History of Napoleon the Third

Samuel Smucker

• Publisher: Ozymandias Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781531281724
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

The career of the great Napoleonic dynasty is without a parallel either in ancient or modern times. The universal judgment of mankind has long since decided, that its founder, Napoleon I., was in every respect as great a hero, and probably a greater, than Alexander, Caesar, or Charlemagne, the three most renowned representatives of ambitious and martial daring in the world's history. It has been conceded that the variety and extent of Napoleon's abilities, both as a commander, a legislator, and a ruler, place him above all his rivals. It is also granted that the splendor of his victories, the extent of his conquests, and the grandeur of his elevation, exceeded theirs in an eminent degree.

CHAPTER I.

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THE CAREER OF THE GREAT Napoleonic dynasty is without a parallel either in ancient or modern times. The universal judgment of mankind has long since decided, that its founder, Napoleon I., was in every respect as great a hero, and probably a greater, than Alexander, Caesar, or Charlemagne, the three most renowned representatives of ambitious and martial daring in the world’s history. It has been conceded that the variety and extent of Napoleon’s abilities, both as a commander, a legislator, and a ruler, place him above all his rivals. It is also granted that the splendor of his victories, the extent of his conquests, and the grandeur of his elevation, exceeded theirs in an eminent degree.

But in addition to all these elements of superior greatness, it must be admitted that the family of Napoleon I. add an unequal attraction and halo to his career. Neither of his illustrious rivals could boast of a wife as graceful and bewitching as Josephine, or as high-born and nobly descended as Maria Louisa. None of them possessed a sister who, like Pauline, deserved the distinction of being called the most beautiful and fascinating woman of her time. None could point to a Caroline who combined beauty, intrepidity, and talent, in so pre-eminent a measure. None of them could claim brothers as sagacious as Joseph, as gallant as Murat, as romantic as Jerome, as capable as Lucien. None of these rival conquerors could point to as many relatives who were sovereign princes and princesses, and who owed their dizzy eminence to his own powerful arm. And none of them had a successor equal in talent, and in desperate, successful daring, to Napoleon III. It must be admitted, also, that the present Emperor of the French is the second personage in point of consequence, celebrity, and interest, among all that illustrious company who bear the name and share the glory of the Bonapartes; and that his career possesses an importance and splendor, inferior only to that of the great head of the family himself.

Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Paris on the 20th of April, 1808. He was the third and only surviving son of Louis Napoleon, the King of Holland, and Hortense, the daughter of the Empress Josephine, by her first husband, the Viscount de Beauharnois. The infant prince first saw the light at one o’clock, and the Chancellor of the Empire immediately wrote to the Emperor, the Empress, and to Louis Napoleon, informing them of the happy event. At five o’clock in the evening the act of birth was received by the Arch-Chancellor, assisted by his eminence, Regnault de St. Jean d’Angely, the minister of state, and secretary of the imperial family. Salvos of artillery announced the happy event along the whole line of the grande armée, throughout the entire extent of the empire, from Hamburg to Genoa, from the Danube to the Atlantic. This was an honor which fell to the lot of only two members of the imperial family, Louis Napoleon, and the King of Rome; for they only were born under the imperial regime.

Notwithstanding these and other testimonials of the legitimacy of Louis Napoleon, it has been gravely asserted by authorities of no mean importance, that not a drop of Bonaparte blood flows in his veins; and that he is, in reality, the son of the favorite lover of Hortense, Admiral Verhuel, a Dutch nobleman connected with the court of her husband, while king of Holland. It is well known that the marriage between Louis Bonaparte and Hortense was a compulsory one, brought about by the tears and persuasions of Josephine. Napoleon’s Minister of Police, the celebrated Fouché, boldly asserts in his Memoirs, that Hortense was then already pregnant by the Emperor; that the latter first determined to marry her immediately to Duroc; that Duroc positively refused, being engaged to another lady whom he loved; and that then Louis was absolutely commanded to accede to a union with the daughter of Josephine. Subsequent events seemed indeed to give the color of truth to these assertions. From the day of that union, the young couple never pretended to entertain the least affection for each other. From January the 20th, 1802, the date of the marriage, down till September, 1807, the period of their separation, they never resided together more than four months, and that at very remote intervals. Some months after their final separation, and after Hortense had taken up her permanent residence in Paris, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was born. The strongest proof which supports the assertion of the illegitimacy of his birth, is his own peculiarly apathetic Dutch temperament; a temperament such as no other Frenchman ever possessed since the national existence began. To this may be added the total want of any resemblance in his features to the Napoleon family, and their very considerable similarity to those of the courtly and accomplished Dutch Admiral already referred to.

The family of Hortense and Louis Bonaparte consisted of the eldest son, called Napoleon Louis Charles, born in 1802, who died in 1807; the second son named Napoleon Louis, who was born in 1804, was baptized by Pope Pius VII., and who died in 1831; and the subject of this history. The family register of the Bonapartes which contained the evidence of the right of the succession, had been deposited in the keeping of the Senate. By the Plebiscite of the year 1804, the children of the brothers of Napoleon I., in the absence of his own direct heirs, were entitled to the succession to the throne in the order of their ages. Accordingly, at the period of his birth, Louis Napoleon was regarded as the second heir of the empire, and considerable interest clustered around his person from his earliest years, as one who might perhaps be reserved by the mysterious vicissitudes of fate, for a brilliant or at least a checkered destiny. He was baptized in 1810 by Cardinal Fesch, with great splendor, at Fontainbleau, the Emperor and Maria Louisa themselves acting as sponsors.

His earliest years were spent in his mother’s private residence in the Rue Cerutti, now Lafitte, in Paris. She was his first preceptor; and she was well fitted for the task. Hortense was a woman of great intelligence, refinement and taste. Herself educated by the accomplished Madame Campan, she possessed a well-cultivated mind. She had, when quite a girl, distinguished herself in the celebrated school d’Ecouen, by her superior talents for music and drawing. She was learned, witty, and exceedingly attractive in her manners. In a word, she was worthy to be the daughter of Josephine. She reared her two sons with great strictness; and the severity of the training to which she subjected them, was intended both to enlarge and cultivate their minds, as well as to strengthen and develop their bodies.

Napoleon himself took a deep interest in the progress of the boys. He frequently sent for them, while he was breakfasting hastily in his cabinet, in order to converse with them, to ascertain their progress in learning, and to scrutinize the displays or evidences which they might give of intelligence and talent. Not even the subsequent birth of the king of Rome seemed to diminish the intense interest which Napoleon felt in the children of Hortense. His sagacious mind well appreciated the uncertainties of human life, and the possibility of the death of his direct heir. There is ample evidence to prove, that both in prosperity and misfortune, until the end of his marvellous career at St. Helena, the great conqueror regarded the fate of the two sons of Hortense with solicitude, and watched their career with a vigilant eye.

Louis Napoleon continued to reside in Paris with his mother till 1814. During the interval between this period and the separation of his parents, his father had led a retired life at Gratz, in Germany. When the first great disasters of Napoleon occurred after the Russian expedition, when the mighty Colossus who had so long overawed the world lay prostrate on the earth, the former king of Holland hastened to Paris. When the allied armies drew their vast lines closely around the French capital, Hortense was undismayed by the dangers which surrounded the imperial family, and remained. She actively employed herself in procuring relief for the thousands of wounded French soldiers who crowded the hospitals of Paris. She praised the fortitude of her husband in remaining near the Emperor. No perils nor threats could appal her; and she displayed pre-eminently on this occasion the leading attribute of her character, which was the secret of all her domestic difficulties and troubles—her unconquerable obstinacy. When she beheld Maria Louisa desert with cowardice and pusillanimity the capital of her husband’s Empire, thus betraying his dearest interests in the moment of his greatest peril, she gave way to excusable paroxysms of rage, and exclaimed to the Empress, “I am incensed at the weakness which I see. You intend to destroy France and the Emperor. You must be aware that by quitting Paris you neutralize its defence and lose your crown. You make the sacrifice with great resignation!” “You are right,” replied the pliant Austrian princess; “but it is not my fault. The council have thus decided.” Hortense being asked what she intended to do, answered: “I shall remain at Paris, and will share with the Parisians all their fortunes, be they good or bad.” “I wish,” said she, energetically, “that I were the mother of the King of Rome; I would inspire all around me with the energy I could exhibit.” Speaking to Regnault, the Colonel of the National Guard, she said: “Unfortunately I cannot fill the place of the Empress; but I do not doubt that the Emperor is executing manoeuvres which will soon conduct him hither. Paris must hold out; and if the National Guard is willing to defend it, tell them that I pledge myself to remain here with my sons.”

Such was the heroism and determination of the mother of the present Emperor of France, and such the noble example which she gave to him, and to the world, of devotion to the interests of her illustrious benefactor.

After all was lost, Hortense was directed by her husband to send him their children in order to convey them to a place of safety, as they might be taken by the enemy as hostages. She accordingly left Paris only two days before the entry of the allies. She commenced her sad journey at nine o’clock at night, taking the road to Glatigny. When she reached Rambouillet, she received an order from her husband to repair with her children to Blois. She considered this requisition as an insult, and exclaimed, with her usual determination and obstinacy, which had long before induced her brother Eugene to call her his Dear Stubborn—“I was going to Blois, but since I am ordered to go, I will not go.” She crossed the forest of Rambouillet, even at the risk of being captured by the Russians, and reached Navarre, whither her mother Josephine had taken refuge.

At this retreat Hortense was undetermined what to do. Once she thought of retiring to Martinique and residing upon the family estate which her mother still possessed in that island. This project however was soon given up. After the allies entered Paris, her elegant hotel was occupied by Swedish officers; but having soon received assurances from the Emperor Alexander that she and her mother should be protected, and their interests provided for, she returned to the capital with her sons, and there awaited the final issue of events. It was stipulated by Napoleon in the act of abdication at Fontainbleau, that Hortense should receive a permanent yearly revenue of four hundred thousand francs, and that she should retain possession of her sons. Through the influence of the Russian monarch, her estate of St. Leu was erected into a duchy, of which she took the title and the dignities.

The government of Louis XVIII., however, did not treat the fallen queen with the same generosity. A portion of the forest of St. Leu was restored by him to its ancient proprietor, the Prince de Condé; the sum of six hundred thousand francs, which had been deposited by Napoleon in the hands of the Receiver-General of Blois, to the credit of herself and Josephine, was given to the Duke d’Angoulème; and the inscription on the national treasury of a million and a half of francs, which Napoleon had guaranteed to Hortense, was repealed.

After the departure of Napoleon to Elba, Hortense resided with her two sons chiefly at Malmaison with her mother. Here the family were frequently visited by the illustrious strangers who were then in Paris, and especially by the Emperor Alexander. It is said that on one occasion, Alexander, Josephine, Prince Eugene, and Hortense, with her two sons, visited together the works of Marly, in the vicinity of Malmaison; that Alexander’s dress was on the point of being caught in the machinery, in consequence of his too near approach, and that his life was saved by the sudden movement of Hortense. This act of sincere devotion completely won the heart of Alexander, who from that moment became much attached to her.

Greater misfortunes now overwhelmed Hortense and her children than had ever before fallen to their lot. On the 29th of May, 1814, her amiable and illustrious mother Josephine expired in her arms. Regretted as this noble woman was by every one with whom she had ever come in contact, none felt the blow so profoundly and acutely as Hortense. Of Josephine alone, of all human beings, could it with truth have been said, as indeed it was frequently asserted, that “she never caused the shedding of a single tear.” The grief of Hortense was agonizing beyond description; and the baseness of the government of Louis XVIII. added a still sharper pang to those which already distracted her bosom. Josephine was scarcely laid in her grave when M. Blacas, on the part of the king, demanded the pictures which were at Malmaison as the property of the State; and other indignities were subsequently offered her.

Notwithstanding these reverses, the characteristic generosity of Hortense still marked her conduct in settling the estate of Josephine with Eugene. She reserved to herself the payment of twenty thousand francs in salaries, and gave away a hundred thousand francs in presents to the needy and faithful dependants of the fallen dynasty. In consequence of the reduction of her pecuniary resources from various causes, she now curtailed her style of living; relinquished all the useless expenditures of the days of her splendor; and dismissed her attendants, except three women and the tutor of her sons.

At this memorable and exciting period Louis Napoleon was five years old. He was even then remarkable for the taciturnity of his disposition. Though he spoke very little, he seemed to be reflective and intelligent. His progress in his studies was moderate; neither deficient nor remarkable. His mother had taught him to regard the Emperor Alexander as a friend. Accordingly on one occasion when that monarch was present, Louis Napoleon quietly approached him, and placed in his hand a little ring which his uncle Eugene had given him. When his mother inquired what he had done, he answered: “I have nothing but the ring which uncle Eugene gave me, to give; and I wanted to give it to the Emperor because he is so good to you.” Alexander embraced the child, and retained his present.

The nurse chosen by Hortense for her son, was a lady named Madam Bure. This person was a handsome and pretty brunette, small in stature, but possessing remarkably fine, expressive black eyes. On one occasion, when attending young Louis at the Tuilleries, she attracted the attention of the Emperor Napoleon, and elicited his rather significant compliments. At length he fixed his eyes upon Madam Bure so rudely as to cause her to blush. Napoleon, seeing her confusion, turned away, exclaiming: “That young rogue has a very charming nurse!” Madam Bure was much attached to the family and person of Hortense; she continued in her suite during the lifetime of the ex-queen, and resided with her till her death at Arenemberg.

The chief solace of Hortense at this period was, the possion and education of her sons. She was threatened even with the loss of these; for her husband, having retired to Italy, now demanded them from her. She refused to resign them; and a lawsuit was commenced to recover possession of them. A verdict was given in favor of the father; but before it could be executed, Napoleon’s sudden return from Elba suspended the proceedings, and again threw France and the whole continent into confusion. On the 20th of March, 1815, he reached his former capital. The ex-queen of Holland was among the first to congratulate him. Her reception at the Tuilleries, contrary to her expectation, was rather cold. Napoleon condemned her for having remained at Paris during the supremacy of the Bourbons. But Hortense had an excuse ready, which was both reasonable and adroit. Said she: “Sire, I had a strong presentiment that you would return; and I waited for you here.” The great hero and stern conqueror at once melted down very perceptibly at this skilful reply.

The day after Napoleon’s return, Hortense presented to him her sons. He received them with warm and affectionate feelings. The King of Rome was then a captive and a state-prisoner at Venice, with his mother; and the importance of the children of Hortense became magnified in consequence of that fact. They became the inheritors of the attentions which would have fallen to the lot of the son of Maria Louisa. At the august ceremony of the ratification of the new constitution, in the Champs de Mai, they stood by the side of Napoleon’s throne; he presented them separately to the deputations of the army and the people; and he regarded them as pledges to confirm the new alliance which on that day had been made between France and the returned Emperor. At Napoleon’s request, Hortense wrote to Maria Louisa to urge her to make some movements toward reaching her husband. But all her arguments were thrown away upon the stupid and imbecile nature of the ignoble being, whom fortune had insanely elevated to share the throne of the aspiring hero of a hundred battles. Hortense received no answer to her eloquent and impassioned representations. In the absence of Maria Louisa from the imperial court, Hortense assumed her place, and did the honors. She was consequently beset with an infinite number of applications; and she displayed in this high place the same generosity and benevolence in relieving the miseries of others, which had so eminently characterized her mother in former years, when she occupied the same position, and possessed the same power. At her instance, Napoleon permitted the dowager Duchess of Bourbon, and the Duchess of Orleans, to remain in France, and even bestowed on the former an income of four hundred thousand francs, and one of two hundred thousand on the latter.

At length, on the swift wings of time, the decisive day of Waterloo arrived. On its ensanguined plain the vast empire of Napoleon fell prostrate in the dust, never to be revived again during his own existence. Six days afterward, Hortense and her sons met their fallen benefactor at Malmaison, The ex-queen did her utmost to console and encourage him; she offered to place her whole fortune at his command, and to share his destiny, whatever it might be. When at last a final separation became necessary, and Napoleon was compelled to commence that journey, which eventually resulted in placing him as a prisoner for the rest of his life in the stern grasp of his foes, the parting was most affecting. The young Louis, especially,—his future, though then unsuspected heir,—clung to his uncle, screamed, and refused to leave him. He was taken away at last by main force; and as Napoleon was then in possession of but slender means, Hortense induced him to accept her diamond necklace, worth eight hundred thousand francs, which she sewed up in a silk ribbon, and concealed in his dress. This jewel Napoleon never parted with; not even amid the deprivation and semi-starvations of St. Helena; and by his will he requested Montholon to restore it to Hortense. The important trust was faithfully executed, and it was returned to its generous donor in an hour of dire necessity. In her old age, Hortense sold it to the King of Bavaria for trifling annuity of twenty-three thousand francs; which she survived to enjoy only two years.

Shortly after the capitulation of Paris, a strong current of hostile public feeling arose against Napoleon; and Hortense and her sons, who still remained in the capital, were in considerable danger. She succeeded in concealing them safely in a hose establishment on the Boulevard Montmartre, kept by one of her faithful personal friends, Madame Tessier. During the second occupation of Paris by the allied troops, her hotel in the Rue Cerutti was occupied by the Austrian Prince Schwartzenberg; and she hoped that this circumstance would increase her security. She was mistaken. She shared the general odium which now gathered around the Bonaparte family. Even the attachment and esteem of the Emperor Alexander seems to have strangely waned; and he even called at her hotel to see the Prince Schwartzenberg, without ever inquiring after her, or showing her the slightest courtesy. Such are the vicissitudes of fallen greatness!

At length the hostility of her enemies became so great, that the Allies sent her an order to leave Paris within two hours. Accordingly, on the 19th of July, 1815, she passed the barriers in the evening, under the conduct of the Count de Voyna, aide-de-camp to t...

Table of contents

• CHAPTER I.
• CHAPTER II.
• CHAPTER III.
• CHAPTER IV.
• CHAPTER V.
• CHAPTER VI.
• CHAPTER VII.
• CHAPTER VIII.
• CHAPTER IX.
• CHAPTER X.
• CHAPTER XI.
• CHAPTER XII.
• CHAPTER XIII.
• CHAPTER XIV.
• CHAPTER XV.
• CHAPTER XVI.
• CHAPTER XVII.
• PART SECOND.
• NAPOLEONIC MISCELLANY.
• No. I.
• No. II.
• No. III.
• No. IV.
• No. V.
• No. VI.
• No. VII.
• No. VIII.
• No. IX.
• No. X.
• No. XI.
• No. XII.
• No. XIII.
• No. XIV.
• No. XV.
• No. XVI.
• No. XVII.