| Napoleon II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Rome Duke of Reichstadt | |||||
 Portrait by Leopold Bucher, 1832 | |||||
| Emperor of the French (more...) (disputed) | |||||
| Reign | 22 June – 7 July 1815 | ||||
| Predecessor | Napoleon I | ||||
| Successor | Napoleon III (1852, as Emperor) Louis XVIII (as King of France) | ||||
| Regent | Joseph Fouché | ||||
| Head of the House of Bonaparte | |||||
| Tenure | 5 May 1821 – 22 July 1832 | ||||
| Predecessor | Napoleon I | ||||
| Successor | Joseph Bonaparte | ||||
| Born | (1811-03-20)20 March 1811 Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire | ||||
| Died | 22 July 1832(1832-07-22) (aged 21) Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austrian Empire | ||||
| Burial | Napoleon's tomb, Les Invalides | ||||
| |||||
| House | Bonaparte | ||||
| Father | Napoleon I, Emperor of the French | ||||
| Mother | Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Napoleon II (Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte; 20 March 1811 – 22 July 1832) was the disputed Emperor of the French for a few weeks in 1815. He was the son of Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Marie Louise, daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria. Napoleon II had been Prince Imperial of France and King of Rome since birth. After the fall of his father, he lived the rest of his life in Vienna and was known in the Austrian court as Franz, Duke of Reichstadt for his adult life (from the German version of his second given name, along with a title his grandfather granted him in 1818). He was posthumously given the nickname L'Aiglon ("the Eaglet").
When Napoleon I tried to abdicate on 4 April 1814, he said that his son would rule as emperor. However, the coalition victors refused to acknowledge his son as successor, and Napoleon I was forced to abdicate unconditionally some days later. Although Napoleon II never actually ruled France, he was briefly the titular Emperor of the French after the second fall of his father. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 21.
His cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, founded the Second French Empire in 1852 and ruled as Emperor Napoleon III.
Biography
Birth
Napoleon ll was born on 20 March 1811, at the Tuileries Palace, the son of Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Marie Louise. On the same day he underwent ondoiement (a traditional French ceremony which is a simple baptism unaccompanied by the usual additional ceremonies) by Joseph Fesch with his full name of Napoleon François Charles Joseph. The baptism, inspired by the baptismal ceremony of Louis, Grand Dauphin of France, was held on 9 June 1811 in Notre Dame de Paris. Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, Austrian ambassador to France, wrote of the baptism:
The baptism ceremony was beautiful and impressive; the scene in which the emperor took the infant from the arms of his noble mother and raised him up twice to reveal him to the public was loudly applauded; in the monarch's manner and face could be seen the great satisfaction that he took from this solemn moment.
He was put in the care of Louise Charlotte Françoise de Montesquiou, a descendant of François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, who was named Governess of the Children of France. Affectionate and intelligent, the governess assembled a considerable collection of books intended to give the infant a strong grounding in religion, philosophy, and military matters.
Succession rights
As the only legitimate son of Napoleon I, he was already constitutionally the Prince Imperial and heir apparent, but the Emperor also gave his son the title of King of Rome. Three years later, the First French Empire collapsed. Napoleon I saw his second wife and their son for the last time on 24 January 1814. On 4 April 1814, he abdicated in favour of his three-year-old son after the Six Days' Campaign and the Battle of Paris. The child became Emperor of the French under the regnal name of Napoleon II. However, on 6 April 1814, Napoleon I fully abdicated and renounced not only his own rights to the French throne, but also those of his descendants. The Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1814 gave the child the right to use the title of Prince of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Guastalla, and his mother was styled the Duchess of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Guastalla.
Reign
On 29 March 1814, Marie Louise, accompanied by her entourage, left the Tuileries Palace with her son. Their first stop was the Château de Rambouillet; then, fearing the advancing enemy troops, they continued on to the Château de Blois. On 13 April, with her entourage much diminished, Marie Louise and her three-year-old son were back in Rambouillet, where they met her father, Emperor Francis I of Austria, and Emperor Alexander I of Russia. On 23 April, escorted by an Austrian regiment, mother and son left Rambouillet and France forever, for their exile in Austria.
In 1815, after his resurgence and his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon I abdicated for the second time in favour of his four-year-old son, whom he had not seen since his exile to Elba. The day after Napoleon's abdication, a Commission of Government of five members took the rule of France, awaiting the return of the Bourbon King Louis XVIII, who was in Le Cateau-Cambrésis. The Commission held power for two weeks, but never formally summoned Napoleon II as Emperor or appointed a regent. The entrance of the Allies into Paris on 7 July brought a rapid end to his supporters' wishes. Napoleon II was residing in Austria with his mother.
The next Bonaparte to ascend the throne of France, in 1852, would be Louis-Napoleon, the son of Napoleon's brother Louis I, King of Holland. He took the regnal name of Napoleon III.
Life in Austria
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From the spring of 1814 onwards, the young Napoleon lived in Austria and was known as "Franz", a German language cognate of his second given name, François. In 1818, he was awarded the title of Duke of Reichstadt by his maternal grandfather, Emperor Francis. He was educated by a staff of military tutors and developed a passion for soldiering, dressing in a miniature uniform like his father's and performing maneuvers in the palace. At the age of 8, it was apparent to his tutors that he had chosen his career.
By 1820, Napoleon had completed his elementary studies and begun his military training, learning German, Italian and mathematics as well as receiving advanced physical training. His official army career began at age 12, in 1823, when he was made a cadet in the Austrian Army. Accounts from his tutors describe Napoleon as intelligent, serious, and focused. Additionally, he was very tall, having grown to nearly 6 feet (1.8m) by the time he was 17.
In 1822 the Four Sergeants of La Rochelle were put to death for attempting to return Napoleon II to the throne, although it is unclear to what extent they were committed Bonapartists. There is no evidence that Napoleon II endorsed the insurrection.
His budding military career gave some concern and fascination to the monarchies of Europe and French leaders over his possible return to France. However, he was allowed to play no political role and instead was used by Austrian Chancellor Klemens von Metternich in bargaining with France to gain advantage for Austria. Fearful of anyone in the Bonaparte family regaining political power, Metternich even rejected a request for Franz to move to a warmer climate in Italy. He received another rejection when his grandfather refused to allow him to join the army traveling to Italy to put down a rebellion.
Upon the death of his stepfather, Adam Albert von Neipperg, and the revelation that his mother had borne two illegitimate children to Neipperg prior to their marriage, Franz grew distant from his mother and felt that his Austrian family were holding him back to avoid political controversy. He said to his friend, Anton von Prokesch-Osten, "If Joséphine had been my mother, my father would not have been buried at Saint Helena, and I should not be at Vienna. My mother is kind but weak; she was not the wife my father deserved".
Death
In 1831, Franz was given command of an Austrian battalion, but he never got the chance to serve in any meaningful capacity. In 1832, he caught pneumonia and was bedridden for several months. His poor health eventually overtook him and on 22 July 1832 Franz died of tuberculosis at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. He had no children; thus the Napoleonic claim to the throne of France passed to his uncle Joseph Bonaparte and later to his cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who later founded and reigned over the Second French Empire, styling himself Napoleon III.
Disposition of his remains
On 15 December 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the remains of Napoleon II to be transferred from Vienna to the dome of Les Invalides in Paris. The remains of Napoleon I had been returned to France in December 1840, at the time of the July Monarchy. In December 1969, the remains of Napoleon II were moved underground to the cella of Napoleon's tomb.
While most of his remains were transferred to Paris in 1940, his heart and intestines remained in Vienna, which is traditional for members of the Habsburg family. His heart is in Urn 42 of the Herzgruft ('Heart Crypt'), and his viscera are in Urn 76 of the Ducal Crypt.
Legacy
- In 1900, Edmond Rostand wrote a play, L'Aiglon, about his life.
- Serbian composer Petar Stojanović composed the operetta Napoleon II: Herzog von Reichstadt, which premiered in Vienna in the 1920s.
- Victor Tourjansky directed a French-language film titled L'Aiglon in 1931, and he also directed a separate German-language version.
- Arthur Honegger and Jacques Ibert collaborated on an opera, L'Aiglon, which premiered in 1937.
- The journalist Henri Rochefort joked that Napoleon II, having never really governed, was France's best leader, since he brought no war, taxes or tyranny.
He was noted for his friendship with Sophie, a Bavarian princess of the House of Wittelsbach. Intelligent, ambitious and strong-willed, Sophie had little in common with her husband Franz Karl, the brother of Napoleon II's mother, Empress Marie Louise. There were rumors of a love affair between Sophie and Napoleon II, as well as the possibility that Sophie's second son, Maximilian I of Mexico, born in 1832, was the result issue of the affair.
Honours
Austrian Empire: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen, 1811
First French Empire: Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour
Kingdom of Italy: Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class
Duchy of Parma: Knight Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Coats of arms
-
King of Rome
(1811–14) -
Emperor of the French (titular ruler)
-
Duke of Reichstadt (1818–32)
2.svg)
.svg)
See also
References
- ^ "Napoleon II: King of Rome, French Emperor, Prince of Parma, Duke of Reichstadt". The Napoleon Foundation. napoleon.org. March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- "Château de Fontainebleau". Musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- G. Lenotre, le Château de Rambouillet, six siècles d'histoire, ch. L'empereur, Éditions Denoël, Paris, 1984 (1930 reedition), pp. 126–133, ISBN 2-207-23023-6.
- "(N.275.) Arrete par lequel la Commission du Gouvernement se constitue sous la présidence M. le Duc d'Otrante". Bulletin des lois de la République française (in French). 23 June 1815. p. 279.
- "(N. 1.) Proclamation du Roi". Bulletin des lois de la République française (in French). 25 June 1815. p. 1.
- "Napoleon II Biography". Archived from the original on 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
- Markham, Felix, Napoleon, p. 249
- Altman, Gail S. Fatal Links: The Curious Deaths of Beethoven and the Two Napoleons (Paperback). Anubian Press (September 1999). ISBN 1-888071-02-8
- Poisson, Georges, (Robert L. Miller, translator), Hitler's Gift to France: The Return of the Ashes of Napoleon II, Enigma Books, ISBN 978-1-929631-67-4 (Synopsis & Review by Maria C. Bagshaw).
- Poisson, Georges, Le retour des cendres de l'Aiglon, Édition Nouveau Monde, Paris, 2006, ISBN 2847361847 French wags at the time countered Hitler's propaganda by saying "Hitler stole France's coal, but returned to them the ashes." (French)
- Driskel, Paul (1993). As Befits a Legend. Kent State University Press. p. 168 ISBN 0-87338-484-9
- Leo A. Loubere, Nineteenth-Century Europe: The Revolution of Life, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, p. 154.
- Palmer 1994, p. 3.
- "A Szent István Rend tagjai". Archived from the original on December 22, 2010.
- Hassel, Georg (1 January 1830). "Genealogisch-historisch-statistischer Almanach". im Verlag des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs. – via Google Books.
Sources
- Palmer, Alan (1994). Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-665-1.
- Welschinger, Le roi de Rome, 1811–32, (Paris, 1897)
- Wertheimer, The Duke of Reichstadt, (London, 1905)
External links
- German description of the arms of the Duke of Reichstadt, circa 1830
- Rose, John Holland (1911). "Reichstadt, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles, Duke of" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). p. 49.
| Napoleon II House of BonaparteBorn: 20 March 1811 Died: 22 July 1832 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byNapoleon I | — DISPUTED — Emperor of the French 22 June – 7 July 1815 |
Bourbon Restoration |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Loss of title Bourbon Restoration |
— TITULAR — Emperor of the French 5 May 1821 – 22 July 1832 |
Succeeded byJoseph I |
| Pretenders to the French throne since 1792 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capetian pretenders (1792–present)  |
| ||||||
| Bonaparte pretenders (1814–present)  |
| ||||||
| Actually reign twice: first from 1814-1815, second from 1815-1824 Actually reigned from 1824-1830 Orléanist pretender from 1848-1873 as Louis Philippe II Reigned as King of Spain from 1886-1931 as Alfonso XIII Briefly restored and then deposed in 1815 Actually reigned from 1852-1870 | |||||||
| Imperial House of France of the First French Empire | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emperor and immediate family | .svg) | |
| French Princes | ||
| Several family members held additional titles in vassal states | ||
| Monarchs of France | |
|---|---|
| Merovingians (509–751) | |
| Carolingians, Robertians and Bosonids (751–987) | |
| House of Capet (987–1328) | |
| House of Valois (1328–1589) | |
| House of Lancaster (1422–1453) | |
| House of Bourbon (1589–1792) | |
| House of Bonaparte (1804–1814; 1815) | |
| House of Bourbon (1814–1815; 1815–1830) | |
| House of Orléans (1830–1848) | |
| House of Bonaparte (1852–1870) | |
| Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics. | |
- Napoleon II
- 1811 births
- 1832 deaths
- 19th-century monarchs of France
- 19th-century princes of Andorra
- 19th-century Kings of the Romans
- 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
- House of Bonaparte
- Emperors of the French
- French Roman Catholics
- Princes of Andorra
- Princes of France (Bonaparte)
- Bonapartist pretenders to the French throne
- First French Empire
- Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
- Knights of the Golden Fleece
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
- Nobility from Paris
- Monarchs deposed as children
- Tuberculosis deaths in the Austrian Empire
- Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
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