So a moderate conservative course is set for now.
No Return? Is Napoleon Emperor of Elba still then?
No Return? Is Napoleon Emperor of Elba still then?
The Bourbons in Exile: After Varennes
- Thread starter REICHFURST
- Start date
REICHFURST,
Alas, MA doesn't seem to get the notion that sometimes one must bend to keep from being broken AND the Duke of Normandy is perfectly right that they've JUST returned to France so they can't expect the populace to instantly want to turn back time to the ancient regime. If they want the teenaged Louis XVII to keep ruling[or even reigning or living] they're going to have accept changes and some compromise. It's kind of like the old saying after WWI about US American soldiers that you can't expect them to want to go back to the farm after they've seen Paris. Well, one can't expect folks to want to return to being serfs after they've had a taste of participatory government.
Thankfully, the Duke of Normandy's POV seems to be prevailing in spite MA's tantrums.
It's curious that MA's cut off her own niece [even though SHE has separated from Napoleon as in OTL] but is reaching out to her infant great-nephew whom she's never met despite her despising BOTH his parents. Since in OTL Marie Louise DID neglect her son for her own ambitions, could MA be hoping to somehow turn the boy against HER to spite her niece?
Is Napoleon still going to be content with Elba and, more importantly, since the Duke of Normandy [and, presumably, the teenaged Louis XVII himself who oddly doesn't seem to have commented on this] is doing their best to not soil their own nest re the French, perhaps there would be little if any support for Napoleon were he to attempt an escape from Elba.
Not surprising that MA would spitefully attempt to erase all evidence of Napoleon's stay even burning perfectly good furniture she knew he'd lounged on.
Sad that she seems to be grief stricken over the Queen of Naples' death to the extent that she seems almost willing to die herself [and even more so than her the Neapolitan Queen's own daughter, the Dowager Dauphine].
Since MA seems to have taken to heart the Duke of Normandy's sickly son [perhaps more so than his robust parents who seem to be ignoring him in favor of each other and their own powers in France], could the child somehow persuade MA to learn to accept the outcome of limited government and be happy for Louis XVII even if that's not what she would have wanted?
Since MA's been down before, she may not be one to be counted permanently down even though she's getting close to sixty.
Louis XVII is due a coronation [not to mention finding a Queen ASAP] so possibly one or more of these future events may induce something for MA to live for.
Alas, MA doesn't seem to get the notion that sometimes one must bend to keep from being broken AND the Duke of Normandy is perfectly right that they've JUST returned to France so they can't expect the populace to instantly want to turn back time to the ancient regime. If they want the teenaged Louis XVII to keep ruling[or even reigning or living] they're going to have accept changes and some compromise. It's kind of like the old saying after WWI about US American soldiers that you can't expect them to want to go back to the farm after they've seen Paris. Well, one can't expect folks to want to return to being serfs after they've had a taste of participatory government.
Thankfully, the Duke of Normandy's POV seems to be prevailing in spite MA's tantrums.
It's curious that MA's cut off her own niece [even though SHE has separated from Napoleon as in OTL] but is reaching out to her infant great-nephew whom she's never met despite her despising BOTH his parents. Since in OTL Marie Louise DID neglect her son for her own ambitions, could MA be hoping to somehow turn the boy against HER to spite her niece?
Is Napoleon still going to be content with Elba and, more importantly, since the Duke of Normandy [and, presumably, the teenaged Louis XVII himself who oddly doesn't seem to have commented on this] is doing their best to not soil their own nest re the French, perhaps there would be little if any support for Napoleon were he to attempt an escape from Elba.
Not surprising that MA would spitefully attempt to erase all evidence of Napoleon's stay even burning perfectly good furniture she knew he'd lounged on.
Sad that she seems to be grief stricken over the Queen of Naples' death to the extent that she seems almost willing to die herself [and even more so than her the Neapolitan Queen's own daughter, the Dowager Dauphine].
Since MA seems to have taken to heart the Duke of Normandy's sickly son [perhaps more so than his robust parents who seem to be ignoring him in favor of each other and their own powers in France], could the child somehow persuade MA to learn to accept the outcome of limited government and be happy for Louis XVII even if that's not what she would have wanted?
Since MA's been down before, she may not be one to be counted permanently down even though she's getting close to sixty.
Louis XVII is due a coronation [not to mention finding a Queen ASAP] so possibly one or more of these future events may induce something for MA to live for.
Really Great Timeline. In regards to Louis XVII finding a Wife:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduchess_Clementina_of_Austria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marianne_of_the_Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduchess_Clementina_of_Austria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marianne_of_the_Netherlands
With all Europe pending on the Congress of Vienna, especially the Kingdom of France, worried about the integrity of their boundaries after being defeated by the allies, the most unexpected event took place: the return of Napoleon.
Taking advantage of the (incredible) small British surveillance given to him at Elba, and the allies distracted with their discussions and disputes, the former Emperor escaped in the brig Inconstant on 26 February 1815 with almost 1,000 men and landed at Golfe-Juan on the French mainland two days later.
Avoiding enter in the staunch royalist Provence, Napoleon and his men taking a route through the Alps, now called the Route Napoléon.
When the news of the escape and return of Napoleon reached Paris (12 March) the capital entered in a state of chaos. Inmediately, the Duke of Normandy organized all the royalists contingents available to him, and prepared the city for a siege. In addition he wrote inmediately to the majors and generals of the provinces staunchly loyal to the Bourbons, especially the Vendée territory, Bourdeaux, Marseille, Lyon and Montbeliard with the direct command of cut off the passage of Napoleon and his army, who at the point that he arrived to Grenoble (mid-March) had being increased from 1,000 to 9,000 men ready to fight.
In the meanwhile, Marie Antoinette ordened that all the royal family must be evacuated to the Château de Rambouillet, a former medieval fortress, located 50 km in the southwest of the capital. When her family was ready to parted, she refused to go, and reportedly say: If I must to die, I would be in with my front hight watching that Corsican pig...He dares to came to me, so I'm waiting for him!!!...
Her daughters the Duchess of Angoulême and Mademoiselle Sophie, with the Princess of Lamballe, refused to leave the Queen-Grandmother, and by the end they were forced to enter in their carriages with the rest of the royals by the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry, who also remained in the capital taking positions in the main streets of the city.
Finally, Marie Antoinette was left alone in the Tuileries, with a small group of servants and her personal guard; even her son think that was a madness to stay in Paris, but as her only answer to him she said: A mother never leave her children, and all the french are my children...What do you think that they felt if I escape like a coward....Never!...Once I do it, and I'm still regretted....If our destiny my son, is to die at the hands of that butcher, do it as a true heir of the holy blood of Saint Louis!!!...
Soon arrived even more disturbed news from Napoleon's advance: the Regiment who was sent to intercept him and made contact just south of Grenoble on 19 March, passed to his side, after the former Emperor approached to them alone, dismounted his horse and, when he was within gunshot range, shouted: "Here I am. Kill your Emperor, if you wish."
After bloody skirmishes at Grenoble and Lyon, by 24 March the Napoleonic troops (now increased to 27,000) are in Bourges, just a few miles from Paris.
In such desperate position, Marie Antoinette rely on the loyalty of the citizenship of Paris: without any guard and only a couple of guards and maids, she arrived to the Place Louis XV (previously the Place de la Concorde), one of the major public squares in the capital, and harangued the citizens to fight for our just cause and right...I now that may I'm guilty of part of your tribulations, and humbly asked your forgiveness: here I'm not as a Queen, but as a mother, worried about how this usurper, this monster, would bring to us again to the war, the destruction that his rule gave to you....people of Paris, people of France!!, my people!!, my children!!...I'm here ready to die for you, can you ready to fight for our truly and holy cause?!....... With this words, the Queen-Grandmother gained to fanatic support of all Paris, who are ready to die for her.
Marshal Ney, who despite being now under royalist service was still a staunch support of Napoleon, was atonished and deeply touched by the speech of Marie Antoinette; he later recalled: if she would be a man, without doubt she could ruled all Europe, even better than the Emperor. Despite a secret letter send to Ney by the former Emperor, where he tried to made him to return to the side of France (that is, to "his side"), Ney decided to kept his loyalty to the Bourbons and asked the Duke of Normandy to left him faced Napoleon at the gates of Paris.
On 28 March 1815, Napoleon and his army arrived to the gates of Paris. Marshal Ney, with the reforce of the Vendeans troops (who increased his army from 15,000 to 31,000) who just arrived the previous day, faced to his old master in the called Second Battle of Paris. The battle, who lasted almost two days, was extremely bloody and violent; witnesses later recalled that the screams and shots are so dense that the day became a night.
The Duke of Normandy, in the meanwhile, crossed by horse all the streets and suburbs of Paris, haranguing the population to stay firm. In their positions in the north and south of the city, the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry are ready to faced the inminent siege of the Napoleonic troops. Marie Antoinette, with a silver cuirass and her cane in one hand, parted surrounded by the population to the doors of Notre-Dame Cathedral, where she remained immovable praying.
Just when the battle was clearly a victory for Napoleon, the allies again destroyed his hopes: after received an urgent message from both the Regent and the Queen-Grandmother of the invasion, the Congress of Vienna acted inmediately: on 15 March Napoleon was declared an outlaw and entrusted his final defeat and destruction to the Duke of Wellington, in only two weeks he advanced secretly with an army of 50,000 men from Vienna to Luxembourg and them towards France, counting with the support of the local population, who provided them with food and supplies. When arrived the news that the troops of Wellington are in Château-Thierry, only a few minutes away from Paris, Marshal Ney reportedly say to his soldiers: My brothers and friends!, today God decided who was our truly monarch: for Saint-Denis and Louis XVII!!!....
Napoleon, facing that his position must be extremely dangerous if he continue the fight and siege of Paris, decided to retreat to Fontainebleau, being chased by the army of Marshal Ney and the army of Wellington. The Battle of Fontainebleau took place on 30 March 1815: being completely surpassed by the allies troops, within hours Napoleon decided to surrender with the condition of his men must be pardoned. Under custody of Marshal Ney, he was imprisoned in his previous rooms at Fontainebleau Palace.
The news of the victory and capture of Napoleon, despite the short distance with the capital, arrived to Paris only in the night of 30-31 March. The city erupted in such exclamations of joy and happiness never seen before. During all this time, Marie Antoinette remained at the doors of Notre-Dame, and when her son and nephews arrived there and humbly inclined to her, she kissed all three of them, and according to witnesses, with tears in her eyes and proud in her walk, she received the delirant ovation of all the parisians. The cheer of Long life to our Mother Queen! (Vivre notre Reine Mère!) could be hear in every part of the city, and the fireworks are so intense, that despite being midnight, looks like if was the most radiant day of summer, remembered later the Duke of Berry.
Marie Antoinette, Queen-Grandmother of France, faced probably the most intense and dramatic moment of her life. Now, with her most mortal enemy finally defeated, she only had one request: see Napoleon face to face.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
Taking advantage of the (incredible) small British surveillance given to him at Elba, and the allies distracted with their discussions and disputes, the former Emperor escaped in the brig Inconstant on 26 February 1815 with almost 1,000 men and landed at Golfe-Juan on the French mainland two days later.
Avoiding enter in the staunch royalist Provence, Napoleon and his men taking a route through the Alps, now called the Route Napoléon.
When the news of the escape and return of Napoleon reached Paris (12 March) the capital entered in a state of chaos. Inmediately, the Duke of Normandy organized all the royalists contingents available to him, and prepared the city for a siege. In addition he wrote inmediately to the majors and generals of the provinces staunchly loyal to the Bourbons, especially the Vendée territory, Bourdeaux, Marseille, Lyon and Montbeliard with the direct command of cut off the passage of Napoleon and his army, who at the point that he arrived to Grenoble (mid-March) had being increased from 1,000 to 9,000 men ready to fight.
In the meanwhile, Marie Antoinette ordened that all the royal family must be evacuated to the Château de Rambouillet, a former medieval fortress, located 50 km in the southwest of the capital. When her family was ready to parted, she refused to go, and reportedly say: If I must to die, I would be in with my front hight watching that Corsican pig...He dares to came to me, so I'm waiting for him!!!...
Her daughters the Duchess of Angoulême and Mademoiselle Sophie, with the Princess of Lamballe, refused to leave the Queen-Grandmother, and by the end they were forced to enter in their carriages with the rest of the royals by the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry, who also remained in the capital taking positions in the main streets of the city.
Finally, Marie Antoinette was left alone in the Tuileries, with a small group of servants and her personal guard; even her son think that was a madness to stay in Paris, but as her only answer to him she said: A mother never leave her children, and all the french are my children...What do you think that they felt if I escape like a coward....Never!...Once I do it, and I'm still regretted....If our destiny my son, is to die at the hands of that butcher, do it as a true heir of the holy blood of Saint Louis!!!...
Soon arrived even more disturbed news from Napoleon's advance: the Regiment who was sent to intercept him and made contact just south of Grenoble on 19 March, passed to his side, after the former Emperor approached to them alone, dismounted his horse and, when he was within gunshot range, shouted: "Here I am. Kill your Emperor, if you wish."
After bloody skirmishes at Grenoble and Lyon, by 24 March the Napoleonic troops (now increased to 27,000) are in Bourges, just a few miles from Paris.
In such desperate position, Marie Antoinette rely on the loyalty of the citizenship of Paris: without any guard and only a couple of guards and maids, she arrived to the Place Louis XV (previously the Place de la Concorde), one of the major public squares in the capital, and harangued the citizens to fight for our just cause and right...I now that may I'm guilty of part of your tribulations, and humbly asked your forgiveness: here I'm not as a Queen, but as a mother, worried about how this usurper, this monster, would bring to us again to the war, the destruction that his rule gave to you....people of Paris, people of France!!, my people!!, my children!!...I'm here ready to die for you, can you ready to fight for our truly and holy cause?!....... With this words, the Queen-Grandmother gained to fanatic support of all Paris, who are ready to die for her.
Marshal Ney, who despite being now under royalist service was still a staunch support of Napoleon, was atonished and deeply touched by the speech of Marie Antoinette; he later recalled: if she would be a man, without doubt she could ruled all Europe, even better than the Emperor. Despite a secret letter send to Ney by the former Emperor, where he tried to made him to return to the side of France (that is, to "his side"), Ney decided to kept his loyalty to the Bourbons and asked the Duke of Normandy to left him faced Napoleon at the gates of Paris.
On 28 March 1815, Napoleon and his army arrived to the gates of Paris. Marshal Ney, with the reforce of the Vendeans troops (who increased his army from 15,000 to 31,000) who just arrived the previous day, faced to his old master in the called Second Battle of Paris. The battle, who lasted almost two days, was extremely bloody and violent; witnesses later recalled that the screams and shots are so dense that the day became a night.
The Duke of Normandy, in the meanwhile, crossed by horse all the streets and suburbs of Paris, haranguing the population to stay firm. In their positions in the north and south of the city, the Dukes of Angoulême and Berry are ready to faced the inminent siege of the Napoleonic troops. Marie Antoinette, with a silver cuirass and her cane in one hand, parted surrounded by the population to the doors of Notre-Dame Cathedral, where she remained immovable praying.
Just when the battle was clearly a victory for Napoleon, the allies again destroyed his hopes: after received an urgent message from both the Regent and the Queen-Grandmother of the invasion, the Congress of Vienna acted inmediately: on 15 March Napoleon was declared an outlaw and entrusted his final defeat and destruction to the Duke of Wellington, in only two weeks he advanced secretly with an army of 50,000 men from Vienna to Luxembourg and them towards France, counting with the support of the local population, who provided them with food and supplies. When arrived the news that the troops of Wellington are in Château-Thierry, only a few minutes away from Paris, Marshal Ney reportedly say to his soldiers: My brothers and friends!, today God decided who was our truly monarch: for Saint-Denis and Louis XVII!!!....
Napoleon, facing that his position must be extremely dangerous if he continue the fight and siege of Paris, decided to retreat to Fontainebleau, being chased by the army of Marshal Ney and the army of Wellington. The Battle of Fontainebleau took place on 30 March 1815: being completely surpassed by the allies troops, within hours Napoleon decided to surrender with the condition of his men must be pardoned. Under custody of Marshal Ney, he was imprisoned in his previous rooms at Fontainebleau Palace.
The news of the victory and capture of Napoleon, despite the short distance with the capital, arrived to Paris only in the night of 30-31 March. The city erupted in such exclamations of joy and happiness never seen before. During all this time, Marie Antoinette remained at the doors of Notre-Dame, and when her son and nephews arrived there and humbly inclined to her, she kissed all three of them, and according to witnesses, with tears in her eyes and proud in her walk, she received the delirant ovation of all the parisians. The cheer of Long life to our Mother Queen! (Vivre notre Reine Mère!) could be hear in every part of the city, and the fireworks are so intense, that despite being midnight, looks like if was the most radiant day of summer, remembered later the Duke of Berry.
Marie Antoinette, Queen-Grandmother of France, faced probably the most intense and dramatic moment of her life. Now, with her most mortal enemy finally defeated, she only had one request: see Napoleon face to face.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
Last edited:
REICHFURST,
WHOA! What an AMAZING AH this has been! Let me just get that out of the way! Yeah, I know that Napoleon broke out in OTL but I wasn't expecting him to do it here so soon but. .
Uh-oh, Napoleon bolts Elba and has even managed to raise an army fast. Yes, I guess there were still lots of folks sentimental about him and he DID have an incredible magnetism which was evident even as far back as the Italian Campaign in which he won over even the most cynical, battle weary officers to his cause against their better logic.
Good that the Duke of Normandy helps defend Paris while seeing to the safety of his family BUT MA has an unexpected reaction-FINALLY being shaken out of her grief and pity party to rally for the defense of Paris itself by STAYING in the besieged city. She even puts herself on the line [quite literally] by acknowledging her own past role but urging the Parisians to fight the invader so they can FINALLY have peace. And with the help of the Vendee and the Allies, they DO snatch Paris out of the jaws of capitulation and defeat + capture Napoleon while everyone rallies around HER. I wonder if someone will remember the Legend of the Maid of Lorraine [in which a young girl was supposed to save France from her foes which became quite popular by the time Joan of Arc arose to fame and in which Joan of Arc became identified with]. I know that MA is no longer young and being a widowed grandmother is by no means a maid BUT it's often overlooked that while she was born in Vienna to the Empress Maria Theresa her FATHER was Francis, Duke of Lorraine! I wonder if anyone will start calling MA the 'Dame of Lorraine'? If so, it would somewhat HELP cement the Royalists' cause.
Also, intriguing that after Napoleon's defeat, MA wants to SEE him face-to-face. I wonder if he'll acknowledge her correspondence to his tiny son [whom he REALLY wanted to have with him in OTL even after he knew Marie Louise was a lost cause to him] and will he attempt to flatter her by declaring his errant wife [her niece] to be a mere reflection of her ? OR will he be defiant and recall her attempts to engineer his assassination? Will MA, despite her fiery, passionate hatred of him find that he's not quite the monster she'd built up her head and, inasmuch as they BOTH were outsiders who loved France but had to win France over, they aren't entirely poles apart? Well, regardless I'm looking forward to reading about the meeting AND whether this will create any feelings of mercy on MA's part.
Oh, and now that MA's being considered the Heroine of France, will she use THAT to attempt to re-establish the ancient regime over her son's and grandson's objections OR will she wisely just enjoy the adulation but let her son and grandson govern as they see fit and reconcile with them? And what of Louis XVII's Coronation and future Queen? So much to look forward to. Thanks!
Yes, I'm
WHOA! What an AMAZING AH this has been! Let me just get that out of the way! Yeah, I know that Napoleon broke out in OTL but I wasn't expecting him to do it here so soon but. .
Uh-oh, Napoleon bolts Elba and has even managed to raise an army fast. Yes, I guess there were still lots of folks sentimental about him and he DID have an incredible magnetism which was evident even as far back as the Italian Campaign in which he won over even the most cynical, battle weary officers to his cause against their better logic.
Good that the Duke of Normandy helps defend Paris while seeing to the safety of his family BUT MA has an unexpected reaction-FINALLY being shaken out of her grief and pity party to rally for the defense of Paris itself by STAYING in the besieged city. She even puts herself on the line [quite literally] by acknowledging her own past role but urging the Parisians to fight the invader so they can FINALLY have peace. And with the help of the Vendee and the Allies, they DO snatch Paris out of the jaws of capitulation and defeat + capture Napoleon while everyone rallies around HER. I wonder if someone will remember the Legend of the Maid of Lorraine [in which a young girl was supposed to save France from her foes which became quite popular by the time Joan of Arc arose to fame and in which Joan of Arc became identified with]. I know that MA is no longer young and being a widowed grandmother is by no means a maid BUT it's often overlooked that while she was born in Vienna to the Empress Maria Theresa her FATHER was Francis, Duke of Lorraine! I wonder if anyone will start calling MA the 'Dame of Lorraine'? If so, it would somewhat HELP cement the Royalists' cause.
Also, intriguing that after Napoleon's defeat, MA wants to SEE him face-to-face. I wonder if he'll acknowledge her correspondence to his tiny son [whom he REALLY wanted to have with him in OTL even after he knew Marie Louise was a lost cause to him] and will he attempt to flatter her by declaring his errant wife [her niece] to be a mere reflection of her ? OR will he be defiant and recall her attempts to engineer his assassination? Will MA, despite her fiery, passionate hatred of him find that he's not quite the monster she'd built up her head and, inasmuch as they BOTH were outsiders who loved France but had to win France over, they aren't entirely poles apart? Well, regardless I'm looking forward to reading about the meeting AND whether this will create any feelings of mercy on MA's part.
Oh, and now that MA's being considered the Heroine of France, will she use THAT to attempt to re-establish the ancient regime over her son's and grandson's objections OR will she wisely just enjoy the adulation but let her son and grandson govern as they see fit and reconcile with them? And what of Louis XVII's Coronation and future Queen? So much to look forward to. Thanks!
Yes, I'm
Thank you very much for the kind words Londinium!!...well, about the Dame of Lorraine nickname, that gave some interesting ideas for later posts, so watch!!!.....
and about the coronation of Louis XVII, just wait be patient!.......about the choice of the new Queen of France, mmm I'm still wondering about who would be the perfect candidate....so you must to wait for the next posts, again thanks !!!!! In the middle of the celebrations for the Liberation of France from the devil as the Duke of Berry loudly exclamed in the formal banquet held at the Tuileries Palace on 1 April 1815, Marie Antoinette, escorted by Tayllerand and a small retinue, discreetly abandoned Paris and parted to Fontainebleau Palace, where Napoleon continue imprisoned, waiting his final exile in the hands of the Duke of Wellington.
The Queen-Grandmother arrival caused a quite sensation among the allies troops: with Tayllerand, she entered between the tents who surrounded Fontainebleau Palace to had a meeting with the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Ney; both noted the presence of Marie Antoinette with the cheers and ovations from the soldiers.
Madame, this is not a place for a mighty lady of your rank!!, exclamed Marshal Ney, atonished by the audacity of the Queen-Grandmother.
Indeed, Your Majesty....but is an honour to finally meet the famous Queen of France, say the Duke of Wellington, who barely can't maintain his typical coldness in front of Marie Antoinette.
For the Queen-Grandmother, see both powerful militars so nervous and anxious was amused. After a short conversation with them, where she thanked to him for all the courage and bravery who showed in the name of the King of France, Marie Antoinette requested to see Napoleon.
Both Ney and Wellington were astonished for this strange petition and politely tried to convinced her to not be in front of that Corsican general who had the audacity to call himself Emperor of the French; however, Marie Antoinette was determined, and finally they conduced her to the rooms at Fontainebleau Palace where Napoleon was imprisoned.
When the doors of the room became opened, Napoleon (who was known to be a calm and introverted man) couldn't disimulated his shock and emotion to be in front of Marie Antoinette, his longtime and most staunch enemy.
-Madame, please take a seat, say the former Emperor, showing to the Queen-Grandmother the only chair in the room.
-Thanks, Monsieur, but I'm fine in this way, Marie Antoinette responded.
The conversation, in front of Ney, Tayllerand and Wellington, was short. After asking about his health and some others trivialities, Marie Antoinette gave to him two letters, one of Marie-Louise and the other of Joséphine.
Wellington tried to prevent the delivery of both letters, but Marie Antoinette stopped them: Monsieur le Duc, this letters are only from the two wives of this man....anything wrong are about it, because I readed them previously.
In the middle of this conversation, Napoleon calmly burned the letter of Marie-Louise unopened. When Marie Antoinette asked him why he act in this way, he responded: Madame, in that letter there is nothing who really cares about me...but this other (in allusion to Joséphine's letter), was the most important and precious for me.
After avidly readed the letter of his first wife, Napoleon asked Marie Antoinette about his son. She informed him that the Monsieur le Duc de Reichstadt was healthy and stubborn, just like his father at Schönbrunn Palace.
Now, after being the King of Rome and heir of the world, my poor son is only the Duke of Reichstadt, Napoleon sadly remarked.
Monsieur, you must be thanked that your son was a Duke thanks to his Habsburg blood, because if was for the rest of Europe, he must be nothing, just like you, firmly responded Marie Antoinette.
When the Queen-Grandmother was about to leave the room, Napoleon asked her to maintain the contact with his son at Schönbrunn: my child needs a real woman who take care of him...I know that I asking you an impossible request, but Madame, I beg you, be gentle with him.
In the name of my late and beloved sister, I promise to be in touch with him, not because is your son, but as the great-grandchild of the Queen of Naples, responded Marie Antoinette.
This was the first and last time that Napoleon and Marie Antoinette were face to face. The next day, the former Emperor, under the custody of the Duke of Wellington, parted from France for good to his last exile at the Island of Saint Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean, where he died, embittered and forgotten by all, on 5 May 1821.
With France finally in peace, the Queen-Grandmother now focused in the next major events of her family: Louis XVII's coronation, the solemn reburial of the Bourbons who died in exile, and most important, the search of the future new Queen of France.
TO BE CONTINUED......
The Queen-Grandmother arrival caused a quite sensation among the allies troops: with Tayllerand, she entered between the tents who surrounded Fontainebleau Palace to had a meeting with the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Ney; both noted the presence of Marie Antoinette with the cheers and ovations from the soldiers.
Madame, this is not a place for a mighty lady of your rank!!, exclamed Marshal Ney, atonished by the audacity of the Queen-Grandmother.
Indeed, Your Majesty....but is an honour to finally meet the famous Queen of France, say the Duke of Wellington, who barely can't maintain his typical coldness in front of Marie Antoinette.
For the Queen-Grandmother, see both powerful militars so nervous and anxious was amused. After a short conversation with them, where she thanked to him for all the courage and bravery who showed in the name of the King of France, Marie Antoinette requested to see Napoleon.
Both Ney and Wellington were astonished for this strange petition and politely tried to convinced her to not be in front of that Corsican general who had the audacity to call himself Emperor of the French; however, Marie Antoinette was determined, and finally they conduced her to the rooms at Fontainebleau Palace where Napoleon was imprisoned.
When the doors of the room became opened, Napoleon (who was known to be a calm and introverted man) couldn't disimulated his shock and emotion to be in front of Marie Antoinette, his longtime and most staunch enemy.
-Madame, please take a seat, say the former Emperor, showing to the Queen-Grandmother the only chair in the room.
-Thanks, Monsieur, but I'm fine in this way, Marie Antoinette responded.
The conversation, in front of Ney, Tayllerand and Wellington, was short. After asking about his health and some others trivialities, Marie Antoinette gave to him two letters, one of Marie-Louise and the other of Joséphine.
Wellington tried to prevent the delivery of both letters, but Marie Antoinette stopped them: Monsieur le Duc, this letters are only from the two wives of this man....anything wrong are about it, because I readed them previously.
In the middle of this conversation, Napoleon calmly burned the letter of Marie-Louise unopened. When Marie Antoinette asked him why he act in this way, he responded: Madame, in that letter there is nothing who really cares about me...but this other (in allusion to Joséphine's letter), was the most important and precious for me.
After avidly readed the letter of his first wife, Napoleon asked Marie Antoinette about his son. She informed him that the Monsieur le Duc de Reichstadt was healthy and stubborn, just like his father at Schönbrunn Palace.
Now, after being the King of Rome and heir of the world, my poor son is only the Duke of Reichstadt, Napoleon sadly remarked.
Monsieur, you must be thanked that your son was a Duke thanks to his Habsburg blood, because if was for the rest of Europe, he must be nothing, just like you, firmly responded Marie Antoinette.
When the Queen-Grandmother was about to leave the room, Napoleon asked her to maintain the contact with his son at Schönbrunn: my child needs a real woman who take care of him...I know that I asking you an impossible request, but Madame, I beg you, be gentle with him.
In the name of my late and beloved sister, I promise to be in touch with him, not because is your son, but as the great-grandchild of the Queen of Naples, responded Marie Antoinette.
This was the first and last time that Napoleon and Marie Antoinette were face to face. The next day, the former Emperor, under the custody of the Duke of Wellington, parted from France for good to his last exile at the Island of Saint Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean, where he died, embittered and forgotten by all, on 5 May 1821.
With France finally in peace, the Queen-Grandmother now focused in the next major events of her family: Louis XVII's coronation, the solemn reburial of the Bourbons who died in exile, and most important, the search of the future new Queen of France.
TO BE CONTINUED......
Exit Napoleon. Though not forgotten I expect, fame or infamy are his for centuries to come.
REICHFURST,
Interesting how MA was able to charm her way to see Napoleon despite the protests of Wellington and the somewhat duplicitous Marshall Ney but they DO escort her to where he's being held under house arrest.
Of ALL the things she could say or do to him, after getting the courtesies over his health out of the way, ALL she does is deliver two letters from his each of his wives. Telling that she decline his offer of the single chair despite having every right to it due to being a woman, his elder and a Queen. I guess in this AH Josephine didn't go for a garden walk too early in the season with Alexander I and, thus, didn't catch that cold that would quickly kill her in 1814. Anyway, since Josephine still lives she must have pulled every string she could think of and REALLY swallowed her pride to attempt to use MA as a possible conduit which shows how desperate she must have been to communicate with her former husband. As to Marie Louise? No surprise that he considered her shallow and not worthy of having her letter read. I like that he didn't attempt to appeal to MA to FREE him but he DID ask her to promise to RAISE his tiny son because he said she was 'a real woman' unlike Marie Louise. MA refused to promise him that but DID promise to keep corresponding with the boy for the sake of him being her late beloved sister's great-grandchild [but why wouldn't she also correspond with Marie Louise the grandchild of the very same sister?].
Since Josephine has survived in this AH, I wonder if MA might be persuaded to let her JOIN Napoleon in St. Helena. I know there'd be a bit of a scandal letting two ex spouses be on the same island [if not the same residence] but perhaps one might make the case that this would mean the British could keep an eye on both of them in one spot instead of forever worrying about Josephine somehow giving aid and comfort to Napoleon via great distance.
Anyway, at least in this AH, Napoleon dies in St. Helena and on schedule [and I'm not sorry].
Now onto Louis XVII's Coronation and wife hunt!
Interesting how MA was able to charm her way to see Napoleon despite the protests of Wellington and the somewhat duplicitous Marshall Ney but they DO escort her to where he's being held under house arrest.
Of ALL the things she could say or do to him, after getting the courtesies over his health out of the way, ALL she does is deliver two letters from his each of his wives. Telling that she decline his offer of the single chair despite having every right to it due to being a woman, his elder and a Queen. I guess in this AH Josephine didn't go for a garden walk too early in the season with Alexander I and, thus, didn't catch that cold that would quickly kill her in 1814. Anyway, since Josephine still lives she must have pulled every string she could think of and REALLY swallowed her pride to attempt to use MA as a possible conduit which shows how desperate she must have been to communicate with her former husband. As to Marie Louise? No surprise that he considered her shallow and not worthy of having her letter read. I like that he didn't attempt to appeal to MA to FREE him but he DID ask her to promise to RAISE his tiny son because he said she was 'a real woman' unlike Marie Louise. MA refused to promise him that but DID promise to keep corresponding with the boy for the sake of him being her late beloved sister's great-grandchild [but why wouldn't she also correspond with Marie Louise the grandchild of the very same sister?].
Since Josephine has survived in this AH, I wonder if MA might be persuaded to let her JOIN Napoleon in St. Helena. I know there'd be a bit of a scandal letting two ex spouses be on the same island [if not the same residence] but perhaps one might make the case that this would mean the British could keep an eye on both of them in one spot instead of forever worrying about Josephine somehow giving aid and comfort to Napoleon via great distance.
Anyway, at least in this AH, Napoleon dies in St. Helena and on schedule [and I'm not sorry].
Now onto Louis XVII's Coronation and wife hunt!
The solemn reburial of the remains of Louis XVI, the Dauphin Louis Joseph and the Countesses of Artois and Provence took place on the first hours of 10 June 1815; following the ancient custom, the new King only could be crowned when the previous monarch's remains descended into the royal vault at Saint-Denis Basilica.
Because the old royal crypt was desecrated during the French Revolution, for the young King and especially Marie Antoinette was quite a shock watch their ancestors' bones diseminated in the vault. For this, during the two months previously to the burial, the Queen-Grandmother requested that all the funeral monuments who could be saved from the destruction must to be restored; however, because all the remains where mixed and was impossible to identificated all of them, Marie Antoinette and the Duke of Normandy ordened the construction of a Royal Ossuary, where the remains must to be deposited, and in the place two silver plates where placed bearing the names of the hundreds of members of the successive french royal dynasties interred in the vault.
The of remains the Countesses of Artois and Provence where firstly buried; the affair was quite simple and only a mass was given for both of them, causing the protest of the representant of King Vittorio Emmanuele I of Sardinia (brother of both princesses); for only answer, the Duke of Normandy stated that the economy of the Kingdom wasn't in their better times, so is impossible to made more for the Countesses....besides, all the current funds are destined for the coronation of the King. The Count of Provence decided that his wife's marble tombstone only could bear her name and dates of birth and death, and the Count of Artois, with his sons, ordened the construction of a funeral monument (quite simple compared with their ancestors) who only was placed in the tombstone of the Countess of Artois by the end of the year.
One hour later, the remains of the Dauphin Louis Joseph where deposited in the vault, next to the tombstone of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany. The Dowager Dauphine fainted twice, when the remains of her husband entered in the vault and when they were deposited in his tombstone.
Finally, the remains of Louis XVI entered in Saint-Denis by noon. Followed by his grandson, the coffin entered in the vault. After Louis XVII, Marie Antoinette, the Dowager Dauphine, the Duchess of Normandy, the Duke and Duchess of Angoulême, Mademoiselle Sophie, the Counts of Provence and Artois with the Duke of Berry paid their respects to the remains. The Duchess of Angoulême was extremely pale and distress, weeped during the mass; among the royal children, only the Duke of Anjou showed sadness during the funeral.
After all the royal family inclined over the coffin, entered, in strict order of precedence, the rest of the Princes du Sang and courtesans, presided by Louis Philippe III, Duke of Orléans and son of the infamous Philippe Égalité, who betrayed the royal family after being an adherent to the French Revolution but at the end was guillotined in 1793.
When the Duke of Orléans, with his mother, sister and brother approached to the royal family to paid their homage to them, the young King received them gracefully but not as a relatives and just as subjects. When was the turn to salute the Queen-Grandmother, an scandal erupted: Marie Antoinette, furious and embittered with the presence of the Orléanais (as she called them) turned her head and refused to leave the Duke to kiss her hand.
In the middle of this embarrasing scene, the Duke of Normandy calm the furious Duke of Orléans and his family, who are ready to leave the Basilica. After an loudly argument between the Regent and his mother in a private room near the vault, Marie Antoinette finally relented and allowed the Duke of Orléans and his relatives to salute her.
Once the remains of Louis XVI were deposited in the royal vault (his tombstone was ubicated near the gisants of Charles V, Jeanne of Bourbon, Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria in the darkest and enclosed part of the crypt), following the ancient tradition, the Duke of Uzès, Marie François Emmanuel de Crussol, was the first to salute the new monarch with the customary cheer: The king is dead; long live the King! (Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!).
TO BE CONTINUED......
Because the old royal crypt was desecrated during the French Revolution, for the young King and especially Marie Antoinette was quite a shock watch their ancestors' bones diseminated in the vault. For this, during the two months previously to the burial, the Queen-Grandmother requested that all the funeral monuments who could be saved from the destruction must to be restored; however, because all the remains where mixed and was impossible to identificated all of them, Marie Antoinette and the Duke of Normandy ordened the construction of a Royal Ossuary, where the remains must to be deposited, and in the place two silver plates where placed bearing the names of the hundreds of members of the successive french royal dynasties interred in the vault.
The of remains the Countesses of Artois and Provence where firstly buried; the affair was quite simple and only a mass was given for both of them, causing the protest of the representant of King Vittorio Emmanuele I of Sardinia (brother of both princesses); for only answer, the Duke of Normandy stated that the economy of the Kingdom wasn't in their better times, so is impossible to made more for the Countesses....besides, all the current funds are destined for the coronation of the King. The Count of Provence decided that his wife's marble tombstone only could bear her name and dates of birth and death, and the Count of Artois, with his sons, ordened the construction of a funeral monument (quite simple compared with their ancestors) who only was placed in the tombstone of the Countess of Artois by the end of the year.
One hour later, the remains of the Dauphin Louis Joseph where deposited in the vault, next to the tombstone of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany. The Dowager Dauphine fainted twice, when the remains of her husband entered in the vault and when they were deposited in his tombstone.
Finally, the remains of Louis XVI entered in Saint-Denis by noon. Followed by his grandson, the coffin entered in the vault. After Louis XVII, Marie Antoinette, the Dowager Dauphine, the Duchess of Normandy, the Duke and Duchess of Angoulême, Mademoiselle Sophie, the Counts of Provence and Artois with the Duke of Berry paid their respects to the remains. The Duchess of Angoulême was extremely pale and distress, weeped during the mass; among the royal children, only the Duke of Anjou showed sadness during the funeral.
After all the royal family inclined over the coffin, entered, in strict order of precedence, the rest of the Princes du Sang and courtesans, presided by Louis Philippe III, Duke of Orléans and son of the infamous Philippe Égalité, who betrayed the royal family after being an adherent to the French Revolution but at the end was guillotined in 1793.
When the Duke of Orléans, with his mother, sister and brother approached to the royal family to paid their homage to them, the young King received them gracefully but not as a relatives and just as subjects. When was the turn to salute the Queen-Grandmother, an scandal erupted: Marie Antoinette, furious and embittered with the presence of the Orléanais (as she called them) turned her head and refused to leave the Duke to kiss her hand.
In the middle of this embarrasing scene, the Duke of Normandy calm the furious Duke of Orléans and his family, who are ready to leave the Basilica. After an loudly argument between the Regent and his mother in a private room near the vault, Marie Antoinette finally relented and allowed the Duke of Orléans and his relatives to salute her.
Once the remains of Louis XVI were deposited in the royal vault (his tombstone was ubicated near the gisants of Charles V, Jeanne of Bourbon, Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria in the darkest and enclosed part of the crypt), following the ancient tradition, the Duke of Uzès, Marie François Emmanuel de Crussol, was the first to salute the new monarch with the customary cheer: The king is dead; long live the King! (Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!).
TO BE CONTINUED......
The coronation of Louis XVII as King of France and Navarre took place at Reims Cathedral on 25 June 1815.
Since days before, all the streets and suburbs of Paris where decorated with such magnificence that the British ambassador later informed to the Prince-Regent: The Kingdom of France showed to all of us their gold and luxury.....every corner of the capital was covered with tapestries and flags with the traditional Fleur-de-lis. From all the founts of the capital emanated wine; the bells of the churches of Paris rang during all the day and as gift of the King to the population, was ordened to all the bakeries of the capital that were distributed an special bread in form of crown, later known as the Coronation bread (Pain sacre).
Following the tradition, the royal family left Paris for Reims one day before, on 24 June. Louis XVII, in front of all the cortege, was dressed completely in white, with the traditional blue cape with golden fleur-de-lis and riding an also white horse with a silver bridle decorated with diamonds.
Once the royal family arrived to the Palace of Tau, the King was given the rooms of the Archbishop of Reims, and there he spent his last night before his coronation.
The next day, Louis XVII was awakened in the morning by the clergy and officials involved in the coronation ritual. Inmediately, the monarch traditionally chooses between the the officials who had the privilege to help him to dressed for the ceremony; in this case, the young King broke the protocol and instead he decided that his male relatives (his brothers, uncles and grand-uncles) were in charge of dressing him.
Once the King was ready, he leave the Palace of Tau and, followed by the major officials and courtesans, arrived to Reims Cathedral after the singing of the liturgical hour of Prime. Once Louis XVII entered alone at the doors of the Cathedral, the hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus' is sung.
The coronation proper begins with the bishops' petition that the traditional rights of the Church be maintained and the King's reply, followed by the traditional coronation oath, taking on the Reims Gospel. After this, the ceremony continued by the singing of the Te Deum.
Once the singing ended, entered in the Cathedral the ecclesiastical peers with the scepter, the coat of arms or royal mantle, the royal ring and the golden belt. Followed them, entered the lay peers with the royal crown and sword (the famous Joyeuse, who according to legends once belonged to Charlemagne), the first and second square banner (the first as Dauphin and the second as King), the spurs and the banner of war. Because at this time the major vassals of the Kingdom in practice didn't existed (because since centuries ago their territories either by inheritance or conquest, were merged to the royal demesne), again the male direct blood relatives of Louis XVII participated in this part of the ceremony, with the Duke of Normandy in charge to carry the royal crown (traditionally, the French King was crowned with the Crown of Charlemagne, but because this and other royal jewels were destroyed during the French Revolution, in the ceremony of Louis XVII's coronation was used the Crown of Louis XV, the only who was intact at that time).
After the royal regalia entered in the Cathedral, all the members of the royal family, in solemn procession, taken their positions in the ceremony.
At the head of the cortege firstly appeared alone Marie Antoinette, who (for the first time in years) wore an extravagant dress made in gold and silver, with a long purple cloak and an impresive set of rubies (tiara, necklace, bracelets, earrings) -a gift of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna- and the Grand Cross of the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Catherine. The Dowager Dauphine, as the mother of the King, also impressed the courtesans with a silver dress with a purple cloak who matched with her mother-in-law, and, for the first time in years, she wore the magnificent Napolitean diamonds who received as a dowry from her parents at the time of her wedding. The aunts of the King, the Duchess of Normandy, the Duchess of Angoulême and Mademoiselle Sophie also wore fine dresses, but was Catherine Pavlovna, with her superb Russian jewelry, the one who attracted the attention. The King's grand-uncles, the Counts of Provence and Artois, escorted the female members of the family to the Cathedral.
Once the royal family, and after them all the main courtesans take their places, then the prayer, "Inscrutable God, etc." is and then the buskins and spurs are placed upon the king's feet and his invested and gird with the sword Joyeuse, with the formula Accept this sword from our hands.
The King removes his coat and other outerwear and the special silver lachets on his silk shirt are opened to expose his chest, upper back and the joints of his arms and kneels while the Litany of the Saints is chanted by two archbishops or bishops, concluding with two prayers.
The Archbishop of Reims, sitting, then anoints the King with the Chrism in the form of a cross on the top of the head, on the breast, between the shoulders, on both shoulders and on the joints of both arms, each time saying:
I anoint thee with the holy oil in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
After this, the King, standing up, was vested in the tunicle, dalmatic and royal mantle, all of 'azure blue' velvet sprinkled with fleurs-de-lys of gold, representing the three Catholic orders of subdeacon, deacon and priest, by the Grand Chamberlain of France. Kneeling again, the King was anointed in the palms of both hands by the Archbishop.
Next, the royal gloves are blessed with two prayers (adapted from those used to bless those of a bishop) and are placed upon the king's hands. Then the ring is blessed with the prayer Bless, O Lord, and sanctify this ring. Inmediately, the scepter is placed into his right hand with the formula Receive the scepter, the sign of kingly power.
After the blessing of the gloves, the peers (in this case, the King's brothers and uncles) were summoned by name to come near and solemnly paid homage to the monarch. The Archbishop of Reims then took the Crown of Louis XV from the altar and set it on the King's head, while the peers touched it with their right hands. After this, the king was lifted up into his throne on the rood screen by the peers.
The Archbishop says the prayer "God, who gave to Moses victory, and kisses the King with the words "May the King live forever" and his cry is taken up by the peers and all the people present as they acknowledged him as their duly anointed, crowned and enthroned King.
After the ceremony ended, a mass is then said, were the King receiving Holy Communion under both species (bread and wine). At the conclusion of the Mass, the Oriflamme (the traditional war banner) is blessed.
Following the mass, the King abandoned Reims, and in solemn procession, made his Joyous Entry to Paris through the gate facing Saint-Denis Basilica (the same exit by which his corpse would later be brought for burial in the same place).
Louis XVII, in his white horse and the Crown of Louis XV at his head, proudly crossed all the main streets of the capital, followed by the rest of the royal family and courtesans in golden carriages.
Every parisian, young or old, were in the streets, cheering and blessing the King....the celebrations in the capital lasted for almost four days, even at night; seems like anybody was to their homes to sleep, later recalled the Austrian ambassador to Emperor Francis I.
In the middle of fireworks, parades and the sound of the bells from all the churches of Paris, Louis XVII arrived to the Tuileries, where a grand ball was held. By contrast, after received the greetings of the foreign ambassadors (especially the British, Austrian and Russian ones), Marie Antoinette quietly parted to her rooms, followed by the faithful Princess of Lamballe; this is time for the young people to celebrate; the hard work began tomorrow..., the Queen-Grandmother say to her daugther Mademoiselle Sophie.
With extreme proud, Marie Antoinette could finally see her grandson crowned and moreover, recognized as King and Sovereign of France by his subjects and Europe.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Since days before, all the streets and suburbs of Paris where decorated with such magnificence that the British ambassador later informed to the Prince-Regent: The Kingdom of France showed to all of us their gold and luxury.....every corner of the capital was covered with tapestries and flags with the traditional Fleur-de-lis. From all the founts of the capital emanated wine; the bells of the churches of Paris rang during all the day and as gift of the King to the population, was ordened to all the bakeries of the capital that were distributed an special bread in form of crown, later known as the Coronation bread (Pain sacre).
Following the tradition, the royal family left Paris for Reims one day before, on 24 June. Louis XVII, in front of all the cortege, was dressed completely in white, with the traditional blue cape with golden fleur-de-lis and riding an also white horse with a silver bridle decorated with diamonds.
Once the royal family arrived to the Palace of Tau, the King was given the rooms of the Archbishop of Reims, and there he spent his last night before his coronation.
The next day, Louis XVII was awakened in the morning by the clergy and officials involved in the coronation ritual. Inmediately, the monarch traditionally chooses between the the officials who had the privilege to help him to dressed for the ceremony; in this case, the young King broke the protocol and instead he decided that his male relatives (his brothers, uncles and grand-uncles) were in charge of dressing him.
Once the King was ready, he leave the Palace of Tau and, followed by the major officials and courtesans, arrived to Reims Cathedral after the singing of the liturgical hour of Prime. Once Louis XVII entered alone at the doors of the Cathedral, the hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus' is sung.
The coronation proper begins with the bishops' petition that the traditional rights of the Church be maintained and the King's reply, followed by the traditional coronation oath, taking on the Reims Gospel. After this, the ceremony continued by the singing of the Te Deum.
Once the singing ended, entered in the Cathedral the ecclesiastical peers with the scepter, the coat of arms or royal mantle, the royal ring and the golden belt. Followed them, entered the lay peers with the royal crown and sword (the famous Joyeuse, who according to legends once belonged to Charlemagne), the first and second square banner (the first as Dauphin and the second as King), the spurs and the banner of war. Because at this time the major vassals of the Kingdom in practice didn't existed (because since centuries ago their territories either by inheritance or conquest, were merged to the royal demesne), again the male direct blood relatives of Louis XVII participated in this part of the ceremony, with the Duke of Normandy in charge to carry the royal crown (traditionally, the French King was crowned with the Crown of Charlemagne, but because this and other royal jewels were destroyed during the French Revolution, in the ceremony of Louis XVII's coronation was used the Crown of Louis XV, the only who was intact at that time).
After the royal regalia entered in the Cathedral, all the members of the royal family, in solemn procession, taken their positions in the ceremony.
At the head of the cortege firstly appeared alone Marie Antoinette, who (for the first time in years) wore an extravagant dress made in gold and silver, with a long purple cloak and an impresive set of rubies (tiara, necklace, bracelets, earrings) -a gift of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna- and the Grand Cross of the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Catherine. The Dowager Dauphine, as the mother of the King, also impressed the courtesans with a silver dress with a purple cloak who matched with her mother-in-law, and, for the first time in years, she wore the magnificent Napolitean diamonds who received as a dowry from her parents at the time of her wedding. The aunts of the King, the Duchess of Normandy, the Duchess of Angoulême and Mademoiselle Sophie also wore fine dresses, but was Catherine Pavlovna, with her superb Russian jewelry, the one who attracted the attention. The King's grand-uncles, the Counts of Provence and Artois, escorted the female members of the family to the Cathedral.
Once the royal family, and after them all the main courtesans take their places, then the prayer, "Inscrutable God, etc." is and then the buskins and spurs are placed upon the king's feet and his invested and gird with the sword Joyeuse, with the formula Accept this sword from our hands.
The King removes his coat and other outerwear and the special silver lachets on his silk shirt are opened to expose his chest, upper back and the joints of his arms and kneels while the Litany of the Saints is chanted by two archbishops or bishops, concluding with two prayers.
The Archbishop of Reims, sitting, then anoints the King with the Chrism in the form of a cross on the top of the head, on the breast, between the shoulders, on both shoulders and on the joints of both arms, each time saying:
I anoint thee with the holy oil in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
After this, the King, standing up, was vested in the tunicle, dalmatic and royal mantle, all of 'azure blue' velvet sprinkled with fleurs-de-lys of gold, representing the three Catholic orders of subdeacon, deacon and priest, by the Grand Chamberlain of France. Kneeling again, the King was anointed in the palms of both hands by the Archbishop.
Next, the royal gloves are blessed with two prayers (adapted from those used to bless those of a bishop) and are placed upon the king's hands. Then the ring is blessed with the prayer Bless, O Lord, and sanctify this ring. Inmediately, the scepter is placed into his right hand with the formula Receive the scepter, the sign of kingly power.
After the blessing of the gloves, the peers (in this case, the King's brothers and uncles) were summoned by name to come near and solemnly paid homage to the monarch. The Archbishop of Reims then took the Crown of Louis XV from the altar and set it on the King's head, while the peers touched it with their right hands. After this, the king was lifted up into his throne on the rood screen by the peers.
The Archbishop says the prayer "God, who gave to Moses victory, and kisses the King with the words "May the King live forever" and his cry is taken up by the peers and all the people present as they acknowledged him as their duly anointed, crowned and enthroned King.
After the ceremony ended, a mass is then said, were the King receiving Holy Communion under both species (bread and wine). At the conclusion of the Mass, the Oriflamme (the traditional war banner) is blessed.
Following the mass, the King abandoned Reims, and in solemn procession, made his Joyous Entry to Paris through the gate facing Saint-Denis Basilica (the same exit by which his corpse would later be brought for burial in the same place).
Louis XVII, in his white horse and the Crown of Louis XV at his head, proudly crossed all the main streets of the capital, followed by the rest of the royal family and courtesans in golden carriages.
Every parisian, young or old, were in the streets, cheering and blessing the King....the celebrations in the capital lasted for almost four days, even at night; seems like anybody was to their homes to sleep, later recalled the Austrian ambassador to Emperor Francis I.
In the middle of fireworks, parades and the sound of the bells from all the churches of Paris, Louis XVII arrived to the Tuileries, where a grand ball was held. By contrast, after received the greetings of the foreign ambassadors (especially the British, Austrian and Russian ones), Marie Antoinette quietly parted to her rooms, followed by the faithful Princess of Lamballe; this is time for the young people to celebrate; the hard work began tomorrow..., the Queen-Grandmother say to her daugther Mademoiselle Sophie.
With extreme proud, Marie Antoinette could finally see her grandson crowned and moreover, recognized as King and Sovereign of France by his subjects and Europe.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Interesting accounts of the entombments and Coronation! Yes, rather appalling that the Royal tombs had been so badly desecrated that they had to put the bulk of the remains in one spot and just have a mass monument! Still, it was good they WERE able to entomb Louis XVI and the other royals who'd died in exile back in the main tomb. If Victor Emmanuel was so upset that his late sisters had too small memorials, why did HE offer to pay for more elaborate tombs. I mean, he himself is a king! Somehow it wouldn't have been the same if MA did NOT throw a tantrum re the Duke of Orleans' survivors but it's good that her son was able to calm her down and persuade her to be civil at the end. Sad that the only ones who genuinely seemed to mourn Louis XVI were his eldest daughter and younger grandson by the late Dauphin.
Onto the Coronation! Quite a coup to be able to have wine flowing in the fountains of Paris [and no doubt quite a few citizens were out with bottles and goatskins to fill up for the year]. Also, nice touch to have Crown Bread [speaking of bread, how's the croissant doing? It was a fave pastry in Vienna but it doesn't seem to have become Parisian until the 1830's in OTL. Could MA's renewed popularity somehow get it popular a couple of decades ahead of schedule?
Anyway, like with the Royal tombs, it seems that Louis XVII had to make the best he could with the surviving royals and attendants in place of the traditional vassals for the ceremony in Reims. Interesting how they managed to have full ceremonies in both Reims and Paris. Also, nice bit of foreshadowing that Louis XVII would one day have his remains paraded to St. Denis Basilica [so that means he got to STAY king but how long will he live to reign?] . Also, good that MA set aside her mourning attire to shine again on this day- if only for that day.
Four days of celebrations? Let's hope that the populace remembers this happy time in the struggles head! MA's right that once the Coronation's happen, the REAL work on Louis XVII's reign is to start [and I think he's about to turn 18 if he hasn't already so he will be soon be able to rule on his own].
Good query from darthfanta re where the Royals will now primarily reside. Will they go BACK to Versailles or stay in Tuilleries? Is Versailles in any shape for them to return to and what's become of it? Personally, I think wit after all that free flowing wine, etc. so soon after all that time of war and struggle, it may be best if the Bourbons become frugal in the immediate future to ensure that France can rebuild its former glory.
Onto the Coronation! Quite a coup to be able to have wine flowing in the fountains of Paris [and no doubt quite a few citizens were out with bottles and goatskins to fill up for the year]. Also, nice touch to have Crown Bread [speaking of bread, how's the croissant doing? It was a fave pastry in Vienna but it doesn't seem to have become Parisian until the 1830's in OTL. Could MA's renewed popularity somehow get it popular a couple of decades ahead of schedule?
Anyway, like with the Royal tombs, it seems that Louis XVII had to make the best he could with the surviving royals and attendants in place of the traditional vassals for the ceremony in Reims. Interesting how they managed to have full ceremonies in both Reims and Paris. Also, nice bit of foreshadowing that Louis XVII would one day have his remains paraded to St. Denis Basilica [so that means he got to STAY king but how long will he live to reign?] . Also, good that MA set aside her mourning attire to shine again on this day- if only for that day.
Four days of celebrations? Let's hope that the populace remembers this happy time in the struggles head! MA's right that once the Coronation's happen, the REAL work on Louis XVII's reign is to start [and I think he's about to turn 18 if he hasn't already so he will be soon be able to rule on his own].
Good query from darthfanta re where the Royals will now primarily reside. Will they go BACK to Versailles or stay in Tuilleries? Is Versailles in any shape for them to return to and what's become of it? Personally, I think wit after all that free flowing wine, etc. so soon after all that time of war and struggle, it may be best if the Bourbons become frugal in the immediate future to ensure that France can rebuild its former glory.
Finally catched the last updates, and more than delighted to see how the story unfolded.
Nappy stumbled at the doors of Paris thanks to the resistance of Marie Antoniette is pure gold. And France so kept even the 1793 gains. Which is bad especially for Sardinia-Piedmont, of course.
Yet why I smell the promise of Marie Antoniette to Napoleon will later hit France for the good or the worse later?
Ugh Talleyrand is so detestable as usual, I hope the Bourbons get rid of him soon as possible.
But on the other side, it's good the Orleans got a little payback here.
And lastly, yay for the return of the King Taumaturg of France!
Nappy stumbled at the doors of Paris thanks to the resistance of Marie Antoniette is pure gold. And France so kept even the 1793 gains. Which is bad especially for Sardinia-Piedmont, of course.
Yet why I smell the promise of Marie Antoniette to Napoleon will later hit France for the good or the worse later?
Ugh Talleyrand is so detestable as usual, I hope the Bourbons get rid of him soon as possible.
But on the other side, it's good the Orleans got a little payback here.
And lastly, yay for the return of the King Taumaturg of France!
Following the coronation of Louis XVII, the young King continue his intense education under the supervision of the Duke of Normandy, Regent until the King's 18th birthday.
The King had already an imponent presence, and was widely known for his love to hunting (a passion he shared with his Bourbon ancestors, like his grandfather Louis XVI) but also had a trait that worried his elders: he began to show his strong predilection for the female company, just like his ancestor Louis XV, and moreover, his grandmother Marie Antoinette in his youth. The Queen-Grandmother, who always feared a second fall of the Bastille, constantly admonished her grandson to be more formal and pious, because a King can't be acted as a depraved womanizer. In order to forestall this attitudes in his nephew, the Regent intensified his military training (with his assitance to reviews of the royal guards and maneuvres) and his political knowledge (with his permanent presence in all the reunions of the Parliament, and after this, he asked in a sort of test his impressions about the meeting).
With the concern of the future in the hands of her eldest grandson, Marie Antoinette received surprisingly news: the Duke of Berry, the second son of the Count of Artois, asked her and the King the hand of Mademoiselle Sophie in marriage.
The Queen-Grandmother was atonished with this request: she never imagined that her second daughter would be close to Berry, and moreover, think about a marriage between them. At first, Marie Antoinette refused because the eldest child of Artois (the Duke of Angoulême) made my eldest daughter intensely unhappy and now the second son of Artois wanted to do the same with my youngest daughter.
However, was Mademoiselle Sophie who convinced her mother to gave her consent. Always in the shadow and feeling as a ghost child, barely noted for the people, she became extremely attached to the kindness that the Duke of Berry showed to her since childhood, but was only in the last months, when he was constantly in battles risking his life, that Mademoiselle faced the fact that she, indeed, loved her cher Berry, as she always called him. The correspondance between them intensified, and after the return to France they spend a lot of time together; finally, after the siege of Paris and the defeat of Napoleon, the Duke of Berry took courage and proposed to Mademoiselle, who inmediately agreed.
The discovery of this secret engagement forced to Marie Antoinette, for the sake of the family's reputation to gave her consent for the marriage. The Regent, in the name of the King, also gave his permission for his sister's wedding.
The marriage of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry and Marie Sophie Hélène Béatrice, Mademoiselle de France, took place in the Private Chapel of Tuileries Palace on 1 August 1815. The ceremony was a simple and family affair, but the banquet and ball given to the newlyweds at the Grand Hall of the Tuileries where a lavish events: all the courtesans, and incredibly, members of the Parliament, where invited to the celebrations, who lasted two days.
The parisians had mixed feelings about this marriage: by one hand, they are sincerely happy for Mademoiselle, who at this point was close to be the spinster of the family, but by the other hand was curious that the Duke of Berry, a notorious and scandalous womanizer, agree to marry the plain and unattractive princess.
Just when the celebrations for the marriage of Mademoiselle are close to end, arrived from Vienna the results of the Congress of Vienna, who formally ended on 26 June 1815, one day after the coronation of Louis XVII.
The called Final Act, embodying all the separate treaties who were already signed during the Congress, was ratified on 23 June 1815. Among his provisions were included:
*Russia was given most of the Duchy of Warsaw and was allowed to keep Finland (which it had annexed from Sweden in 1809 and held until 1917).
*Prussia was given 2/5 of Saxony, parts of the Duchy of Warsaw (including the Grand Duchy of Posen), Danzig, and the Rhineland/Westphalia.
*A German Confederation of 38 states was created from the previous 360 of the defunct Holy Roman Empire, under the presidency of Emperor Francis I of Austria. Only portions of the territory of Austria and Prussia were included in the Confederation.
*The Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands (approx. modern-day Belgium) were united in a constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Willem Frederik of Orange-Nassau (son of the late William V) as King. To compensate for the Orange-Nassau's loss of the Nassau lands to Prussia, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg were to form a personal union under the House of Orange-Nassau, with Luxembourg (but not the Netherlands) inside the German Confederation.
*Swedish Pomerania (given to Denmark a year earlier in return for Norway), was ceded by Denmark to Prussia.
*France received back Guadeloupe from Sweden in return for yearly payments in compensation to the Swedish king.
*The neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed.
*Hanover gave up the Duchy of Lauenburg to Denmark, but was enlarged by the addition of former territories of the Bishop of Münster and by the formerly Prussian East Frisia, and made a kingdom.
*Most of the territorial gains of Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Nassau under the mediatizations of 1801–1806 were recognized. Bavaria also gained control of the Rhenish Palatinate and parts of the Napoleonic Duchy of Würzburg and Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. Hesse-Darmstadt, in exchange for giving up the Duchy of Westphalia to Prussia, received Rhenish Hesse with its capital at Mainz.
*Austria regained control of the Tyrol, Salzburg, Tarnopol district (from Russia), Lombardy-Venetia in Italy and Ragusa in Dalmatia. Former Austrian territory in Southwest Germany remained under the control of Württemberg and Baden, and the Austrian Netherlands were also not recovered.
*Habsburg princes were restored in the thrones of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Modena.
*The Papal States remained under the direct rule of the pope and restored to their former extent, with the exception of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, which remained part of France.
*Britain was confirmed in control of the Cape Colony in Southern Africa, Tobago, Ceylon and various other colonies in Africa and Asia. Other colonies, most notably the Dutch East Indies and Martinique, were restored to their previous owners.
*The King of Sardinia was restored in Piedmont and Nice and was given control of Genoa (putting an end to the brief proclamation of a restored Republic), but Savoy remained as a part of France.
*The Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla were given to Marie Louise, Napoleon's wife, who retained her title of Empress. The Duchy of Lucca was created for the House of Bourbon-Parma, which would have reversionary rights to Parma after the death of Marie Louise.
*France conserved the conquered districts of Philippeville, Saarbrucken and Landau, previously held by the Holy Roman Empire
*Ferdinand IV, King of Sicily was restored to control of the Kingdom of Naples.
*The slave trade was condemned.
*Freedom of navigation was guaranteed for many rivers, notably the Rhine and the Danube.
The Final Act was signed by representatives of Austria, France, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Sweden-Norway, and Britain, one day later, on 27 June. Spain, who was only invited in the second round of negociations as witness, didn't sign the treaty but ratified the next year, in 1816.
In France, the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna was widely celebrated as the end of 25 years of war, who almost bring France to the destruction.
Marie Antoinette, despite being satisfied with the results of the Congress (the return of Guadeloupe and the confirmation of the possesion of Savoy, Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin were seeing as a divine justice by the Queen-Grandmother), she was completely against the deprivation of the descendants of her late sister Maria Amalia from their ancestral domains in Parma, moreover because the Duchy was granted to Marie Louise. The Queen-Grandmother was also furious about the confirmation of the Imperial title of her niece: she refused to acknowledge any other title over Marie Louise that my niece the Archduchess or my niece the Second Madame Bonaparte (in allusion to Napoleon's first marriage with Joséphine de Beauharnais, who died just a few days previously, on 20 June 1815). Even further, in her correspondance to her grand-nephew Charles Louis, current head of the Ducal House of Parma, she always named him as My dearest nephew Charles, Duke of Parma, ignoring completely the rule of Marie Louise over Parma.
The disdain of Marie Antoinette over her niece escalated in a complicated political affair; all the major powers agreed with the rule of Marie Louise over Parma, and Tayllerand advised the Regent to kept the words of Madame la Reine Mére in her private rooms.
This vulgar intrusion in her private life, as Marie Antoinette mentioned to her son, caused the complete breach between her and the until them omnipotent statesman. In addition, she began to distrust the arrogant ways of Tayllerand: in one famous ocasion, in middle of a discussion between the Regent and the deputies, the Queen-Grandmother coincidentally was in the next room when she heard the statesman talking with the Duke of Normandy with such liberty that Marie Antoinette entered in the room, and under the eyes of the shocked deputies and her own son, she exclamed: Monsieur de Tayllerand!!, although we are in debt to you, don't forget your position.....you're in the service of France and the King, always remember it!!....
Despite her ardent desire to directly intervene in Tayllerand's downfall, Marie Antoinette, decided not to meddle in politics (like in the times of her husband's rule, with disastrous consequences to both), following the advice of her daughter-in-law the Dowager Dauphine: the eternal widow, as she was nicknamed, Maria Amalia wanted, by all costs, to maintain the rule of her son and his descendants over France, and she wisely believed that if the Queen-Grandmother began to intervene in politics, the public opinion could be turned against her, like years ago, and in addition this would bring further troubles to Louis XVII in the future.
However, Marie Antoinette if not directly, certainly used her influence over her son to intrigue against Tayllerand. The Regent also began to distrust Tayllerand, and finally, in December 1815 Tayllerand was formally dismissed from all his governmental posts and appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom, parting from the port of Calais to London in the first days of January 1816.
TO BE CONTINUED....
The King had already an imponent presence, and was widely known for his love to hunting (a passion he shared with his Bourbon ancestors, like his grandfather Louis XVI) but also had a trait that worried his elders: he began to show his strong predilection for the female company, just like his ancestor Louis XV, and moreover, his grandmother Marie Antoinette in his youth. The Queen-Grandmother, who always feared a second fall of the Bastille, constantly admonished her grandson to be more formal and pious, because a King can't be acted as a depraved womanizer. In order to forestall this attitudes in his nephew, the Regent intensified his military training (with his assitance to reviews of the royal guards and maneuvres) and his political knowledge (with his permanent presence in all the reunions of the Parliament, and after this, he asked in a sort of test his impressions about the meeting).
With the concern of the future in the hands of her eldest grandson, Marie Antoinette received surprisingly news: the Duke of Berry, the second son of the Count of Artois, asked her and the King the hand of Mademoiselle Sophie in marriage.
The Queen-Grandmother was atonished with this request: she never imagined that her second daughter would be close to Berry, and moreover, think about a marriage between them. At first, Marie Antoinette refused because the eldest child of Artois (the Duke of Angoulême) made my eldest daughter intensely unhappy and now the second son of Artois wanted to do the same with my youngest daughter.
However, was Mademoiselle Sophie who convinced her mother to gave her consent. Always in the shadow and feeling as a ghost child, barely noted for the people, she became extremely attached to the kindness that the Duke of Berry showed to her since childhood, but was only in the last months, when he was constantly in battles risking his life, that Mademoiselle faced the fact that she, indeed, loved her cher Berry, as she always called him. The correspondance between them intensified, and after the return to France they spend a lot of time together; finally, after the siege of Paris and the defeat of Napoleon, the Duke of Berry took courage and proposed to Mademoiselle, who inmediately agreed.
The discovery of this secret engagement forced to Marie Antoinette, for the sake of the family's reputation to gave her consent for the marriage. The Regent, in the name of the King, also gave his permission for his sister's wedding.
The marriage of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry and Marie Sophie Hélène Béatrice, Mademoiselle de France, took place in the Private Chapel of Tuileries Palace on 1 August 1815. The ceremony was a simple and family affair, but the banquet and ball given to the newlyweds at the Grand Hall of the Tuileries where a lavish events: all the courtesans, and incredibly, members of the Parliament, where invited to the celebrations, who lasted two days.
The parisians had mixed feelings about this marriage: by one hand, they are sincerely happy for Mademoiselle, who at this point was close to be the spinster of the family, but by the other hand was curious that the Duke of Berry, a notorious and scandalous womanizer, agree to marry the plain and unattractive princess.
Just when the celebrations for the marriage of Mademoiselle are close to end, arrived from Vienna the results of the Congress of Vienna, who formally ended on 26 June 1815, one day after the coronation of Louis XVII.
The called Final Act, embodying all the separate treaties who were already signed during the Congress, was ratified on 23 June 1815. Among his provisions were included:
*Russia was given most of the Duchy of Warsaw and was allowed to keep Finland (which it had annexed from Sweden in 1809 and held until 1917).
*Prussia was given 2/5 of Saxony, parts of the Duchy of Warsaw (including the Grand Duchy of Posen), Danzig, and the Rhineland/Westphalia.
*A German Confederation of 38 states was created from the previous 360 of the defunct Holy Roman Empire, under the presidency of Emperor Francis I of Austria. Only portions of the territory of Austria and Prussia were included in the Confederation.
*The Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands (approx. modern-day Belgium) were united in a constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Willem Frederik of Orange-Nassau (son of the late William V) as King. To compensate for the Orange-Nassau's loss of the Nassau lands to Prussia, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg were to form a personal union under the House of Orange-Nassau, with Luxembourg (but not the Netherlands) inside the German Confederation.
*Swedish Pomerania (given to Denmark a year earlier in return for Norway), was ceded by Denmark to Prussia.
*France received back Guadeloupe from Sweden in return for yearly payments in compensation to the Swedish king.
*The neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed.
*Hanover gave up the Duchy of Lauenburg to Denmark, but was enlarged by the addition of former territories of the Bishop of Münster and by the formerly Prussian East Frisia, and made a kingdom.
*Most of the territorial gains of Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Nassau under the mediatizations of 1801–1806 were recognized. Bavaria also gained control of the Rhenish Palatinate and parts of the Napoleonic Duchy of Würzburg and Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. Hesse-Darmstadt, in exchange for giving up the Duchy of Westphalia to Prussia, received Rhenish Hesse with its capital at Mainz.
*Austria regained control of the Tyrol, Salzburg, Tarnopol district (from Russia), Lombardy-Venetia in Italy and Ragusa in Dalmatia. Former Austrian territory in Southwest Germany remained under the control of Württemberg and Baden, and the Austrian Netherlands were also not recovered.
*Habsburg princes were restored in the thrones of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Modena.
*The Papal States remained under the direct rule of the pope and restored to their former extent, with the exception of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, which remained part of France.
*Britain was confirmed in control of the Cape Colony in Southern Africa, Tobago, Ceylon and various other colonies in Africa and Asia. Other colonies, most notably the Dutch East Indies and Martinique, were restored to their previous owners.
*The King of Sardinia was restored in Piedmont and Nice and was given control of Genoa (putting an end to the brief proclamation of a restored Republic), but Savoy remained as a part of France.
*The Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla were given to Marie Louise, Napoleon's wife, who retained her title of Empress. The Duchy of Lucca was created for the House of Bourbon-Parma, which would have reversionary rights to Parma after the death of Marie Louise.
*France conserved the conquered districts of Philippeville, Saarbrucken and Landau, previously held by the Holy Roman Empire
*Ferdinand IV, King of Sicily was restored to control of the Kingdom of Naples.
*The slave trade was condemned.
*Freedom of navigation was guaranteed for many rivers, notably the Rhine and the Danube.
The Final Act was signed by representatives of Austria, France, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Sweden-Norway, and Britain, one day later, on 27 June. Spain, who was only invited in the second round of negociations as witness, didn't sign the treaty but ratified the next year, in 1816.
In France, the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna was widely celebrated as the end of 25 years of war, who almost bring France to the destruction.
Marie Antoinette, despite being satisfied with the results of the Congress (the return of Guadeloupe and the confirmation of the possesion of Savoy, Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin were seeing as a divine justice by the Queen-Grandmother), she was completely against the deprivation of the descendants of her late sister Maria Amalia from their ancestral domains in Parma, moreover because the Duchy was granted to Marie Louise. The Queen-Grandmother was also furious about the confirmation of the Imperial title of her niece: she refused to acknowledge any other title over Marie Louise that my niece the Archduchess or my niece the Second Madame Bonaparte (in allusion to Napoleon's first marriage with Joséphine de Beauharnais, who died just a few days previously, on 20 June 1815). Even further, in her correspondance to her grand-nephew Charles Louis, current head of the Ducal House of Parma, she always named him as My dearest nephew Charles, Duke of Parma, ignoring completely the rule of Marie Louise over Parma.
The disdain of Marie Antoinette over her niece escalated in a complicated political affair; all the major powers agreed with the rule of Marie Louise over Parma, and Tayllerand advised the Regent to kept the words of Madame la Reine Mére in her private rooms.
This vulgar intrusion in her private life, as Marie Antoinette mentioned to her son, caused the complete breach between her and the until them omnipotent statesman. In addition, she began to distrust the arrogant ways of Tayllerand: in one famous ocasion, in middle of a discussion between the Regent and the deputies, the Queen-Grandmother coincidentally was in the next room when she heard the statesman talking with the Duke of Normandy with such liberty that Marie Antoinette entered in the room, and under the eyes of the shocked deputies and her own son, she exclamed: Monsieur de Tayllerand!!, although we are in debt to you, don't forget your position.....you're in the service of France and the King, always remember it!!....
Despite her ardent desire to directly intervene in Tayllerand's downfall, Marie Antoinette, decided not to meddle in politics (like in the times of her husband's rule, with disastrous consequences to both), following the advice of her daughter-in-law the Dowager Dauphine: the eternal widow, as she was nicknamed, Maria Amalia wanted, by all costs, to maintain the rule of her son and his descendants over France, and she wisely believed that if the Queen-Grandmother began to intervene in politics, the public opinion could be turned against her, like years ago, and in addition this would bring further troubles to Louis XVII in the future.
However, Marie Antoinette if not directly, certainly used her influence over her son to intrigue against Tayllerand. The Regent also began to distrust Tayllerand, and finally, in December 1815 Tayllerand was formally dismissed from all his governmental posts and appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom, parting from the port of Calais to London in the first days of January 1816.
TO BE CONTINUED....
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What happened to Philippeville,Saarbrucken and Landau?
About hunting and womanizing....the last King who is intelligent and into hunting and womanizing is.....Louis XIV!The Sun King returns?!
About hunting and womanizing....the last King who is intelligent and into hunting and womanizing is.....Louis XIV!The Sun King returns?!
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REICHFURST,
Hmm, so Louis XVII is a big hunter? Kinda tricky to do that in Tuilleries on the Parisian outskirts. Looks like he'll have to go back to the more distant Versailles [which Louis XVI himself had originally had as a small hunting lodge before expanding it]. I wonder if the French will wistfully admire that in this age of rapidly expanding industrialization? As for womanizing? I'm sure the French will be relieved since he'd spent so much of his youth cloistered by his mother, grandmother and aunts. I think as long as he finds a Queen who is willing to overlook his indiscretions [and he doesn't make them TOO blatant], AND if said Queen bears him unquestionably legit heirs, there shouldn't be any problem. It's interesting to note that Louis XIV's own wife [his Spanish cousin Marie Therese], WAS willing to overlook his indiscretions and was openly relieved when he'd replaced a somewhat snotty mistress with one who was respectful to HER. I don't think it was entirely a diplomatic motivation that had Louis XVI declare his queen's death as the 'first time she'd ever displeased him' .
No surprise MA resists her younger daughter marrying her brother-in-law's brother [especially after her elder sister's miserable union] but between the girl desperately in love [with the idea of being in love?] coupled with the Regent's consent, what can MA do but accept if not like the idea? Well, let's hope this marriage isn't as gloomy as her sister's and let's hope her new husband is at least discreet if not faithful. No doubt MA is a bit sad that neither of her daughters inherited her stunning beauty of her youth but I think her granddaughters by the late Dauphin have some of it.
Good that things got nice and settled by the Congress of Vienna but will they sow the seeds of war in another century? OK, Josephine's dead a year after OTL but what's the point of keeping Marie Louise titled Empress of an empire that's no longer in existence and whose own estranged husband is fed up with her? Still, no point in MA poisoning the well by being defiant in refusing to address her niece that title regardless of her known contempt.
Nice that MA was able to get the Duke of Normandy to demote Talleyrand after dissing him even though she wasn't as open about meddling in politics as she was before. Her daughter-in-law [and niece] the Dowager Dauphin's counsel proved wise here. I wonder how the Duke and Duchess of Normandy's sickly son is faring these days and what will life bring for all of them once Louis XVII achieves his Majority which is due any time.
Hmm, so Louis XVII is a big hunter? Kinda tricky to do that in Tuilleries on the Parisian outskirts. Looks like he'll have to go back to the more distant Versailles [which Louis XVI himself had originally had as a small hunting lodge before expanding it]. I wonder if the French will wistfully admire that in this age of rapidly expanding industrialization? As for womanizing? I'm sure the French will be relieved since he'd spent so much of his youth cloistered by his mother, grandmother and aunts. I think as long as he finds a Queen who is willing to overlook his indiscretions [and he doesn't make them TOO blatant], AND if said Queen bears him unquestionably legit heirs, there shouldn't be any problem. It's interesting to note that Louis XIV's own wife [his Spanish cousin Marie Therese], WAS willing to overlook his indiscretions and was openly relieved when he'd replaced a somewhat snotty mistress with one who was respectful to HER. I don't think it was entirely a diplomatic motivation that had Louis XVI declare his queen's death as the 'first time she'd ever displeased him' .
No surprise MA resists her younger daughter marrying her brother-in-law's brother [especially after her elder sister's miserable union] but between the girl desperately in love [with the idea of being in love?] coupled with the Regent's consent, what can MA do but accept if not like the idea? Well, let's hope this marriage isn't as gloomy as her sister's and let's hope her new husband is at least discreet if not faithful. No doubt MA is a bit sad that neither of her daughters inherited her stunning beauty of her youth but I think her granddaughters by the late Dauphin have some of it.
Good that things got nice and settled by the Congress of Vienna but will they sow the seeds of war in another century? OK, Josephine's dead a year after OTL but what's the point of keeping Marie Louise titled Empress of an empire that's no longer in existence and whose own estranged husband is fed up with her? Still, no point in MA poisoning the well by being defiant in refusing to address her niece that title regardless of her known contempt.
Nice that MA was able to get the Duke of Normandy to demote Talleyrand after dissing him even though she wasn't as open about meddling in politics as she was before. Her daughter-in-law [and niece] the Dowager Dauphin's counsel proved wise here. I wonder how the Duke and Duchess of Normandy's sickly son is faring these days and what will life bring for all of them once Louis XVII achieves his Majority which is due any time.