembly on his overthrow. He spent the rest of his life in Chislhurst and died after an operation to crush kidney stones. The body was buried in the crypt of St. Michael's Abbey in Farnborough. His son and wife were later buried there. In 1880, Empress Eugenie bought a house in Farnborough. Devastated by the loss of her husband and son, she built St. Michael's Abbey as a monastery and Imperial Mausoleum.
From Eugenia he had one child, Napoleon Eugene, prince of the empire, who after the death of his father was proclaimed Napoleon IV by the Bonapartists. In 1879, the 23-year-old prince, who was in British service, died in South Africa in a skirmish with the Zulus.
1.10. Essays
All the works of Napoleon III, published by him before 1869, as well as many of his speeches, messages and letters, with the exception, of course, of those that could compromise him, were collected by him in “Oeuvres de N. III” (Paris, 1854-69). This collection did not include only “Histoire de Jules César” (Paris, 1865-66; Russian translation of St. Petersburg, 1865-66), the direct assistant in the writing of which was Louis Maury. This book testifies to a serious study of Roman history, is written in a lively, elegant language, not without some signs of artistic talent, but extremely tendentious; praising Caesar, Napoleon III. clearly justified himself. The author sets himself the goal of “proving that Providence creates such people as Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Napoleon I, in order to pave the way for peoples to follow, to imprint with their genius a new era and to complete the work of centuries in a few years.” “Caesar, as the head of the popular party, felt that a great cause stood behind him; it pushed him forward and obliged him to win, regardless of legality, accusations of enemies and the unknown judgment of posterity. Roman society demanded a ruler, oppressed Italy - a representative of its rights, a world bent under the yoke - a savior.” Of the subsequent works of Napoleon III, “Forces militaires de la France” (1872) is significant. After the death of Napoleon III, Oeuvres posthumes, autographes inédits de N. III en exil was published (P., 1873).
1.11. Genealogy
Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785) │├──> Napoleon I (1769-1821)│ ││ └──> Napoleon II (1811-1832)│├──> Joseph Bonaparte 1768-1844, Florence) - the firstborn of Carlo and Letizia Buonaparte, the elder brother of Napoleon I. King of Naples. King of Spain ├──> Lucien Bonaparte Prince Canino (21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840)│ third surviving son of Carlo and Letizia Buonaparte.├──> Jerome Bonaparte, (1784-1860), King of Westphalia.└──> Louis Bonaparte, (1778-1846), King of Holland; brother of Napoleon. │ └──> Napoleon Charles Bonaparte│ (November 10, 1802 - 1807), Prince Royal of Holland. └──> Napoleon Louis Bonaparte(1804-1831), became │ Royal Prince of Holland after the death of his brother, in 1810 for several days │ was considered King Louis II of Holland. │ └──> Napoleon III (1808 -1873) │ └──> Napoleon IV(16 March 1856 - 1 June 1879) Prince of the Empire and son of France, was the only child of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie Montijo. │ └──> Napoleon V(1862 - 1926) Prince of the Empire, his father Plon-Plon
2. Interesting facts
The name "Latin America" was coined by the French Emperor Napoleon III as a political term; he saw Latin America and Indochina as territories into which France sought to extend its influence throughout his reign. This term helped him reinforce his claims to these territories, and was supposed to include those parts of America in which Romance languages were spoken, that is, territories inhabited by people from the Iberian Peninsula and France during the 15th-16th centuries.
On August 18, 1921, The Times editorialized that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was a plagiarism of an obscure mid-19th-century pamphlet against Napoleon III. The pamphlet was called “Dialogue in Hell between Montesquieu and Machiavelli”, its author was the French lawyer and satirist Maurice Joly. Immediately after printing in 1864, the pamphlet was banned in France.
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was the only French president who was single during his presidential term (he married Eugenie while already emperor).
References and characterizations of Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugenie appear repeatedly in Booker Prize winner Graham Swift's novel The Light Day (2002). Here is an example of such a characteristic: “Unlike his uncle - that same Napoleon - he was not a great commander, but still he himself led armies into battle in an earlier war, with the Austrians in Italy (what, one wonders, are they there did?), won two major battles - at Magenta and Solferino. He could have driven the Austrians out of Italy completely, but after Solferino he concluded a truce. One of the reasons, they say, was that he was simply tired of bloodshed” (chapter 59).
4. Sources
Gregoire, “History of France in the 19th century.” (vol. III, M., 1896)
Vermorel, "The Figures of 1851" (SPb., 1870)
Victor Hugo, “The History of a Crime” (“Notes of the Fatherland”, 1878, 1-8)
de Beaumont-Vassy, “Secrets of the reign of N. III” (St. Petersburg, 1875)
K. Marx, “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte”
K. Marx, “Louis Napoleon and Italy”
Sybel, "N. III" (Bonn, 1873)
Gottschall, "N. III" (in "Der Neue Plutarch", vol. 10, Leipzig, 1884)
T. Delord, “Hist. du second empire" (Paris, 1868-1875; first 2 volumes in Russian translation, St. Petersburg, 1871)
Jerrold, "Life of N. III" (London, 1874-1882)
Pulet-Malassis, “Papiers secrets et correspondence du second empire” (P., 1877)
"Hist. anecdotique du second empire, par un fonctionnaire" (P., 1888)
Hamel, "Hist. illustrée du second empire" (P., 1873)
Bulle, "Gesch. des zweiten Kaiserreichs" (Berlin, 1890)
Ebeling, "N. III und sein Hof" (Cologne, 1891-93)
De Lano, “La cour de N. III” (P., 1892)
Hachet-Souplet, “Louis N., prisonnier au fort de Ham” (P., 1894)
de la Gorce, “Hist. du second empire" (Paris, 1894)
Simson, “Die Beziehungen N’s III zu Preussen u. Deutschland" (Freiburg, 1882)
Vieil Castel, "Mémoires sur le règne de N. III" (Paris, 1881-1884)
du Casse, "Les dessous du coup d'Etat" (Paris, 1891)
Thirria, "N. III avant l'Empire" (Paris, 1895-1896)
Duval, "N. III; enfance, jeunesse" (P., 1895)
Giraudeau, "N. III intime" (5th ed., P., 1895)
Fraser, "N. III; my recollections" (L., 1895)
When writing this article, material was used from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907).
Emperor Napoleon had three sons - the legitimate son François-Joseph, the failed heir to the throne, and two illegitimate sons - Charles, Count Leon, and Alexander Walewski.
Their fates developed differently, which we will talk about in this article, based on historical sources.
In March 1796, Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais, who by that time already had two children from her first husband, Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais. During ten years of marriage, Napoleon and Josephine never had their own children, which, of course, was terribly depressing for Bonaparte. He, accustomed to victoriously solving any problems that arose before him, found it difficult to come to terms with the idea that he had suffered a terrible failure in this family-dynastic matter.
It was even rumored that the great Napoleon began to consider himself infertile...
In all other matters, except for the birth of an heir, at that time Napoleon won one victory after another and was at the peak of success and glory.
In 1805, he won the greatest victory of his career at Austerlitz, where the allied forces of two emperors - Russian Alexander I and Austrian Franz II - were defeated.
At the beginning of 1806, Napoleon returned victoriously to France, where he immediately began a relationship with the young beauty Eleanor Denuelle de la Pleine, a lecturer, and in modern times a reader aloud, of his sister Caroline, a slender brunette with huge black eyes.
Eleanor was a flirtatious and witty girl from a good family of the Parisian bourgeoisie. While studying at the famous boarding school for noble maidens Madame Campan, she met Caroline Bonaparte, with whom she later got a job.
There was also an unsuccessful marriage in her life to the dragoon officer Jean Revel, who turned out to be an ordinary swindler, was arrested and imprisoned.
Having settled into the service of her friend Caroline Bonaparte, Eleanor quickly became close to her loving husband, Marshal Joachim Murat. The emperor himself, who did not like to spend a lot of time on foreplay, also did not have to persuade her for long - Caroline, who hated Josephine, who had influence on her older brother, helped in this. 
The love encounters between Napoleon and Eleanor nevertheless led to a result that both Caroline and the entire Corsican Bonaparte clan, who dreamed of divorcing Napoleon with the “stranger” Josephine, really hoped for - on December 13, 1806, at two o’clock in the morning, Eleanor gave birth to a boy.
Napoleon, who was fighting in Poland at that time, having received a message about this from Marshal Francois-Joseph Lefebvre, was filled with
exclaimed with joy: “Finally I have a son!”
At first he decided to adopt a child, but soon changed his mind - the emperor needed a legal heir...
The boy was named Charles, Count of Leon and was given to be raised by Madame Loire, the former nurse of Achille, the son of Caroline and Murat.
He was given an annual allowance of 30,000 francs, which is about $1 million in modern prices.
His mother was not forgotten either: Eleanor received 22,000 francs per year.
The birth of his son led Napoleon to the decision to part with Josephine, who was unable to give him an heir...
After the birth of his son, Napoleon also lost interest in Eleanor, after which, on February 4, 1808, she married the young lieutenant Pierre-Philippe Ogier. Her family life with Ogier was short-lived - in 1812 he went missing while crossing the remnants of the French army across the Berezina River in Russia...
In 1814, Eleanor successfully entered into a new marriage with a major of the Bavarian army, Count Karl-August-Emil von Luxburg, with whom she lived comfortably for thirty-five years - first in Mannheim, and then in Paris, where the count was appointed ambassador.
Napoleon spoiled young Charles; he was often brought to the Tuileries to his father, who loved to play with him and gave him expensive gifts. Baron Mathieu de Moviera, father-in-law of Napoleon's personal secretary Claude-François de Meneval, was appointed Charles's guardian.
After the Battle of Waterloo, when the Bonapartes from an august family became just private individuals, Napoleon's mother Letitia and his uncle Cardinal Joseph Fesch took up Charles's upbringing.
Count Leon was like two peas in a pod like his father as a child and from early childhood showed a violent and obstinate disposition.
In the will that Napoleon wrote on St. Helena, Charles was given 300,000 francs with the wish that he become a magistrate. However, Count Leon was not interested in a quiet life and, having reached adulthood, he began to lead a riotous and disorderly lifestyle.
Having started his studies at the University of Heidelberg, Charles quickly abandoned it, after which he tried to carry out a variety of projects one after another, right up to the construction of a submarine.
He entered military service as a battalion commander in the Saint-Denis National Guard, but was soon fired “for neglect of official duties.” 
Charles even tried to become a priest, but failed to study.
An excellent rider and a great connoisseur of horses, he could pay a fortune for a good horse.
The count was also a passionate gambler. Once, in one night, he lost 45,000 francs (in modern money, about a million and a quarter euros).
Having turned into an inveterate duelist, Count Leon in 1832 killed Karl Hesse, the illegitimate son of one of the English princes, a cousin of the future Queen Victoria, and aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, in a duel in the Bois de Vincennes over a quarrel at a card table.
Naturally, with such squandering, the money left by Emperor Napoleon could not last long. Easily parting with money, Charles also easily got into debt when there was a shortage...
In 1838 he was imprisoned for debt, but not for long.
In 1840, Charles decided to try his luck in England, where at that time his wealthy relative, Prince Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew and grandson of Josephine de Beauharnais, was living in exile. Without coming up with anything else, the count began to extract money from his cousin, and all this happened in such an impudent manner that it came to a duel, which, fortunately for both duelists, did not take place...
To the place of the fight in Wimbledon, Charles-Louis-Napoleon's seconds brought two swords, and Count Leon's seconds brought two pistols. A long dispute about which weapon to choose ended with the appearance of the police, who separated the unlucky duelists.
Count Leon was expelled to France, where he successfully led a lawsuit against his mother, Countess von Luxburg, who was ordered by the court to pay him an annual allowance of 4,000 francs.
Writing bile and unkind pamphlets also began to bring in good fees, but he immediately squandered them...
At the end of the 1840s, Charles had the opportunity to try himself as a politician. In those years when there was a struggle for independence from Austria and unification on the Apennine Peninsula, many hoped that Pope Pius IX would help the Italian states to unite.
Count Leon wrote to the pope and offered himself as the Italian king, however, most likely, no one except Leon himself could imagine him in this role...
Having failed in Italy, Count Leon decided to seriously take up French affairs. And so, after the expulsion of the king 
Louis-Philippe in March 1848, Charles solemnly promised to preserve the French Republic, opposing all monarchists, including the Bonapartists, who wanted to elevate his cousin Charles-Louis-Napoleon to the throne.
When Charles-Louis-Napoleon finally became Emperor Napoleon III, Count Leon began to seek from him an appointment to the civil service and payment of his debts, but his cousin, offended by the Wimbledon duel, did not give him the position...
Instead of a position, a compassionate relative provided Charles with a pension of 6,000 francs and allocated 255,000 francs, of which 45,000 went to pay off the count's debts, and the remainder provided an annual income of 10,000 francs.
But this money was soon lost and squandered, and Count Leon again turned to the emperor for help.
Old age inexorably approached, funds became less and less, and the old reveler settled down somewhat. He made peace with his mother, with whom he had been at enmity for so long, and in 1862 he married a woman with whom he had already lived for nine years and who bore him six children.
His wife Françoise Jaunet was 25 years younger than him and immeasurably lower in position - her father once served as a gardener for Count Leon - but she remained faithful to her husband.
After the overthrow of Napoleon III, the first-born of the great emperor was completely ruined, and poverty set in.
Count Leon died in Pontoise on April 14, 1881 at the age of 75 and was buried at the expense of the municipality as a beggar vagabond...
Let's move on to the fate of the second illegitimate son of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander Walewski. 
In 1807, in Warsaw, Napoleon met Maria Walewska. There is an opinion that Valevskaya initially yielded to the emperor’s advances out of patriotic feelings: the gentry hoped that a love affair with a Polish woman would make Napoleon think more about the interests of her homeland.
However, soon a twenty-year-old girl, not given out of love by her parents to the elderly aristocrat Anastasia Colonna-Walewski, herself fell madly in love with Napoleon.
At the beginning of 1808, Maria Valevskaya moved to Paris, moved into an apartment on Victory Street, not far from the apartment in which the already familiar Eleanor Denuelle de la Pleigne lived, who at that time had already received her resignation...
In 1809, Maria, in love, follows Napoleon to Austria, where in Schönbrunn she announces to him that she is expecting a child from him...
On May 4, 1810, in Poland, Walewska gave birth to a boy who was named Alexander.
Six months later, with her son in her arms, she returned to Paris, but the place next to Napoleon was already occupied by another woman - Princess Marie-Louise of Austria...
Napoleon allocated 10,000 francs a month for the maintenance of his son Alexander, a huge amount at that time.
At the same time, his affair with Maria Walevskaya was finally interrupted - largely due to the jealousy of his new legal wife. The Countess quietly left for Warsaw, but remained faithful to her former lover for a long time...
After the deposed Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, Walewska and four-year-old Alexander secretly visited him there, but the emperor rather coldly met his “Polish wife”, who was ready to voluntarily share his exile.
And only after Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena, Maria Walewska considered herself free from obligations towards him.
In September 1816, in Brussels, she married the former colonel of the Napoleonic guard Philippe-Antoine d'Ornano, but the birth of a child on June 9, 1817, who was named Rodolphe-Auguste-Louis-Eugene, became fatal for her.
Having fallen seriously ill, the delightful Polish woman died on December 11 at the age of only 31...
After the death of his mother, Alexander-Florian-Joseph Colonna-Walewski, Napoleon's second son, was brought to Poland by his uncle Theodor Marcin Łonczyński.
He received his education in Geneva in 1820-1824. 
At the age of 14, he rejected Grand Duke Constantine's offer to become his personal aide-de-camp and was followed by Russian police, causing him to flee to France in 1827.
In December 1830, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Horace de Sebastiani, entrusted Alexander with a secret mission in Poland - so Napoleon's son found himself among the participants in the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.
On February 13, 1831, Alexander Walevsky, with the rank of captain, as an aide-de-camp to the commander, took part in the famous battle of Grokhov, which pitted the Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Ivan Dibich and the Polish army under the command of Prince Radziwill.
In this historic battle, both sides suffered colossal losses, but the Poles considered themselves winners, because Russian troops did not dare to storm the Polish capital and retreated.
For his active participation in this battle, Alexander Walewski received the military cross, after which he was sent by the Polish rebel government to London to negotiate the future of Poland.
After the defeat of the Polish uprising, Alexander Walewski returned to Paris, where, as the son of Napoleon, he received a very gracious reception and was enlisted as a captain in the French army.
After retiring in 1837, Alexander became a publicist and playwright: he wrote a number of pamphlets (“A Tale on the Algerian Question”, “The English Alliance” and others), as well as one five-act comedy.
At the same time, he began to carry out various important diplomatic assignments for influential members of the government of Guizot and Thiers in many countries, including Egypt and Argentina.
When Alexander Walewski returned from Buenos Aires, the French Revolution of 1848 broke out and, in contrast to his brother Count Leon, he immediately joined Charles-Louis Napoleon, the future Emperor Napoleon III. 
A distinguished relative appointed him envoy of France - initially in Florence, then in Naples and, finally, in London, where Alexander conducted affairs so flexibly that he managed to achieve recognition of the Second Empire by the British, despite all the horror that the name aroused in them Napoleon.
It was Alexander Walewski who organized the visit of Emperor Napoleon III to England and Queen Victoria to France, and also ensured cooperation between the two powers in the Crimean War.
As a reward for this success, Alexander was appointed French Foreign Minister in May 1855 and had the pleasure of presiding over the Paris Congress of 1856, where Russia, which he hated, was humiliated...
During the negotiations, he became a Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
Subsequently, in 1868, Alexander Walevsky was elected president of the Legislative Corps and a member of the Academy of Fine Arts. However, the count’s health was undermined, and on September 27, 1868, being at the zenith of his glory, he died...
Had seven children.
His wife Maria Anna di Ricci, the daughter of the Italian Count Zanobio di Ricci and the grandniece of the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, bore him four children, including a son, Charles Zanobi Rodolphe, who became a lieutenant colonel and died in 1916 in the First World War. , fighting for France.
However, Alexander Walevsky's most beloved son was Alexander-Antoine, whom actress Rachelle Felix gave birth to. His father not only recognized him, but also left him the title of count as an inheritance.
The current Count Colonna-Walewski, born in 1934, is the great-grandson of Alexandre-Antoine.
So, let's move on to the youngest son of Emperor Napoleon - Napoleon-François-Joseph or Napoleon II.
Immediately after his divorce from Josephine, Napoleon began choosing a new wife, who was supposed to produce a legitimate heir to the throne.
On January 28, 1810, a special meeting of the highest dignitaries of the empire was convened on this issue. As a result, it was decided that a new marriage alliance had to guarantee the Napoleon dynasty a place in the sun, and, therefore, it had to be concluded with a great power.
Besides France, there were three such states in the world at that time: England, Russia and Austria. 
However, based on the fact that there was a constant war of life and death with England, the only choice was between Russia and Austria.
Most ministers supported the candidacy of the Russian Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, who was the sister of Emperor Alexander I, and only a few, including Foreign Minister Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, for the Austrian Archduchess Marie-Louise, daughter of Emperor Franz I.
However, Russian Emperor Alexander I did not want to give his sister to a “Corsican” and came up with more and more excuses: young age, different religions and, finally, the fact that only her mother could marry her, and he did not have such power.
Irritated by the intrigues of the Russian court, Napoleon declared that he was leaning toward the “Austrian option.”
And so, at the beginning of February 1810, a marriage contract was prepared, which was completely copied from a similar contract drawn up during the marriage of the French king Louis XVI to another Austrian archduchess, Marie Antoinette, the aunt of Napoleon’s bride.
The Austrian Emperor ratified the treaty, and on February 21, 1810, a message about this came to Paris.
On February 22, 1810, Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Napoleon's chief of general staff, was sent to Vienna to represent the Emperor of the French during the wedding ceremony.
On March 11, 1810, a traditional marriage by proxy was concluded in Vienna - in the presence of the entire Austrian imperial family, the entire court, the entire diplomatic corps, dignitaries and generals.
The next day, Berthier went back to France, and 24 hours later he was followed by the future Empress Marie-Louise, whom Napoleon met on March 27, 1810, near Paris.
What’s remarkable is that it was only here that the couple saw each other for the first time in their lives. Napoleon's goal was to find such a wife
who could give him an heir, so he was not very worried about appearance and feelings. However, in the carriage he discovered a delightful, childishly naive young woman and immediately fell in love with her.
On April 2, 1810, the wedding of Napoleon and Marie-Louise was celebrated again at the Tuileries Palace.
On March 20, 1811, Marie-Louise gave birth to a boy, who was named Napoleon-François-Joseph and immediately after birth was proclaimed King of Rome and heir to the empire.
It seems that a great destiny awaited this legitimate son of Emperor Napoleon, but fortune decreed otherwise...
At the beginning of April 1814, Napoleon abdicated the throne in favor of Napoleon-François-Joseph, who was proclaimed Emperor of the French, but was never crowned: the victorious Russian Emperor Alexander I 
not without the assistance of the omnipresent Talleyrand, he insisted on returning to the Bourbon throne.
Napoleon's four-year-old son went with his mother to visit his relatives in Vienna. It was decided to isolate Marie Louise and her son from Napoleon, as well as from each other.
The former Empress Marie-Louise, who received the Duchy of Parma in exchange for her former possessions, was accompanied everywhere by the Austrian officer Adam-Adalbert von Neipperg.
This Austrian officer was about forty years old, he had an extremely attractive appearance, except, of course, for the wide black bandage that hid his empty eye socket.
He was ordered by the Austrian Emperor to spy on Marie-Louise and prevent any contact with the exiled Emperor.
However, despite his service, the spy soon became the lover, and in 1821, the husband of the Duchess of Parma.
Marie-Louise never saw Napoleon again, and gave birth to four children to her new husband.
She lived the rest of her life in Parma, where she acquired a personal court and countless favorites.
Widowed for the second time in 1829, on February 17, 1834, she married again - to her chamberlain, Count Charles-René de Bombelle.
During the reign of Maria Louise, schools, bridges, hospitals were built in Parma, and the construction of a theater began, which the city's residents are still proud of.
Thus, Maria Louise remained the most beloved ruler of the small duchy...
Napoleon-François-Joseph, the dream and hope of all the Bonapartists of the world, lived near Vienna in Schönbrunn Castle, and he was guarded as carefully as even the most dangerous criminals are sometimes not guarded - everyone understood perfectly well that the name of Napoleon II alone, under certain circumstances, could serve as a banner for the Bonapartist movement.
He was forced to practically forget the French language and speak only German, and everyone called him exclusively “in Austrian” - Franz. 
In 1818, Napoleon's son was given the title Duke of Reichstadt.
From the age of 12, the Duke of Reichstadt was considered for military service and by 1830 he had risen to the rank of major.
They say that while living at his grandfather’s court, the young man, in spite of everything, remembered his great father, was his ardent admirer and was burdened by the Schönbrunn order.
Unfortunately, his life was short-lived - he died of tuberculosis on July 22, 1832.
To be fair, there were rumors that he was poisoned.
This young man went down in history under the dynastic name of Napoleon II, given to him by the Bonapartists. In fact, he never reigned, although from June 22, 1815 (that is, after the second abdication of Napoleon) in Paris for several weeks it was he who was recognized as emperor.
Under the repressive Bourbon regime, it was unsafe to speak out loud about Napoleon, so everyone sang the praises of eagles - the eagle was the heraldic symbol of the French emperor.
And his son, about whom it was also not recommended to talk, became Eaglet. This nickname was glorified by Edmond Rostand, who wrote the drama “The Eaglet” in 1900 - about the sad life of Napoleon II, living in a golden German cage.
Napoleon II was buried in the famous Vienna Kapuzinerkirche next to the other Habsburgs.
In December 1940, on the instructions of Adolf Hitler, Napoleon II rested in the cathedral of the Invalides, next to the tomb of his father, whose ashes were transferred here exactly a hundred years earlier.
So the crowned father and his unlucky son finally met.
Information sources:
1. Wikipedia website
2. Nechaev “Sons of Napoleon”
Napoleon II is the only legitimate child of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was Emperor of the French. It must be said that in fact he never reigned. However, from June 22 to July 7, 1815, he was still recognized as emperor. He was often called "Eaglet". Napoleon II is a famous person in history. Absolutely every person who went to school knows about it.
Napoleon II. Brief biography of the heir to the empire
Every adult and child knows about the heir of Napoleon I. The biography of the emperor’s son is quite rich and interesting, so many who are interested in history want to get acquainted with it.
Napoleon II was born on March 20, 1811 to a ruler with Marie Louise of Austria. It is worth noting that immediately after his birth he was recognized by Napoleon as the King of Rome, as well as the main heir to the empire. However, this was just a mere formality, because only the Bonapartists called him by this title.
When Napoleon I abdicated the throne for the first time, his son's mother moved to Austria and took her child with her. When the boy's father returned to France, the first thing he did was to demand from the Austrian government the return of his beloved only child, born of the marriage, as well as his wife Louise. However, the attempt was unsuccessful.
The mother of Napoleon II, after the death of her legal husband, married a lover who appeared during her marriage to Napoleon I. After the move, she never saw her husband again, and gave birth to four children to her new husband.
Title of the King of Reichstadt
Since 1815, the young man actually lived in captivity in Austria. In Vienna they tried not to mention Napoleon Bonaparte. Here his son was given a different name - Franz. The young man was called "the son of the Archduchess's Highness."
It is worth saying that his grandfather gave Napoleon II the title of Duke of Reichstadt in the hope that he could erase any trace of his father's reputation from the boy. However, despite this, Napoleon II still remembered and knew about his famous and famous father, studied his campaigns, which ended successfully.
Illnesses and death of Napoleon II
It must be said that Napoleon II was often ill throughout his childhood. Many believe that this is the result of dislike and lack of attention to him from his own mother. It is worth noting that throughout Napoleon II’s life he suffered only failures. The boy lived only 22 years. His story ended just before it began. The cause of his death was tuberculosis, which at that time was considered an incurable disease. The only person who could save the child's life, make him happy and protect him from all hardships and losses was the mother, but she chose a different path and decided to leave her son to his fate.
Unsuccessful marriage
Many believe that Napoleon Bonaparte's marriage to Marie Louise was unsuccessful. This woman brought nothing but misfortune into the life of her husband and child. Most likely, it was through her fault that the life of the heir to the great emperor became so tragic and ended very early.
The unfortunate child, deprived of love and care by his mother, was Napoleon II. A photo of the historical figure can be found in this article. Many believe that the son was not at all like his great father, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Service and mysterious legends around the son of the great Bonaparte
From the age of 12, Napoleon II was in military service, where he received the rank of major.
It is worth mentioning that various legends constantly swarmed around Bonaparte’s son. Then everyone understood that in the event of any political complications, just the name of the heir to the great emperor could cause a storm of negativity and various dangerous movements. He was guarded very carefully, since he was the only hope of all Bonapartists. In this regard, their attempt to nominate him for the throne of Belgium was unsuccessful.
The young man was forced to forget his native language, after which he was forced to speak only German.
Napoleon II was well aware of his origins and was always interested in military affairs. Since childhood, the young man dreamed and imagined how he could become famous and become a great and famous person. His early death saved the country from unnecessary problems and difficulties. Increasingly, information appears in various sources that Napoleon II was poisoned.
It must be said that the fate of Napoleon II was tragic and unhappy. The young man always wanted fame and fame, but instead he received only dislike from his mother, illness and early death. His dreams were not destined to come true. Perhaps he was poisoned in order to get rid of unnecessary problems, which makes his life even more unsuccessful and worthless.
"Eaglet"
At that time, talking about Napoleon Bonaparte was very dangerous. Then eagles were sung, and that is why they became a symbol of the emperor. In connection with such circumstances, the young man began to be called “Eaglet”, so as not to pronounce his name out loud.
The fate of Napoleon II was quite tragic, because, not having time to live a long and happy life, the young man died. He was often sick, and Austria was a kind of captivity for him. There they imposed new views on him, taught him a different language and wanted him to forget his father forever. Napoleon II was an unhappy child because he never received the love and care of his parents.
| Prince of Parma |
Tuileries, Paris, France
Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria
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After the defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon abdicated the throne in favor of his son, whom he proclaimed emperor under the name Napoleon II; but the King of Rome was not in France, and the abdication, under the conditions of that time, could not have practical significance.
"Eaglet" in Austria
After the first abdication of Napoleon I in 1814, Marie-Louise moved to Austria and settled with her son near Vienna, in Schönbrunn Castle. When Napoleon I returned to France in 1815, he demanded from the Austrian government the return of his wife and son, but to no avail. The four-year-old Roman king remained with his mother in Austria and was raised there by Matthew Collinus.
When Marie Louise moved to Parma in 1816, her son remained in Vienna with his grandfather Francis I of Austria. A treaty concluded in 1817 between the allies deprived him of hereditary rights to Parma; for this the Austrian Emperor rewarded him with the Bohemian Duchy of Reichstadt, with the title of "Serenemy".
At his grandfather’s court, in Vienna, they tried not to mention his father in front of him; he was considered “the son of Her Highness the Archduchess”; from childhood he was taught the German name Franz, not Napoleon. Despite this, he knew about his father, was his ardent admirer and was burdened by the Austrian court. From the age of 12, the Duke of Reichstadt was considered for military service, in which by 1830 he had risen to the rank of major. Legends were constantly formed around his name; everyone understood well that in the event of any political complications, the name of Napoleon II alone could serve as a banner for a dangerous movement. It was for this reason that the Bonapartists' timid attempt to nominate him for the throne of Belgium was immediately stopped by Vienna, Paris and London. Napoleon II himself, who knew about his origins, carefully studied military affairs and constantly dreamed of glory and exploits. But he was a very sickly young man; His premature death on July 22, 1832 from tuberculosis at the age of 21 in Schönbrunn saved diplomacy and the Austrian court from many difficulties. There were rumors that he was poisoned.
Posthumous fate
His cousin Prince Louis Napoleon, having proclaimed himself Emperor in 1852, took the name Napoleon III; thus, he considered Napoleon II post facto the head of the dynasty in -1832, and himself as his heir.
In 1940, by order of Adolf Hitler, the remains of the Duke of Reichstadt were transferred from Vienna (then part of the Third Reich) to Paris (occupied by Germany) and were buried in the Invalides next to his father's tomb; at the same time, the heart of the deceased, kept separately, according to the custom of that time, remained in Vienna. This happened exactly 100 years after the ashes of Napoleon himself were transferred to the Invalides.
The fate of Napoleon II inspired Edmond Rostand's drama "The Little Eaglet" ( L'Aiglon). Through this work, Marina Tsvetaeva became a fan of the personality of both Napoleons - father and son. It is believed that Janusz Korczak's book "King Matt I" was inspired by the fate of Napoleon II.
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Notes
Literature
- Andre Castelo.. - M.: Zakharov, 2007. - 668 p. - ISBN 978-5-8159-0737-9.
- Charles Laurent. Son of Napoleon. Tashkent, Main editorial office of the publishing and printing concern "Sharq", 1994.
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Excerpt characterizing Napoleon II
– To my great regret, Madonna Isidora! – the cardinal exclaimed with feigned disappointment. -Will you allow me to come see you sometime? They say you have a very gifted daughter? I would really like to meet and talk with her. I hope she is as beautiful as her mother...“My daughter, Anna, is only ten years old, my lord,” I answered as calmly as possible.
And my soul was screaming in animal horror!.. He knew everything about me!.. Why, well, why did crazy Karaffa need me?.. Why was he interested in my little Anna?!
Is it because I was known as the famous Vidunya, and he considered me his worst enemy?.. After all, for him it didn’t matter what they called me, for the “Grand Inquisitor” I was simply a witch, and he burned witches at the stake.. .
I loved Life deeply and selflessly! And I, like every normal person, really wanted it to last as long as possible. After all, even the most notorious scoundrel, who may have taken the lives of others, cherishes every minute he lives, every day he lives, his life, precious to him!.. But it was at that moment that I suddenly understood very clearly that it was he, Caraffa, who will take her, my short and so valuable to me, unlived life...
– A great spirit is born in a small body, Madonna Isidora. Even Saint Jesus was once a child. I will be very glad to visit you! – and bowing gracefully, Caraffa left.
The world was collapsing... It crumbled into small pieces, each of which reflected a predatory, subtle, intelligent face...
I tried to somehow calm down and not panic, but for some reason it didn’t work. This time my usual confidence in myself and my abilities failed me, and this made it even worse. The day was as sunny and bright as just a few minutes ago, but darkness settled in my soul. As it turned out, I had been waiting for this man to appear for a long time. And all my nightmare visions about bonfires were only a harbinger... for today's meeting with him.
Returning home, I immediately persuaded my husband to pick up little Anna and take her somewhere far away, where Caraffa’s evil tentacles could not reach her. And she herself began to prepare for the worst, since she knew for sure that his arrival would not be long in coming. And I was not mistaken...
A few days later, my favorite black maid Kay (at that time it was very fashionable to have black servants in rich houses) reported that “His Eminence, the Cardinal, is waiting for me in the pink drawing room.” And I felt that something would happen right now...
I was wearing a light yellow silk dress and knew that this color suited me very well. But if there was one person in the world in front of whom I did not want to look attractive, it was certainly Caraffa. But there was no time left to change clothes, and I had to go out that way.
He waited, calmly leaning on the back of his chair, studying some old manuscript, of which there were a countless number in our house. I put on a pleasant smile and went down to the living room. Seeing me, for some reason Karaffa froze, without uttering a word. The silence dragged on, and it seemed to me that the cardinal was about to hear my frightened heart beating loudly and treacherously... But finally, his enthusiastic, hoarse voice was heard:
– You are amazing, Madonna Isidora! Even this sunny morning is playing next to you!
– I never thought that cardinals were allowed to compliment ladies! – with the greatest effort, continuing to smile, I squeezed out.
- Cardinals are people too, Madonna, and they know how to distinguish beauty from simplicity... And where is your wonderful daughter? Will I be able to enjoy double beauty today?
– She is not in Venice, Your Eminence. She and her father went to Florence to visit her sick cousin.
– As far as I know, there are no patients in your family at the moment. Who fell ill so suddenly, Madonna Isidora? – there was an undisguised threat in his voice...
Caraffa began to play openly. And I had no choice but to face the danger face to face...
– What do you want from me, Your Eminence? Wouldn't it be easier to say it directly, saving us both from this unnecessary, cheap game? We are smart enough people that, even with differences in views, we can respect each other.
My legs were giving way from horror, but for some reason Caraffa didn’t notice this. He glared at my face with a flaming gaze, not answering and not noticing anything around. I couldn’t understand what was happening, and this whole dangerous comedy frightened me more and more... But then something completely unexpected happened, something completely outside the usual framework... Caraffa came very close to me, that’s all also, without taking his burning eyes off, and almost without breathing, he whispered:
– You cannot be from God... You are too beautiful! You are a witch!!! A woman has no right to be so beautiful! You are from the Devil!..
And turning around, he rushed out of the house without looking back, as if Satan himself was chasing him... I stood in complete shock, still expecting to hear his steps, but nothing happened. Gradually coming to my senses, and finally managing to relax my stiff body, I took a deep breath and... lost consciousness. I woke up on the bed, drinking hot wine from the hands of my dear maid Kei. But immediately, remembering what had happened, she jumped to her feet and began to rush around the room, not having any idea what to do... Time passed, and she had to do something, come up with something in order to somehow protect herself and your family from this two-legged monster. I knew for sure that now all the games were over, that the war had begun. But our forces, to my great regret, were very, very unequal... Naturally, I could defeat him in my own way... I could even simply stop his bloodthirsty heart. And all these horrors would end immediately. But the fact is that, even at thirty-six years old, I was still too pure and kind to kill... I never took a life, on the contrary, I very often gave it back. And even such a terrible person as Karaffa was, she could not yet execute...
The next morning there was a loud knock on the door. My heart has stopped. I knew - it was the Inquisition... They took me away, accusing me of “verbalism and witchcraft, stupefying honest citizens with false predictions and heresy”... That was the end.
The room they put me in was very damp and dark, but for some reason it seemed to me that I wouldn’t stay in it for long. At noon Caraffa came...
DUKE OF REICHSTADT
From the bright circle of sad brides
Calls came more than once.
What tender lips! Rising to the stars
His youthful impulses!
Like the complaints of violins, like the nights are like honey,
What are the dead statues in the park?
Towards someone else! Victory doesn't wait
Triumphal arches are not waiting.
Let the masquerade boil with colorful flames,
Let the benevolent grandfather joke with him,
Let the couples swirl, there's a parade on the Seine,
Parade at the Vendôme Column!
Meet your family! Like a face of fire
There is hot lava in the chest.
And she closed it gently, handing over the ring,
His eyes are of youthful glory.
Marina Tsvetaeva
Franz, Duke of Reichstadt. He is also Napoleon Francois Joseph Charles Bonaparte, King of Rome. He is also Napoleon II. He is the only legitimate child and heir of Emperor Napoleon, who went down in history under the nickname “Eaglet” (L’Aiglon).
Thomas Lawrence. Napoleon II in childhood
Napoleon's marriage to Josephine turned out to be childless. Legally, this was not a problem, since the constitution of the 12th century allowed the emperor to adopt the children and grandchildren of his brothers. The problem was purely human: Napoleon wanted to pass the crown to his own son, especially since he was convinced of his ability to have offspring - illegitimate children were born from a love affair with noble ladies Eleanor Denuel de la Plen and Countess Maria Walewska. From Eleanor - son Leon, and from Countess Maria - son Alexander-Florian-Joseph-Colon. Napoleon decided to divorce Josephine, with whom he entered into a church marriage on the eve of his coronation. It wasn't difficult to get my dad's permission to divorce. But there were difficulties with choosing a bride.
The talk was about concluding a dynastic marriage, which would not only give an heir, but also make Bonaparte related to the legitimate monarchs of Europe. First of all, Napoleon wooed the sisters of the Russian Emperor Alexander I, Ekaterina Pavlovna and Anna Pavlovna, but was refused.
Then he asked for the hand of Marie-Louise, the daughter of the Austrian Emperor Franz I, who, worried about the Habsburg heritage, agreed.
Paulin Jean Baptiste Guerin. Portrait of Empress Marie-Louise
On April 2, 1810, the wedding of Napoleon I with the Archduchess of Austria Marie-Louise, who was the great-niece of the executed French queen Marie Antoinette, took place in the Louvre. A year later, on March 20, 1811, their son Napoleon-François-Joseph-Charles was born, who received the title of King of Rome.
Francois Gerard. Empress Marie-Louise with her son, the King of Rome
The new married life truly captivated Napoleon, who even relaxed his attention to state affairs for some time. He was crazy about his son-heir. He was worried about his young wife, as perhaps no other woman had been since his affair with Josephine. It inspired pride that the arrogant descendants of the Roman emperors became related to him.
Pierre-Paul Proudhon. Roman king
Politically, the marriage of Napoleon I with Marie-Louise was the culmination of the Bonapartist epic. From this time on, a period of difficulties and defeats began for the empire. The economic crisis of 1810-1811, the military disaster of 1812, and finally the abdication on April 5, 1814 amid general apathy and betrayal - these are only the main milestones of its decline and collapse. The emperor abdicated in favor of his son, but the victors declared the Bonapartes deposed.
According to the terms of the agreement of April 11, concluded between France and the allies at Fontainebleau, Napoleon I was given the island of Elba into sovereign possession and was assigned a maintenance of 2 million francs. Other members of the Bonaparte family were not forgotten - they all received generous annuities. As for the Empress and the King of Rome, through the efforts of Austrian diplomacy they were separated from Napoleon. According to the agreement of April 11, the Duchy of Parma was intended for their possession.
On April 20, Napoleon I’s heartbreaking farewell to the guards took place in the courtyard of Fontainebleau. In a very despondent mood he went into exile. Three days later, Marie-Louise and her son set off for Vienna. While on the road, a lively correspondence began between the spouses, in which they expressed touching concern for each other. But as soon as Napoleon, upon arrival at Elba, demanded the arrival of his wife, she responded with a firm refusal, citing her duty as a mother and representative of the Habsburg family.
Gustave Bettinger. Napoleon contemplating a portrait of the King of Rome during his exile on Elba
Perhaps the reason for the disagreement was the arrival of Maria Walewska to Elba. It is possible that Marie Louise herself gave her a reason: by this time she was captivated by an affair with Count Naiperg, the chief minister of the Duchy of Parma. Nevertheless, Napoleon continued to bombard her with letters, and during the Hundred Days he waited in vain for her return with her son to Paris.
The triumphant "flight of the eagle" across France in March 1815 shocked his contemporaries. The emperor, thrown into the dust, rose up in the blink of an eye and again found himself at the head of an army of half a million, ready to fight the enemy. In some ways, he was already a different person - tired, broken. The defeats of 1812-1814, the betrayal of close people and comrades in 1814, the tragedy of abdication were not in vain.
The defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815 put an end to the power of Napoleon I. A second abdication followed in favor of his son, which did not find support, although the Parisian legislature, although from June 22 to July 7, 1815, recognized the child as emperor, surrender to the British and exile, now to the distant island of St. Helena. There he died on May 5, 1821.
On the occasion of the death of Napoleon I, three months of mourning were declared in Parma. On August 8, 1821, Marie-Louise secretly married Count Adam Adalbert Nyperg, with whom she had two children by that time.
Count Adam Adalbert Nyperg
It would be an exaggeration to believe that, absorbed in the joys and worries of a new marriage, the mother abandoned her firstborn, but the eldest son needed much more attention than the other children. To the usual psychological difficulties of a child growing up without a father, political ones were added, for from a very tender age Napoleon’s son became the object of intrigue and speculation.
The Viennese court did not like his first name - Napoleon. They began to call him by his middle name, but in the German way - Franz. The Congress of Vienna deprived him of hereditary rights to the Duchy of Parma. Only as compensation did Austria grant him the title of Duke of Reichstadt, named after one of the estates in Bohemia. In addition, he was relentlessly followed by fanatical Bonapartists, for whom he remained the legal heir to the imperial crown. Napoleon II.
Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Portrait of the Roman King, Napoleon II
Therefore, members of the Austrian government did not take their eyes off him, and so that Parma did not become a Bonapartist Mecca, he was separated from his mother. All this fuss, of course, was incomprehensible to the child, who was also raised as an Austrian prince. But the ambiguity of his position at court - as a member of the House of Habsburg and at the same time a prisoner - became obvious over time.
Franz finally saw the light when he was allowed to use the rich library of the imperial court, in which he discovered books about his father.
Moritz Daffinger. Franz, Duke of Reichstadt
An inquisitive teenager, fascinated by military history, gradually turned into a brilliant young man who dreamed of a military career, which caused concern among foreign governments and even the all-powerful Chancellor Metternich. In 1828, he received as a gift from his grandfather, the Austrian Emperor, the rank of captain of the Jaeger regiment, and celebrated his 20th birthday with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The revolution of 1830 agitated the Austrian court and the entire monarchical Europe. They began to look at Franz again as a likely contender for the French imperial crown. But neither the fears nor the hopes that Franz could inspire were destined to come true. In mid-1831, he developed pulmonary tuberculosis, and a year later, on July 22, 1832, the Roman King Napoleon II, Prince of Parma, Duke of Reichstadt, died in Schönbrunn Palace.
Circumstances did not allow the Eaglet to spread its wings. He entered the history of French dynasties as one of the most mysterious and romantic figures.
After the death of Count Nyperg in 1829, Marie-Louise married for the third time. And again her chosen one turned out to be the first minister of the Duchy of Parma, Count de Bombelle, appointed to this position by the Austrian government. After several years of an unremarkable life, in December 1847, Marie-Louise died, like Franz, from tuberculosis. Having become a widow, the Comte de Bombelles took monastic vows and became Bishop of Amiens.
But the posthumous fate of “Eaglet” is also interesting.
His cousin Prince Louis Napoleon, having proclaimed himself emperor in 1852, took the name Napoleon III; Thus, he considered, after the fact, Napoleon II the head of the dynasty in 1821-1832, and himself as his heir.
In 1940, by order of Adolf Hitler, the remains of the Duke of Reichstadt were transferred from occupied Paris and buried in the Invalides next to his father's tomb. At the same time, the heart of the deceased, kept separately, according to the custom of that time, remained in Vienna. This happened exactly 100 years after the ashes of Napoleon himself were transferred to the Invalides.
The fate of Napoleon II inspired Edmond Rostand’s drama “The Little Eaglet” (L’Aiglon). Through this work, Marina Tsvetaeva became a fan of the personality of both Napoleons - father and son. She even felt a certain kind of love for “Eaglet,” which was reflected in the poems:
IN SCHOENBRUNN
Tender is the first breath of spring,
The night is warm, quiet and moonlit.
Again tears, again dreams
In the gloomy castle of Schönbrunn.
Someone's white silhouette
Above the table he sank lower.
Again sighs, again delirium:
"Marseillaise! Throne!.. In Paris..."
Letters rushed from the pages,
Line - regiment. The trumpets began to sing...
Drops fall from eyelashes,
"I'm with you again!" lips whisper.
Lamps dim half-light
It's getting darker, but the night is brighter.
Whose menacing silhouette is there?
Grew up in the back of an alley?
Prince of Austria? This is a role!
Duke? Dream! Is it winter in Schönbrunn?
No, he's a little king!
- “Emperor, beloved son!
Let's rush! The chains are far away
We are free. There is no captivity.
Do you see the lights, honey?
Do you hear splashes? This is the Seine!
How wide is my father's cloak!
The horse flies, engulfed in fire.
"What's rumbling there, between the thickets?
The sea, or what?” - “Son, they are soldiers!”
- “Oh, father! How you burn!
Look, and there to the right, -
Is this heaven?" - "My son is Paris!"
- “Did you bend over him?” - "Glory".
In the bright splendor of the Tuileries,
Banners are flying.
- “You suffered! Now the kings!”
Hello, son of Napoleon!"
Drums, sounds of strings,
Everything is in flowers.. The children are rejoicing...
Everything is calm. Schönbrunn sleeps.
Someone is crying in the moonlight.
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
The heart sleeps, but the heart is so sensitive,
He remembers everything: both bliss and pain.
How long ago did those rays burn out?
How to forget you, sad little one,
Blue-eyed little king?
You, as before, wander through the alley,
Unyielding, arrogant and wild;
There is a golden highlight on the curls...
I am silent, I dare not hesitate
Look into your fading face.
I am one of those, oh my sorrowful boy,
That from birth it is neither here nor there.
Oh, heed the belated prayers!
Why are you smiling?
Did you apply it carefully to your lips?
A step beckoned to infinity,
But, alas, the stage deceived me:
Infinity ended in a day!
I cheated on you for the shadow
Changed the shadow for me.
PARTING
Your horse, as before, gallops like a whirlwind
Sometimes in the park late...
But there is a shadow in the heart, and the heart cries,
My prince, my boy, my hero.
These verses are about the son of God:
He is eternally bright, eternally young,
Bought immortality on the day of Golgotha,
Schönbrunn was your Calvary.
Sounded to me like God's call
Your christening bells...
I gave you so much!
I've given too much!
Now my spirit is almost calm,
Don't embarrass him with reproach...
Farewell, saddened warrior,
Wounded eaglet, goodbye!
You were my lightly unwise nonsense,
You are a dream, the likes of which will never happen again...
Farewell, my fair-haired Duke,
My great love!
