The Bourbons in Exile: After Varennes

REICHFURST · Jun 25, 2015

The marriage of Napoleon and Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria on 2 June 1811 introduced the Emperor into one of the oldest reigning houses of Europe, and apparently cemented his power.

However, the constant wars with other countries during the last years, and Napoleon's own physical and mental health (he had become overweight and increasingly prone to various maladies) caused that France's economy, army morale, and internal political support had noticeably declined; despite this problems, no European power dared move against him, because they believed that the French Emperor was "undefeatable".

Emperor Alexander I of Russia, by the other hand, began to had increased problems in his realm: the local nobility, leaded by the powerful Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, intensely pressured him to break off the alliance with Napoleon. Two clear signs to the deteriorated relationship between both were: the engagament of his sister Grand Duchess Catherine with the Duke of Normandy and the virtual abandonment of the French's military politics. This caused that Napoleon threatened Alexander I with serious consequences if he formed an alliance with the United Kingdom as he was planning, again after his mother's intrigues.

By August 1811, Alexander I's advisors suggested him the possibility of an invasion of the French Empire and the recapture of Poland. Once his network of spies reports to him Russia's war preparations, Napoleon expanded his army with more than 450,000 men. He ignored repeated advices against an invasion of the Russian heartland and prepared for an offensive campaign; on 23 November 1811 the invasion commenced.

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Saint Petersburg, June 1811-July 1811:

The Bourbon entourage arrived to Saint Petersburg on 28 June 1811: this time, they were received with full honours: in the middle of parades and fireworks, they arrived at the Winter Palace, where all the Imperial Family greeted them.

Emperor Alexander I kissed both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette following the French style; after him, the Dowager Empress, Alexander I's wife Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna (a great beauty but with the saddest eyes I ever see, as the French Queen wrote to her sister), and all the Grand Dukes and Duchesses, who respectfully greeted the Bourbons.

This time, Marie Antoinette decided that all her family, including her grandchildren, would be present in this important ceremony. Also, Madame de Tourzel, her daughter Pauline and the Princess of Lamballe attended.

The moment of major emotion was the appearance of Grand Duchess Catherine in front of her groom, the Duke of Normandy. All the presents noted the extreme affection that both had to each others, later recalled the Duchess of Angoulême, who at this point silently suffer a disappointing married life: after a disastrous wedding night, Louis Antoine showed extreme disdain over his wife, and this reject caused in her a deep melancholy and desolation; however, the Duchess remained a devoted and faithful and loving consort.

Like in their first visit, the French royals became atonished by the opulence of the Russian court, especially the children. Marie Antoinette reportedly say to the Dowager Empress: I understood now, Madame Empress, why the Corsican devil wanted to put his hands over this realm...even the doors are made of gold!.

After two days of balls and receptions, the wedding ceremony between Louis Charles of France, Duke of Normandy and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia took place at Gatchina Palace, on 1 July 1811. The wedding ceremony was made firstly under the Orthodox rite, inmediately followed by a Catholic one. As a part of the marriage contract, was stipulated that the bride would be never forced to convert; one point of discussion was the question of precedence: as a daughter of an Emperor, Catherine Pavlovna was an Imperial Highness and thus would overanked the Dowager Dauphine. However, Marie Antoinette was firm in this point: she could be an Imperial daughter but at Bourbon court, she was the Duchess of Normandy, and thus the Dowager Dauphine always be first in precedence, inmediately behind the Queen (until the infant Dauphin marry, of course). Was the Grand Duchess that offered a solution in this problem, feared that conflict of etiquette could put in jeopardy her wedding: she calmly informed her mother and brother that upon her marriage, she relinquished to her Imperial title in order to assumed the title and rank of her husband, thus after her wedding she became Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Normandy. She reportedly say to her shocked relatives: I'm so happy being the Duchess of Normandy that I don't care any other thing.

The formal reception was given at Pavlovsk Palace, the favorite residence of the Dowager Empress. As a delicate deference to her guests, Maria Feodorovna ordened that the wedding banquet must be served in the sixty-piece toilet set of Sèvres porcelain who Marie Antoinette gave her a gift when the Dowager Empress and her late husband made a visit to France in 1781, and in the dinner room must be handed the four Gobelin tapestries that Louis XVI gave to them. The ill and paralyzed monarch, became extremely emotional after seeing this reminder of his former power, as later recalled the Duchess of Angoulême. Because was the first time in history that a French prince married with a Russian Grand Duchess and evidently they are deeply in love, the already small Pavlovsk Palace became so crowded with courtesans, that the Dowager Empress was forced to put tables and chairs in the inner gardens of the residence in order to calm the people.

The celebrations lasted for almost two weeks, who served to bonded even further the Bourbons and the Romanovs. The Dowager Empress was constantly see in the company of Marie Antoinette, walking for the large halls of the Winter Palace, discretely followed by the Princess of Lamballe, who also caused a good impresion to Maria Feodorovna. It's unusual to see truly friendship between people of our rank, reportedly say the Dowager Empress to the French Queen.

When the time of the Bourbon's departure became close, was noted that the Dowager Empress became extremely anxious and worried. Unexpectedly, one day before the French entourage must to go, Maria Feodorovna and Marie Antoinette had a conversation under close doors in the Dowager Empress' private rooms. The details of the talk remained in secret, but suddenly the French Queen decided to accepted the invitation of Maria Feodorovna to spend more weeks at Saint Petersburg.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

HIM Dogson · Jun 26, 2015

So wait, did Napoleon invade Russia or did Russia invade Napoleonic Europe? If its the latter a significant Russian defeat on the battlefield could force a peace agreement, no invasion needed.

Londinium · Jun 26, 2015

REICHFURST,
OK, interesting account of the Duke and new Duchess of Normandy's wedding [and it must have seemed to some a premature healing of the Great Schism between the Western and Eastern Rites] but, as usual, Napoleon's a cloud on the horizon. Will he rain on MA's parade should she happen to be in St. Petersburg when he invades? OTL, he oddly enough avoided St. Petersburg whilst he had his aim on the far more remote interior city of Moscow despite the Imperial Family and a good part of the Russian government having unofficially long since settled in St. Petersburg.
If MA stays too long in St. Petersburg at the Empress Mother's invite, will Louis XVI just return solo to Courland and muddle along despite his debilities or will MA persuade him to stay with her [and what will become of their domain if no Duke is in said Duchy]?
So will Bourbon-Romanov union prevail against the Bonaparte- Hapsburg? Should be interesting to see!

REICHFURST · Jun 28, 2015

The French invasion to Russia officially started on 23 November 1811. After Napoleon sent a final offer of peace to Saint Petersburg shortly before commencing operations and never received a reply, he gave the order to proceed into Russian Poland. He initially met little resistance and moved quickly into the enemy's territory. The French coalition of forces amounted to 449,000 men and 1,146 cannons being opposed by the Russian armies combining to muster 153,000 Russians, 938 cannons, and 15,000 Cossacks. The center of mass of French forces focused on Kaunas and the crossings were made by a first contigent of some 120,000 at this point of crossing alone. The actual crossings were made in the area of Alexioten where three pontoon bridges were constructed. The sites had been selected by Napoleon in person, who had a tent raised and he watched and reviewed troops as they crossed the Niemen. Roads in this area of Lithuania hardly qualified as such, actually being small dirt tracks through areas of dense forest. Supply lines simply could not keep up with the forced marches of the corps and rear formations always suffered the worst privations.

Emperor Alexander I, after seeing the options of attack, decided that he must to take advantage of the Russian territory and commanded that his troops retreated deeper. In the meanwhile, he ordened that his family and court must be escape to the Fort Alexander, who although being small, had the choice to planned a flight by sea if must be the case.

After a brief attempt at resistance was made at Smolensk in December 1811, the Russians were defeated in a series of battles, and Napoleon resumed his advance. The Russians again avoided battle, although in a few cases this was only achieved because Napoleon uncharacteristically hesitated to attack when the opportunity arose. Owing to the Russian army's scorched earth tactics, the French found it increasingly difficult to forage food for themselves and their horses.

The Russians eventually offered battle outside Moscow on 10 January 1812: the Battle of Borodino resulted in approximately 44,000 Russian and 35,000 French dead, wounded or captured, and may have been the bloodiest day of battle in history up to that point in time. Although the French had won, the Russian army had accepted, and withstood, the major battle Napoleon had hoped would be decisive. Napoleon's own account was: "The most terrible of all my battles was the one before Moscow. The French showed themselves to be worthy of victory, but the Russians showed themselves worthy of being invincible."

The Russian army withdrew and retreated past Moscow. Napoleon entered the city, assuming its fall would end the war and Alexander I would negotiate peace. However, on orders of the city's governor Feodor Rostopchin, rather than capitulation, Moscow was burned. After five weeks, Napoleon and his army left, but before they sacked the Kremlin. In early February Napoleon got concerned about loss of control back in France after the Malet coup. His army walked through the snow up till their knees and nearly 10,000 men and horses froze to death on the night of 12-13 February alone. After the Battle of Berezina (19 February 1812) Napoleon succeeded to escape but had to abandon much of the remaining artillery and baggage train. On 1 March, shortly before arriving in Vilnius, Napoleon left the army in a sledge.

The French suffered greatly in the course of a ruinous retreat, including from the harshness of the Russian Winter. The French army had begun as over 400,000 frontline troops, but in the end fewer than 40,000 crossed the Berezina River in February 1812. The Russians had lost 150,000 in battle and hundreds of thousands of civilians, but avoided the invasion; thus, at the end, the were victorious and thanks to them, the fate of Napoleon was sealed: the Sixth Coalition was thus formed to destroyed the French Empire once for all.

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Saint Petersburg, July 1811-February 1812:

Thw worries of Maria Feodorovna had a reason to be: she knew that a French invasion was only a matter of time, and for this she was worried about the safety of her daughter and her new-in-laws, the Bourbons.

Marie Antoinette, without say anything about the conversation with the Dowager Empress, just limited to adviced her son the Duke of Normandy to prepared for the final battle against the Corsican devil.

By mid-September all the Royalist troops were reunited in Moscow, where Louis Charles prepared them for the upcoming invasion. The Dukes of Angoulême and Berry and even the Counts of Provence and Artois are ready to fight; each of them was assigned a royalist contingent. On 1 October, Emperor Alexander I officially appointed Louis Charles as Russian Field Marshal and the Royal Army became a part of the Imperial Russian Army. Since them, the Duke of Normandy participated actively in all the war councils, atonishing the old Russian generals with his cleverness and courage.

The Dowager Empress was left in the position of prepare the court for the escape. Marie Antoinette, worried about the safety of her family, was reportedly the one who had the idea of use Fort Alexander as a refuge, given his location, who could be perfect for a quickly flight by sea.

On 19 October (after the Emperor received the final offer of peace from Napoleon who was rejected), commanded that all the Imperial family and court must be moved from the Winter Palace to Fort Alexander. Just within weeks, the French invasion began.

Under the orders of Alexander I, the Duke of Normandy with all his royalist army and a part of the Russian army, was leave with the difficult task to defend Moscow. Again, his courage was widely seen at the bloody Battle of Borodino. Prince Pyotr Bagration, one of the most prominent Russian general, was one of the first to fall in the middle of the battle; Louis Charles, who was wounded in the battle, ordened his troops and the Russian ones to retreat to the city of Moscow. Was there, and against his violent opposition (he reportedly say that he was ready to die if with this the usurper could be defeated), Prince Mikhail Kutuzov decided that the better way to save at least part of the Russian army was to surrender the city but only after Moscow would be burned in order to leave nothing to the French; inmediately, governor Rostopchin began the difficult task. The Russian army thus entered in the deeper and frozen part of the country, and when the Frenchs began to retreated from Moscow, they began the persecution. Despite his wounds, Louis Charles insisted in participated in the Battle of Berezina, where he was praised by his bravery: later Prince Peter Wittgenstein, one of the participants of this battle recalled about the young French prince: was extraordinary to watch how loyal and devoted are the royalists soldiers to Monsieur the Duke; he haranged them and was in the middle of the battle with them, despite his rank, and even being wounded in his arm, he fight with the same force of three individuals at least....he later say to me that his only regret was not to be in front of Napoleon.... Despite the French suffered very heavy losses, they managed to cross the river and avoid being trapped. However, the triumph was at the side of Russia, who avoided the invasion.

In the meanwhile, in Fort Alexander, the Bourbons and Romanovs are worried waiting the news of the invasion. The Duchess of Normandy, in the early stages of her first pregnancy, collapsed when she was informed of her husband being wounded at Borodino; however, she could recover quickly when a second inform reported her that Louis Charles was saved.

Marie Antoinette also followed with extreme interest the develop of the French invasion, especially with concern about her son. In a way to help the Russian cause and her own, she was, in all probability, behind the Malet coup, thanks to her connections with the oppositors of Napoleon's rule. Before his execution, in the private documents of General Claude François de Malet, the main conspirator, where found the very known encrypted letters....

In the middle of all this tension and menaces, the health of the French King suffers a fatal declive: on 19 January, only nine days after the Battle of Borodino he had another attack. This time, the doctors reported that this was the beggining of the end. Two days later, another attack left him unable to speak and completely paralyzed, and finally, surrounded by his relatives, Louis XVI, by the Grace of God King of France and Navarre, died at Fort Alexander in the first hours of 23 January 1812 at the age of 57.

Her remains where provisionally placed in the small chapel of Fort Alexander. In the funeral services, Madame Elisabeth fainted, devastated by her beloved brother's death; the Duchess of Angoulême, was shocked and can't stop to cry: as she later remembered: The King was not only my father but also my dearest and only real friend....with him I lost half of my heart. The Dowager Dauphine, surrounded by her children, where all devastated, especially the Duke of Anjou, who in the last weeks of his grandfather's life remained constantly at his side. The Duchess of Normandy, with her mother at her side and still weakened by her pregnancy, showed also an extreme sadness; she decided not informed her husband about his father's death because of the war circumstances.

The only person who remained unmoved was Marie Antoinette: dressed in mourning, she remained in front of all in her place, without shed a single tear. Inmediately after the ceremony ended, and followed by her faithful Princess of Lamballe, she stand in front of her eldest grandson, the Dauphin Louis Ferdinand Paul and with the traditional cheer of Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (The king is dead, long live the king!), she solemnly inclined in front of the now Louis XVII, and after her, the small group of exiled courtesans who accompanied the royal family to Louis Charles's wedding, followed her example. The Bourbons now had a new head.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Colonel Levnekov · Jun 29, 2015

Oh boy, now shit's getting real!

As of far, what are the main differences between OTL and ATL, besides the dates and the Bourbons in Kurland?

Londinium · Jun 29, 2015

Good that the Duke of Normandy was able to help root out Napoleon from Russia. Sad but not unexpected that Louis XVI died. However; I feel a bit apprehensive about what's to become of those family members who sincerely mourn him. Even though his title has passed onto this toddler grandson, will MA and/or the Dowager Dauphine keep all of them together or just pare down the ranks to the new King and his most immediate family and will they return to Courland? Also, even though Louis XVII has just inheritted his grandfather's title not only is he far too young to rule [as were Louis XIV and XV] but he also has far fewer holdings even if his uncle is working hard to vanquish Napoleon and stage his own Bourbon Restoration. So, who will be the Regent? I know MA would want this but would her daughter-in-law niece attempt to make the claim due to being the new king's mother- and if there were any conflicts re Regency claims, HOW would this be settled in a Court in Exile?
Meanwhile, will the Duke of Normandy be that vital push that rids Europe and France of Napoleon without that annoying Elba Fiasco?
Oh, and will MA and or the Duke of Normandy actually ever MEET their archfoe before Europe's fate is decided once and for all?
This is looking good!

RyuDrago · Jun 29, 2015

Oh the ironies of the history... Napoleon falling early than unexpected just because the Bourbon survived...

REICHFURST · Jun 29, 2015

The disastrous campaign of Napoleon in Russia was watched by the others European countries as the beggining of the end of the invincible Emperor and soon they was decided to formed a new coalition against the now diminished and exhausted French Empire.

The Sixth Coalition was formally created on 18 May 1812 and was formed by Russia, Prussia joined with Austria, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom and Portugal.

Still obsessed with his recent defeat, Napoleon turned his eyes to Germany and vowed that this time he would created a new army as large as that he had sent into Russia, and quickly built up his forces in the east from 30,000 to 130,000 and eventually to 400,000.

The first major battle was the Battle of Dresden (25-28 July 1812), where the French forces under the command of Marshal Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr defeated the Austrian-Prussian-Russian combined army. However, the French victory was not as complete as it could have been, mostly becayse ubstantial pursuit was not undertaken after the battle, and the flanking corps where surrounded and forced to surrender a few days later at the Battle of Kulm (30-31 July).

Following two months of minors skirmishes -named the German Campaign of 1812-, the Battle of Leipzig (10-13 September 1812) was a decisive triumph of the Coalition troops against the French army. The battle was the culmination of the German campaign and involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.

Despite being outnumbered, Napoleon planned to take the offensive between the Pleisse and the Parthe rivers. The position at Leipzig held several advantages for his army and his battle strategy. The rivers that converged there split the surrounding terrain into many separate sectors. Holding Leipzig and its bridges, Napoleon could shift troops from one sector to another far more rapidly than could the Allies, who had difficulty moving such large numbers of troops into a single sector.

The northern front was defended by Marshals Michel Ney and Auguste de Marmont, and the eastern front by Marshal Jacques MacDonald. The artillery reserve and parks, ambulances, and baggage stood near Leipzig, which Napoleon made his supply base for the battle. The bridges on the Pleisse and White Elster rivers were defended by infantry and a few guns. The main battery stood in reserve, and during battle was to be deployed on the Gallows Height. This battery was to be commanded by the artillery expert Antoine Drouot. The western flank of the French positions at Wachau and Liebertwolkwitz was defended by Prince Joseph Poniatowski and Marshal Pierre Augereau and his young French conscripts.

With the three monarchs of the continental Coalition powers, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, King Frederick William III of Prussia and Emperor Francis I of Austria, present in the battlefield, a substantial staff supported the Coalition commanders. It was fraught with incompetence and petty rivalries with factions in conflict with each other; and its operations were prone to the vanities of the monarchs.

There was an election for the field commander of the forces during the battle. Initially, many considered Prince Schwarzenberg as the one suitable to be the Supreme field commander for the Coalition forces in the battle. However, Emperor Alexander I bittlerly refused, complained about his incompetence in terms of battle planning compared to marshals Prince Volkonsky of Russia, Johan Christopher Toll of Sweden, Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck, Gerhard von Scharnhorst of Prussia and the Duke of Normandy of the Royalist Army (who despite his youth proved that he had a natural instinct to battle).

Upon learning of Schwarzenberg's main plan (to call for a secondary attack on the bridge between Leipzig and Lindenau to be led by Blücher and Gyulay, and a main attack astride the Pleiße river to be led by Merveldt, Hessen-Homburg and the Prussian Guard) Alexander I believed that this would be a disastrous tactic that wouldn't leave the Coalition Army freedom of action. Most of the command staff agreed with the Russian Emperor, who proposed to Prince Schwarzenberg another battle plan based on his thoughts and views. The Prince then drafted a plan that was largely designed to let everyone do as they pleased and who was as follows: Blücher's axis of advance was to be shifted northward to the Halle road, the Russian and Prussian guards and the Russian heavy cavalry was to be amassed at Rotha in general reserve. The Austrian grenadiers and cuirassiers would advance between the rivers. This strategy would ensure the encirclement of the French army in Leipzig and its vicinity, or at least inflict heavy losses upon them to assure the needed decisive results. Seemingly, though somewhat reluctantly, convinced, Alexander I soon agreed to his plan, and he then ordered him to tell the other commanders to follow the plan.

During the first day of the battle, the allied offensives achieved little and were soon forced back, but Napoleon's outnumbered forces were unable to break the allied lines, resulting in a hard-fought stalemate. The second day, only took place a minor skirmish because Napoleon only received a reforce of 14,000 soldiers from France and thus he was unable to made a decisive attack. By the third day, was evident that the Allies would encircle Napoleon and his army, and he knew that his retreating from the battle would mean a capitulation; in this dilemma, Napoleon began to examine whether the roads and bridges of Lindenau could be used to withdraw his troops, or at the very least to secure a bridgehead crossing on the Pleisse river; however, his unpredictable mood changed and refused to surrender and decided to fight, secure that he could achieve one more great victory for France. He also thought that a strong, formidable rear guard in Leipzig itself could repulse any Allied assault, which could buy him and his forces more time to withdraw from the battle.

During this time Napoleon sent General von Merveldt, who had been captured two days earlier, back to the Allies on parole. Merveldt was given a letter to Tsar Alexander I, Prussian King Frederick William III, and Austrian Emperor Francis I in which Napoleon offered to surrender to the Coalition the fortresses he held along the Oder and Vistula, on the condition that the allies allow him to withdraw to a position behind the Saale. He added that, if approved, they should sign an armistice and undertake peace negotiations. However, all the monarchs declined the offer.

The defection of the Saxon and Württemberg's armies to the Caolition side, forced Napoleon to considered the fighting as a lost cause. He had already begun withdrawing the majority of his army across the river Elster throughout the night of 12-13 September. But before this, he promoted Poniatowski to the rank of Imperial Marshal, the only foreigner of all his marshals who was given this title, and the latter swore that he would fight to the last stand, which he did.

The Allies only learned of the French evacuation at 9:00 on the morning of the 13 September. But they were held up in Leipzig because of a ferocious street-to-street rearguard action fought by Oudinot's troops. As the Russians-Prussians-Royalist troops (under the command of the Duke of Normandy) entered the city through the Grimma Gate they fell upon barricades and houses full of French soldiers. Civilians were forced into hiding as the bloody urban combat raged through the city, where the Duke himself, helped only by three or four soldiers, fight himself in the middle of the streets, like a wild animal, in the words of von Merveldt, who took charge of the Prussian contingent.

Napoleon's retreat continued smoothly until early afternoon when the general tasked with destroying the only bridge over the Elster delegated the task to a Colonel Montfort. The colonel in turn passed this responsibility to a corporal, who was unaware of the carefully planned time schedule. At 2:00 in the afternoon the bridge was exploded still crowded with retreating French troops and Oudinot's rearguard was still in Leipzig. The explosion and subsequent panic caused a rout that resulted in the deaths of thousands of French troops and the capture of thousands of others. Marshal Poniatowski was one of the many who drowned while attempting to cross the river.

The battle ended the French Empire's presence east of the Rhine and brought the German states over to the Sixth Coalition. It also dealt a harsh blow to Napoleon himself, who was decisively defeated in battle for the first time in the Napoleonic Wars, damaging his reputation as a military genius. Emperor Alexander I now urged all of his subordinate commanders including those of Prussia, Austria and other nations to push the gigantic Coalition army on the offensive after the battle, and, having decisively won the battle, was more than determined to carry the war onto French soil.

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Sain Petersburg, February 1812-October 1812:

Only in mid-February, the Imperial family and the Bourbons returned to Saint Petersburg. The remains of Louis XVI where removed from the chapel at Fort Alexander, and in solemn ceremony on 1 March where placed at Peter and Paul Cathedral, the most insign and important religious establishment at the Russian Empire.

The burial of the late King's remains wasn't without controversies: being a Catholic, the Metropolitan and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Avgustin I, condemned this action as a sacrilege, moreover because by command of the Dowager Empress, the coffin of Louis XVI was placed in the Imperial crypt, next to the Russian Emperors. Marie Antoinette, now Queen-Grandmother of France, thanked this benevolent gesture of Maria Feodorovna.

Two weeks after the burial, on 16 March, in a private ceremony following instructions of Emperor Alexander I, Marie Antoinette was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Saint Catherine. Since them, the Queen-Grandmother always proudly used this insign in all important events.

The formation of the Sixth Coalition gave Marie Antoinette a new breath of hope: my heart felt it, dear Charlotte, that our return is only question of time..., wrote the Queen-Grandmother to her sister Maria Carolina, who was also continue her own intrigues and conspiracies for the restoration of her husband in Naples; at this point, both sisters becames intensenly involved in all the war events, being quickly informed about the advance of the Coalition armies through Germany.

On 22 April at the Winter Palace and after a difficult pregnancy, the Duchess of Normandy gave birth a son, named Louis Auguste Alexandre after both late grandfather and Emperor Alexander I and styled Duke of Brittany since birth. The Catholic baptism of the child took place one month later, on 19 May at the private rooms of Marie Antoinette, with only a few assistants; the godparents where his uncle the Russian Emperor and Queen Maria Carolina of Sicily. The hurried and almost restricted affair caused rumors in the Imperial court; the official reason was the state of war but actually was also the delicate health of the newborn, who only hours after his birth began to have convulsions and wasn't expected that he lived for a long time.

In her letters to her husband, the Duchess of Normandy tried to conceal the delicate state of their first-born: My dearest Karl, our son is the healthiest and robust child that I can see before....He had most of you, but I think that had the eyes of my mother.... Catherine was worried that Louis Charles would be distracted from his military obligations if he knew the real state of her son's health.

The following months, the Imperial court only talked about war and the devastation that Napoleon had bring to all Europe: every courtesan had someone near to him at battle, and the correspondances are anxiously waited.

The death of the Countess of Provence on 13 June, victim of edema, was almost unrecorded at court. His widower only limited to say: Well, finally I'm free from her. Despite her personal feelings towards Maria Giuseppina (she was never close with her brothers-in-laws' wives), Marie Antoinette was shocked and furious about the coldness of the Count of Provence; reportedly, both had a heated argument in the Queen-Grandmother's private rooms. Her remains where also deposited at Peter and Paul Cathedral, next to Louis XVI.

In the first hours of 16 September, an urgent message arrived at the Winter Palace. The Dowager Empress received the letter where her son informed her about the defeat of Napoleon at Leipzig; at the same time, all the churches of Saint Petersburg began to ring their bells, announcing the fall of the Antichrist, as Napoleon was named in Russia.

Marie Antoinette, whose face remained undisturbed, locked herself with her family at her private rooms, praying for the final destruction of Napoleon. Despite remained an Orthodox, the Duchess of Normandy accompanied her mother-in-law in her prays. After this, she reportedly turned to her grandson, the exiled 13-years-old King Louis XVII and say to him: my child, soon our troubles and miseries would be ended, and you can recovered everything that belonged to you since birth.

By the end of October, another urgent message arrived: after Napoleon refused to enter into peace negociations with them, the Coalition armies are ready to marched over Paris. The decisive battle against Napoleon was only matter of time.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Herr Frage · Jun 30, 2015

And now to see how Napoleon falls here. Will there be a Elba? Or perhaps he escapes to America?

Or is this all too much assuming, the Corsican is not yet beaten after all.

walmart · Jun 30, 2015

Will napoleon be killed

Londinium · Jun 30, 2015

REICHFURST,
So the Duke of Normandy being part of the Alliance seems to accelerating Napoleon's end. Quite interesting but what will his reaction be when he finds out the true state of his son's health [and does the court truly think they can keep it from him forever -especially if the boy dies]?
MA seems to be relishing the rule of Queen Grandmother to Louis XVII [and that's quite a promo from her original rank of Austrian Archduchess to Dauphine to Queen] . Hard to believe the new king is already 13 but one wonders how he would rule a land he's never even seen- and would MA be willing to let him?

REICHFURST · Jul 4, 2015

Following the Battle of Leipzig, the Sixth Coalition continue the fight against Spain, who continue to be in the hands of Napoleon's brother Joseph after Kings Charles IV and Ferdinand VII were forced to abdicate and escape to Italy.

The British army, under the command of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess (and future Duke) of Wellington. Counting with the support of the Spanish population (who in his majority detested the French invasion and wanted the restoration of their royal family), began the invasion of Spain in mid-November 1812.

With the consent of the Russian Emperor, the Duke of Normandy, with all the Army of émigrés united to the British invasion, arriving to the port of San Sebastián in seven Russian galleys on 19 December 1812. Inmediately, Louis Charles, with his cousins and principals advisors, began with Wellesley the preparations for the fight against Napoleon.

In a strategic move, Wellington planned to move his supply base from Lisbon (who was captured on 13 January 1813) to Santander. The Anglo-Royalist-Portuguese forces swept northwards in late May and seized Burgos; they then outflanked the French army, forcing Joseph Bonaparte to escape into the valley of the River Zadorra. At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), the 65,000 French under Joseph were routed by 53,000 British, 27,000 Portuguese, 19,000 Spaniards and 37,000 russian-royalist (several russians, admired by Louis Charles' courage at battle, joined his army), Wellington pursued and dislodged the French from San Sebastián, which was sacked and burnt. The decisive close cooperation between Wellington and the Duke of Normandy was widely showed in the combined attack made to the retreating French, who reached the Pyrenees in early July. Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult was given command of the French forces and began a counter-offensive, who caused two minor defeats by the allies at Maya and Roncesvalles; the defeat of the allies in this opportunity was because the troops of Wellington were unable to reach the Duke of Normandy's army into the frozen Pyrenees; however, soon both Wellington and Louis Charles continue the ofensive until they forced Marshal Soult and all his army to fled after the allied victory at the Battle of Sorauren (28-30 July 1813).

By mid-September, the Coalition allies finally crossed into France, fording the Bidasoa river. On 11 December, a beleaguered and desperate Napoleon agreed to a separate peace with Spain under the Treaty of Valençay, under which he would recognize Ferdinand VII as King of Spain in exchange for a complete cessation of hostilities. However, the allies had no intention of trusting Napoleon, and the fighting continued on into France.

For Louis Charles, the entrance to his birth nation was kind of a cultural shock: he virtually don't remember anything about France after 23 years of exile; his French had a strong Russian accent and he felt as a complete strange in that country: although the Queen always taught to us that France was our domain, dear Katya, what strange seems to me all the people and customs here!...wrote the Duke of Normandy to his wife, who still refused to comunicated to him the death of his father and the delicate health of their son.

During the end of 1813 and beggining of 1814, the allies invaded and destroyed almost all south-west France in a number of minor battles again Marshals Soult and Suchet. The allies gained decisive victories at Vera pass in the Battles of Nivelle (13 November 1813), of Nive near Bayonne (10–14 December 1813), of Orthez (27 February 1814) and the bloddy Battle of Toulouse (10 April 1814), where again Louis Charles showed a bravery and courage that shocked everyone. Was in this battle, that the Duke of Normandy earned the nickname of the "Angel of Death" (Ange de la Mort) by the allies and even between the Napoleonic armies, because of his angelic face and the ferocity and violence that he showed in the battlefield.

Finally, on 13 March 1814, the allies troops entered in Paris. At this point, Emperor Alexander I (responding the calls of his brother-in-law Louis Charles) and King Frederick William III of Prussia had arrived with several troops to joined the allies, mostly because they didn't want that the British obtained the whole glory over the fall of Napoleon. During two days, the streets and suburbs of Paris were the scene of another bloody battle, where soldiers and civilians where killed indiscriminately. Louis Charles arrived to the Tulleries with the intentions of burning it, but he was forcibly stopped by Wellington, an event that caused a tense situation between the British and émigrés troops, who strongly supported their leaders. By the evening of 16 March, Paris was finally conquered.

On 2 April, the French Senate agreed to the Coalition's terms and passed a resolution deposing Napoleon (Acte de déchéance de l'Empereur). They also passed a decree dated 6 April, justifying their actions. Napoleon had advanced as far as Fontainebleau when he learned that Paris had surrendered. Outraged, he proposed his army to march on the capital, but his marshals decided to mutiny. On 8 April, Napoleon abdicated in favour of his infant son, with with his wife Marie-Louise as regent. However, the Coalition refused to accept this (according to some witnesses, Louis Charles was again forcibly restrained to kill the deposed Emperor). Napoleon was then forced to announce his unconditional abdication on 10 April and sign the Treaty of Fontainebleau, under which Napoleon was formally deposed and exiled to the isle of Elba.

________________________

Saint Petersburg, October 1812-May 1814:

The Sixth Coalition campaign in France was carefully followed by Marie Antoinette, who thanks to her still active networks of spies and informants. The Queen-Grandmother barely sleep, because she consumed all her hours in comunications about the developing of the campaign and also sending letters to the royals crowns of Europe, remembering that France has one true King, and him and only him must be restored in the sacred throne of Saint Louis, as Marie Antoinette wrote to King Frederick William III directly.

The news of the bravery of her son caused in the Queen-Grandmother mixed feelings of proud and concern: she barely recognized the reported violence and courage of the child of whom she continue to call her chou d'amour.

By mid-April 1814, began to arrive news about the defeat of Napoleon, but only in the early days of May finally the Emperor formally wrote to his mother announcing the final defeat and capture of the Antichrist. In all Saint Petersburg, the streets became iluminated for days with fireworks, and the churches of the capital ring their bells day and night.

Only after hearing the news of the final defeat of Napoleon, Marie Antoinette weep: after almost 23 years of fight, humiliations and exile, was her moment of triumph. All the courtesans exiled invaded the Queen-Grandmother's rooms and under the cheer of "Vive le Roi, Vive la reine grand-mère!" (Long life the King, Long life the Queen-Grandmother!) they solemnly paid their respect to her: was an extraordinary scene seeing all the exiled, friends and enemies, celebrating together the soon return to our home....all surrounded the Queen, who for the first time in years, didn't controled her emotions, later recalled the Duchess of Angoulême.

However, the celebrations for the exiled Bourbons didn't lasted: shortly after the arrival of the news of Napoleon's defeat, a secret message of Louis Charles arrived to the Winter Palace. The Duchess of Normandy managed to smuggled the document from her mother the Dowager Empress (following her husband's orders) and gave personally to Marie Antoinette.

Once the Queen-Grandmother readed the letter of her son, she was horrified and outraged: despite the defeat of Napoleon, the Bourbon Restoration wasn't secured. Actually, the allies are divided about who could be the best candidate for the French throne: Russia and the United Kingdom favoured the Bourbons, while the Austrians considered a regency for Napoleon's son, Napoleon II François Bonaparte. Louis Charles, in his letter, wrote to his mother that although he violenty defended the rights of the family, only if the King was in his Kingdom, the others must be accepted him; however, the Duke of Normandy counted with an unexpected ally: the former foreign minister of Napoleon, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, who wanted to save France from a possible division between the invasors, entered in succesful negociations with the Duke of Normandy and in this way, both showed an united front whose main goal became the Bourbon Restoration.

Despite the warnings of Maria Feodorovna (who didn't consider secure enough to travel to France), within days Marie Antoinette prepared the return trip. At first, the Queen-Grandmother was ready to travel only with Louis XVII, but at the end, was decided that the whole royal family must be travel to France. The Dowager Empress was extremely worried about the safety of her daughter and weak newborn grandson, but Catherine Pavlovna was firm and reportedly say her mother: I'm now the Duchess of Normandy, so my place is in my husband's country who since my wedding was my country too.

In the middle of the preparations of her trip to France, Marie Antoinette wrote to the courtesans who still remained in Courland, and ordened them (always in the name of the King) that they must be ready to parted; also, she instructed that the remains of the royals who died in exile in Jelgava (the Dauphin Louis Joseph and the Countess of Artois) must be exhumed from the Ducal Chapel and prepared for the journey. On 13 May, the remains of Louis XVI and the Countess of Provence where also inhumed from Peter and Paul Cathedral, and the next day, the royal family, escorted by a military contingent, parted from Saint Petersburg. Three days later (16 May) they arrived at Jelgava Palace, but only as a quick stop.

With the four coffins and considerable number of émigrés as part of her entourage, Marie Antoinette, Queen-Grandmother of France and her family, began their return trip to France, ready to defend the rights of her grandson against the allies.

TO BE CONTINUED......

REICHFURST · Jul 4, 2015

Sorry for the delay, but I'm sick and in bed so I can update the thread until now. I hope you liked, thanks!!!!!!!

REICHFURST · Jul 4, 2015

The announcement of the return of Louis XVII and the whole royal family from exile was made by the Duke of Normandy and Tayllerand by the end of May, after an urgent letter send by Marie Antoinette to them. Emperor Alexander I of Russia and King Frederick William III of Prussia were shocked by the notice, because they didn't expected that the Queen-Grandmother, despite all her known strengh and arrogance, was ready to risk her own life and the safety of her family with this trip. Moreover, the Russian Emperor was outraged about the news that his sister was also part of the trip.

The dramatic effect that Marie Antoinette expected with her return worked: within weeks, the whole Vendée territory erupted in violent riots in favor of the Bourbons, and more incredible, other cities like Bordeaux, Marseille, and Lyon also showed their support to Louis XVII. Soon the majority of France, tired of constant years of war against foreign powers and feared that, if they restored the Republic or supported Napoleon's child, their independence and national integrity must be in serious danger, they agreed with the return of the exiled royal family.

Finally, on 15 June 1814, after days of deliberations, the French Senate formally recognized Louis XVII as King of France and Navarre, and appointed the Duke of Normandy as Lieutenant General of the Kingdom until his nephew's arrival. Two days later, the allies ratified the Senate's decision.

_____________________

In order to avoid any further delays, Marie Antoinette decided that the trip must be made directly and with only quickly stops. On 2 June the Bourbon entourage arrived at Berlin, where they were greeted by the Crown Prince Frederick William, who acted as regent during his father's absence. They remained only a couple of days in the Prussian capital and continue the journey through the Confederation of the Rhine; during a stop in Kassel, Marie Antoinette received a message from Louis Charles who informed her that the allies and even the population agreed to the recognition of Louis XVII as King.

The letter caused in the Queen-Grandmother a great emotion and happiness; according to the Duchess of Angoulême she say to her grandson the King: Your Majesty, soon would be in your realm, the most beautiful country of the world!...for so many years was in the hands of enemies, but now, was returned to his true master and ruler.

Finally, after an uncomfortable journey, in the night of 15-16 August 1814, the Bourbons arrived at Luxembourg, where a military contingent leaded by Tayllerand himself greeted them.

For Marie Antoinette, resulted quite strange this men, who despite his lame leg, showed such diplomacy and strong personality that she had to recognized later: We must to thanked Monsieur de Tayllerand that France returned to the good path.

For Tayllerand, the Queen-Grandmother was a surprise: he expected to see the voluptuous and lascivious demoness of the revolutionary pamphlets, but in fact he found a solemn and even intimidating matriarch, dressed completely in mourning, with a cane in her left hand and devotedly surrounded by her family. He later remembered the encounter: When I first meet Madame the Queen-Grandmother I must confess that was a shock...I found not a joyful woman, not a seductress; I found a Queen, every inch of a Queen...

Surrounded by the army, the French entourage continue the trip to Paris. At first, they wanted to do it quietly, but when the news spread that the King and his family are in France, during all the journey to the capital they where warmly cheered. Even Marie Antoinette didn't expected this reception: according to her daughter the Duchess of Angoulême, she weeped with such emotion and joy that all of us cried with her....for the first time, I saw the Queen with a iluminated smile that I almost forgot......

When finally they are at the doors of Paris, Marie Antoinette decided that she didn't entered with the rest of the royal family. This shocked Tayllerand, who asked the Queen-Grandmother why she can enjoy her moment of triumph; she responded to him: This is not my moment, Monsieur....It's the moment of the future, of the King and his siblings, his court....My time ended long time ago, so please, escorted the King and his mother to his capital, because was thanks to you and the Duke of Normandy that this time finally arrived. Following the Queen-Grandmother's direct order, the Counts of Provence and Artois also declined to participated in the entrance, despite their strong protests.

On 20 August 1814, Louis XVII entered in Paris escorted by Tayllerand in a middle of fireworks, blessings and cheers. The young King showed such dignity and presence that all the citizens unanimously agreed that he was a true ruler. Behind the King, the Dowager Dauphine with her children made their entrance; the people was atonished about the beauty of the princesses. After them, the Duchess of Normandy with her son appeared: the quite exotic Russian Grand Duchess was an inmediate sensation.

The streets of Paris are so crowded with people that only after two hours, the King and the royal family arrived to the Tuileries Palace, where Louis Charles, his cousins the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry, Emperor Alexander I, King Frederick William III and the whole French Senate greeted them.

The emotion of Catherine Pavlovna of seeing again her husband was so overwhelming that she broke the protocol and threw into Louis Charles' arms, who embraced her for a long time. This scene was so touching, so loving, that all the presents were completely disturbed, Tayllerand later recalled.

Only in the night of 20-21 August, Marie Antoinette, with her daughters the Duchess of Angoulême and Mademoiselle Sophie, her brothers-in-law, the Princess of Lamballe and Madame de Tourzel, with the rest of the exiled courtesans surrounded the four royal coffins, entered in Paris. She expected to directly made her way to the Tuileries without much pomp (given her previously relationship with the parisians), but the population surprised her: when she passed through the streets of Paris, was exactly crowded just like in the morning; anybody moved from their spots when they knew that the Queen-Grandmother only entered at night.

At the cheer of Vive la reine grand-mère!, all the parisians solemnly inclined in front of her carriage when she passed in front of them. When Marie Antoinette saw the people -the same that almost 30 years ago bitterly hated her, destroying her reputation and almost killed her- in such humble attitude, she decided to gave them a retribution: she stopped her carriage and ordened that all must to continue the way to the Tuileries walking.

With the Princess of Lamballe and her daughters at her side, Marie Antoinette advance in the middle of the streets of Paris; behind her, the Counts of Provence and Artois, complete shocked about this, dismounted their horses and followed their sister-in-law.

The Queen-Grandmother's gesture of humility caused that the parisians erupted in violent and warm cheers, who followed her at the doors of the Tuileries, where the King and the rest of the royal family received her. Once she entered in the palace, Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III formally greeted her.

Finally, after 23 years of exile, Marie Antoinette returned to France.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Herr Frage · Jul 4, 2015

A fascinating tale indeed. A very different restoration with the famed Duke of Normandy and a young king for a new era as opposed to the brothers of OTL.

And Marie Antoinette, even the Republicans I expect will respect her ITTL as th leader of House Bourbon in this era.

Avrorrange · Jul 5, 2015

Herr Frage said:
A fascinating tale indeed. A very different restoration with the famed Duke of Normandy and a young king for a new era as opposed to the brothers of OTL.

And Marie Antoinette, even the Republicans I expect will respect her ITTL as th leader of House Bourbon in this era.

Problem is will the Queen act like the two brothers IOTL?

Herr Frage · Jul 5, 2015

darthfanta said:
Problem is will the Queen act like the two brothers IOTL?

Well it seems she herself doesn't want to rule long term, trying to put the focus on the young king and the hero Duke. So the question will be what kind of ruler will they shape into?

Londinium · Jul 5, 2015

REICHFURST,
Whew! It seems you've thrown off your ailment as forcefully as the Bourbons threw off their exile!
SO much has happened here. Where to start? The Duke of Normandy seems quite the aggressor to the point that he's willing to burn Tuilleries Palace AND is considered a direct mortal threat to Napoleon who appears to be physically close enough to be at risk and only gets restrained from this by the Duke of Wellington. He seems to evoke Charlemagne's intense fighting style rather than his more laid back recent ancestors content to do little more than strategize but letting others do the bloodshed. Interesting that allies and foes alike call him the 'Angel of Death' but would he have that admiration if he were ugly instead of handsome and baseborn instead of Royal? Despite [because?] of his recent violence against civilians, he winds up becoming the de facto leader of France in his 16-year-old nephew's name. Still, it was nice that he and Catherine had a touching public reunion overcoming protocol [and even the Empress Mother's objections] . No mention of their sickly son but he seems to have survived the lengthy overland journey from St. Petersburg so maybe he's improving.
Shrewd of MA to insist that the new King's immediate family have their OWN entry into Tuilleries Palace ahead of her and all the other Bourbons so the subjects get to know him without her rep overshadowing him. Still, her OWN entry is quite a 180 from how she'd BEEN treated in Paris and glad she got to be genuinely welcomed as the Queen Grandmother and treated as an elder rather than scorned as a foreign coquette [though, ironically ONLY the Duke of Normandy and the Princess Royal were born in France] . Yes, it makes sense that the French decided to cast their lots on the Bourbons rather than keep Napoleon's son as the Habsburgs wanted. Speaking of Napoleon, will he be content to stay Emperor of Elba or will he try France itself again- and will the French prove as fickle as they did in OTL?
Now that Louis XVII's been restored, will he have a full scale Coronation and who will be his Regent until he reaches his majority- the widowed, demure Dowager Dauphine, the determined Queen Grandmother or the decidedly aggressive Duke of Normandy who is already running things? And will the Bourbons KEEP the General Assembly or will they attempt to revive the Estates General [and possibly restore the Provinces and abolish the Departments]?
Also, how will they deal with turncoat Hapsburgs [and Napoleon's crew]?
I know MA's a 59-year-old grandmother with a cane and she now is back in Paris but I hardly think her or the Bourbons' story is finished and I look forward to how this gets resolved.

REICHFURST · Jul 6, 2015

The following weeks after the Bourbon Restoration (20 August 1814), the main concerns of the dynasty was the determined the better way of reoganize the Kingdom and bring stability to the population, and the preparation for the Congress of Vienna.

First to all, was to be determined would be the Regent on behalf of the 15-years-old Louis XVII. The allies, leaded by Emperor Alexander I of Russia and King Frederick William III of Prussia, preferred the government of the Duke of Normandy, while Great Britain decanted for Marie Antoinette or the Count of Provence.

The Queen-Grandmother, despite the "help" that her family received from the allies, reportedly say that in the matters of the Kingdom, only the Royal Family must be intervene. So, she decided that a family council must be held in order to had a decision; the Emperor and the Prussian King were invited to the event but only as guests, while the French Senate -also known as the Conservative Senate (Sénat conservateur)- was authorized to send two representants previously approved by Marie Antoinette.

During two days (28-29 August 1814) in the Great Hall of the Tuileries Palace, took place the Bourbon Council, where all the members of the family debated the better election as a Regent. In the first round of deliberations, Marie Antoinette declined any involvement in the government, despite the suggestions of Emperor Alexander I and even the Senatorial representants, who unexpectedly also supported her as a suitable candidate (probably with the idea that, being she old and a woman, would be easy to manipulate).

In the second day, was decided that the majority of Louis XVII must be declared in his 18th birthday, on 3 February 1817, so the Regency couldn't be prolonged too much. The Count of Provence pushed himself as a candidate, given his old age and experience, but the Dowager Dauphine bitterly refused. The Count of Artois also showed interest in being the Regent, supported by his sons and daughter-in-law, aunt of the King; but this time was Marie Antoinette that vetoed the idea. Finally, following the advices of the foreign rulers, Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy, was formally declared Regent of the Kingdom of France and Navarre, taking the formal oath from the French Senate two days later, on 31 August.

Now, the most delicate issue, was the way of government that the Regent, and after him the King, must be follow: the return of the absolutism? or the Conservative Senate and with him all the previous political changes must be kept intact?...

Since the beggining, Marie Antoinette was a staunch support of the return of the Ancien Régime, followed in this opinion by the Counts of Provence and Artois. But by the other hand, surprisingly the Duke of Normandy was a partisan of a compromise who, although didn't bring to the King his former power, at least gave to him an important involvement in the government and recognized his supreme authority. In this opinion, Louis Charles was supported by the Dowager Dauphine (who wanted by all means to secure the throne of her son) and the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry, who despite both being raised in the opulence of Versailles and still remember the old days, categorically decanted for a comunion between the people and the King, because with this would be avoided a Second capture of the Bastille, as Berry later recalled.

This disagreement of opinions caused the first serious disputes between Marie Antoinette and her son; Louis Charles reportedly say to her in one of their heated arguments: the old ways bring to us to the exile, Maman!....if you wanted to kept the throne for your children and his children after him, you must to capitulate....the time and all of us are changed, and this is not the France that you meet when you came here as an Austrian Archduchess!!....

At end, was Tayllerand who was the idea to bring the final decision of this matter in the Congress of Vienna: if the French saw their rulers as a divided family, it's better that all of you parted to exile again...so, if we can't decided, let them to decide for us..., he say to Louis Charles in a private conversation.

:::::

The Congress of Vienna took place from September 1814 to June 1815 in the capital of the Austrian Empire, Vienna, and was mainly promoted by the Austrian Chancellor Klemens Wenzel von Metternich. The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

In addition, the objective of this meeting wasn't the simply restore of old boundaries previous to Napoleon and the French Revolution, but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other off and remain at peace. The leaders were conservatives with little use for republicanism or revolution.

The Congress functioned through formal meetings such as working groups and official diplomatic functions; however, a large portion of the Congress was conducted informally at salons, banquets, and balls.

The so-called Four Great Powers had previously formed the core of the Sixth Coalition. On the verge of Napoleon's defeat they had outlined their common position and negotiated with the Bourbons during their restoration:

Austria was represented by Prince Metternich, the Foreign Minister, and by his deputy, Baron Johann von Wessenberg. As the Congress's sessions were in Vienna, Emperor Francis was kept closely informed.
Great Britain was represented first by its Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castlereagh; then by the Duke of Wellington, after Castlereagh's return to England in February 1815.
Russia was formally represented by the foreign minister, Count Karl Robert Nesselrode, although Emperor Alexander I was present in all the meetings. The Emperor had two main goals, to gain control of Poland and to promote the peaceful coexistence of European nations.
Prussia was represented by Prince Karl August von Hardenberg, the Chancellor, and the diplomat and scholar Wilhelm von Humboldt. King Frederick William III of Prussia was also in Vienna, playing his role behind the scenes.
France, the "fifth" power, was represented by her foreign minister, Talleyrand as well as the Minister Plenipotentiary, the Duke of Dalberg.

Virtually every state in Europe had a delegation in Vienna: more than 200 states and princely houses were represented at the Congress. In addition, there were representatives of cities, corporations, religious organizations (for instance, abbeys) and special interest groups – e.g., a delegation representing German publishers, demanding a copyright law and freedom of the press.

Initially, the representatives of the four victorious powers hoped to exclude the French from serious participation in the negotiations, but Talleyrand skillfully managed to insert himself into "his inner councils" in the first weeks of negotiations.

_________________

In the Tuileries, Marie Antoinette followed with avid interest the negociations and meetings of the Congress, after she asked Tayllerand to inform her constantly through letters all the major events, especially on regards of the future of the Bourbons.

At first, she didn't wanted to stay in that palace that had so many bad memories to her and were Napoleon lived after her: the first order that she gave after she return was that the mattressesof every room of the palace must be burned, along with all the personal effects that Napoleon and Marie-Louise had left behind: I prefer to sleep in a barn that in the same place that the Corsican pig had put his little head!, she constantly say when she walked through the rooms of the palaces, supervising that her commands must be carried on.

Inmediately, Marie Antoinette began the process of "redecoration" of the Tuileries to his proper way: she considers the taste of Napoleon and Marie-Louise to vulgar and ostentatious for this times. Every portrait of the Emperor and Empress was destroyed and their monograms, who decorated the Great Hall of the palace, was erased. Marie-Louise, despite being the granddaughter of his favorite sister, never obtain her forgiveness; the Queen-Grandmother, when she reanuded her correspondance with her Habsburg relatives, never wrote to her; but surprisingly and for unknown reasons, some times she asked about her son, Napoleon François Bonaparte, who was at Vienna court as hostage of his grandfather Emperor Francis I.

Just a few weeks after the beggining of the Congress of Vienna, Marie Antoinette received devastating news: her beloved sister Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples, died in Vienna on 8 September 1814 as a consequence of a stroke; according to her eldest son the Duke of Calabria send to her, she was found by a maid lying dead on the floor among scattered letters; in her left hand she had a miniature portrait of the Queen of France and in her right hand a piece of paper where she had time to wrote: Antonia, my dearest sister, it's my turn to leave this world....don't remember the pain, just kept our good times together in your heart. Charlotte. In the letter send by the Duke of Calabria personally to his aunt, he also gave to her the piece of paper and the miniature portrait.

For several days, Marie Antoinette refused to leave her room. With only the silent company of the Princess of Lamballe, she was inconsolable. Either the visits of her son, daughters, daughters-in-law or grandchildren (especially the weak and delicate infant Duke of Brittany, who became in her undisputed favorite) were able to bring her back to the reality. Even the Dowager Dauphine, who logically deeply mourned her mother, was atonished to see that state of postration in the Queen-Grandmother, who always showed an extraordinary force and strength despite her previous tragedies.

My dear Amalia, when my son your husband died, I mourned him as a mother and Queen, but I can't leave the fight for our rights without a head....now, with the death of Charlotte, my childhood playmate, my best friend, my confidant in the worst and the best, I lost everything....my heart is broken and will never be complete again...just leave me cry to her in my loneliness...., the Queen-Grandmother say to the Dowager Dauphine when she asked her to leave her rooms.

One month later, on 10 October, Tayllerand, with the consent of the Regent Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy, agreed with the Charter of 1814, who established the form of government and politics of the Kingdom:

* All persons are declared equal before the law, with proper process rights; also was confirmed the religious toleration (limited by the special provision made for the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion), freedom of the press, protection of private property, abolition of conscription. These principles, together with the retention of the Napoleonic Code, represent some of the permanent gains of the French Revolution.

* The King was Head of State and chief executive: he had the right to appointed public officials, issued the ordinances and regulations necessary 'for the execution of the laws and the security of the state', commanded the army and navy, declared war, made 'treaties of peace, alliance and commerce' (Articles 13 and 14), appointed judges (Article 57) and had the power of pardon (Article 67). In addition, he had great influence over the legislative power, since he possessed the sole right to present draft laws to Parliament (Article 16), and the right to grant or withhold assent to laws passed by the Parliament (Article 20). The King also had the authority to summoned and prorogued the Senate and had the right to dissolve him and call new elections (Article 50), and would appointed the members of the newly created House of Peers (Article 27).

In imitation of the British model, the Charter of 1814 established a bicameral legislature, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Peers. Thus, the Conservative Senate became effectively dissolved.

* The Chamber of Deputies was elected, but with a high tax qualification. The election took place in two stages, with voters choosing members of Electoral Colleges, who in turn elected Deputies. Members of Electoral Colleges had to pay 300 Francs a year in direct taxes (Article 40), while Deputies themselves had to pay a direct tax of 1000 Francs a year. As taxes were mainly levied on landed wealth, this restricted the Chamber of Deputies to a very small percentage of the richest landowners. The representative basis of the French parliament under the Charter was thus much narrower than that which had been used to elect the Estates-General under the ancient regime.[3] Moreover, the Presidents of the Electoral Colleges were appointed by the King, giving the government the ability to influence the outcome of elections.[3]

* The Chamber of Peers was appointed by the King, and could consist of both hereditary aristocrats and life peers ennobled in recognition of public service (Article 27). The number of peers was unlimited, meaning that the King could, at any time, add to their number. In addition to its legislative and deliberative role, the Chamber of Peers also acted as a special court for the trial of impeachments (Article 55) and for cases of 'high treason and attacks against the security of the state' (Article 33).

Not only emotionally distressed by the death of her sister but also by the promulgation of the Charter who virtually destroyed her hopes to be restored the absolutism for a constitucional monarchy, Marie Antoinette exclamed: Well!...now the people had what they want, but at the cost of our rights and privileges...If France must be ruled in this way, I preferred to be close my eyes for good that watched my grandson being King only in name!!...

The consent of the Charter by the Duke of Normandy in the name of Louis XVII deepen the breach between the Queen-Grandmother and the Regent.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Avrorrange · Jul 7, 2015

No Hundred Days, therefore a bigger France?Does anyone have a map of France before the revision of territory due to Hundred Days?

EDIT:Never mind,got one.Dark purple are the territories they originally retained in 1814 but lost after the revision of territories after Hundred Days to punish France.