I’ve posted quite a few letters from Murat to his daughter Letitia here (see the letters list at the bottom of the Archive page); however, very letters still exist from Caroline Murat to any of her children (or at least, very few of them have been published anywhere). Below is one of Caroline’s letters to Letitia, followed by a long letter to Murat detailing preparations for Napoleon’s upcoming wedding, urging Murat to come to it, and various other personal and political matters.

[Source: Lettres et documents pour servir à l’histoire de Joachim Murat, 1767-1815, Vol. 8]

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Queen Caroline to her daughter Letitia
26 February 1810

My dear Letitia, you have had, by now, the happiness of embracing your papa and I know that you have regretted not also seeing your mama again.  Believe, my dear Letitia, that I have shared your pain and that one very happy day for me will be the one where I will hold you in my arms with your brothers and your sister. I was very pleased with the letter you wrote me. Continue, my dear Letitia, to work; it is the only way to prove your tenderness to me. For my part, I love to prove mine to you and to give you what might please you. I’m sending you three pretty pelerines, of an agreeable form; I’m also sending three to Louise, if she is good and if Madame de Roquemont[1] is content with her. I will soon send you your foster sister, she will be raised in the house of Aversa, and you will pay her pension; it is a pleasure I want to procure for you, because it is a great feeling for one to do good. I reserve this enjoyment for you as a reward and to prove to you how happy I am with you.

Embrace Lucien and Louise tenderly for me, tell them I love them tenderly, I am sure you will make your papa very happy and that you won’t torment him.

Farewell, my dear Letitia, think of your mama who loves you tenderly. Kind words to Madame de Roquemont, continue to make her happy.

Caroline

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Queen Caroline to her husband
Paris, 27 February 1810

My friend, I’m sending you Andral to discuss with you anything that might be of interest to us, and to give you news. I would have liked to keep him for a few more days, but there have been so few sure occasions, but there is no point in writing but by the post and the estafette, since nothing can be said.

I warn you that is viewed badly in Paris that you give your order[2] to everyone, that many people make jokes about it, poor Brunet and others who deserve it, do not receive it, whereas you give it to that Lastanges, who, at the time of my wedding, took pleasure, being from your country, to spout a host of unpleasant and insulting things about you and your family. Nevermind the little cross, but why give him the grand cordon? Maret’s secretary told me also that he awaits your order; M. de Monaco also asks me for the cross that you promised him, and Princess Pauline told me that you had promised them to her whole household and that she was waiting for them. This is all you see anymore in Paris and your order runs the streets.

The Emperor desires that for his wedding I will have here with me at least four Neapolitan ladies, beautiful and of good expression, and that they be chosen among the richest and the greatest names, to know Mme de Gallo, Mme Civitella, the Duchess d’Atri, the Princess Belvedère and the Princess d’Avellino. I’m designating five, because I fear one of them won’t be able to come, be it from illness or any other cause. But it is necessary to choose between the five. If there are two ill, you will have to send the Duchess Calabrita. I don’t want Mme Caramanica [sic], because she has a very bad reputation here for gambling. Those who I would prefer would be Mme de Gallo, if she is not ill, the Duchess Civitella, the Duchess d’Atri, and the Princess d’Avellino. You would only send the two others at the refusal of two of these. You will give them 15,000 francs for their journey and a carriage from my stables, and they will arrange for their chambermaids. I won’t hear anything more. If you do not want to make this expense, I will pay for it from my coffers, because the Emperor wants me to have a beautiful court here and some ladies bearing a great name, he desires them to be the most beautiful and the richest. You will undoubtedly judge that I’ve made a good choice in the ladies I’ve just designated to you. Urge also some ladies to come on their own account and have them leave at once, because the wedding will be in mid-Lent. I will prepare their apartments in the ambassador’s place, so we can economize the expense, these ladies will serve them.

The Emperor is very good to you, and according to what he says, I see that he will never have the intention of uniting Naples. He says Naples is one great villasse[3] that can only be supported by a court, and that it is too close to Rome for him to be able to give it one. He also says that the Neapolitans are too subject to revolt, and especially the Calabrians, for them to be governed from so far away, and that they need their sovereign at home.

I strongly urge you to come for the wedding[4]. Jérôme, the Viceroy[5], Elisa, all the family will be reunited, your absence will have a bad effect and will greatly upset the Emperor. You know that I will be very glad to see you, but I assure you that it is your interest alone which makes me press you to come, because the Emperor will be very discontent.

If, however, you have strong oppositions which will prevent you from making this journey, write to me secretly and if this occurs, write a charming letter to the Emperor to excuse yourself. But I repeat to you, I regard your arrival for the wedding as very useful to our interests.

The Emperor is excessively occupied with his future, he speaks of it all the time and is almost in love with it. Everyone who was opposed to the marriage is now overjoyed. You know my good and constant friendship for you; listen to the counsels of a friend who only desires your happiness. Show no more opposition which will turn to your detriment; your inclination for the Russian alliance will become suspect in the eyes of the Emperor, who wants us to think as he does. He is going to have himself crowned in Rome, you know it since you must have read the senatus-consulte. It is in your interest, and that of our children, that you not alienate yourself from the Emperor’s heart, show him that only the fear that he would not be happy in this alliance could alone have induced you to have an opinion other than his own, but that since he finds his happiness there, your own is in conforming to his will and submitting to his desires. Surrender yourself thus to his orders. Believe me, to have at this moment another sentiment would signify only an unwarranted stubbornness. By your not coming to the wedding, your enemies might suspect that you only acted for your own interests, and suggest that to the Emperor. Besides, the Russian is too ugly and too young, and the Emperor is delighted to marry the Austrian, of whom the greatest good is generally said.

You will be very kind to bring me yourself or send me the English merchandise you’ve spoken to me about, steel if there is any, percales, cashmere, fabrics, muslins from India. You will only send me a portion of what you have for me and leave the rest in Naples.

If Madame Colbert or some other French ladies want to come for the wedding, they may, but don’t send them because the Emperor wants for my service at his court only Neapolitans, rich women and from great names. So if they come, they cannot do their service, Madame Excelmans could not even do hers. Among the Neapolitans that you want to bring with you, only choose from great names, from people who have the grand cordon of France, M. de Cassano and others from the richest in the country. If you want to send six ladies instead of four, that would be even better. In the end, do what you judge most appropriate, provided they leave immediately and are here for the wedding.

The Emperor has named the Duchess of Montebello[6], lady of honor. I imagine that this nomination will give you great pleasure. Everyone is delighted by it, because it is beautiful for the Emperor to reward so worthily a man dead in his service and to honor his memory by giving the first place in his Court to his widow. 

I am charged by the Emperor with the formation of the new Empress’s household. I work from morning to evening and my apartments are always full of visits from solicitors. I cannot express to you all the sorrows I’ve had from the fear of being named superintendent of the Empress’s household, but I could not decide on it, because I would have needed to remain absent from Naples for two years and been deprived of the pleasure of seeing you as well as my children. The Emperor made me the most beautiful and kindest propositions and his intention was to elevate this position so much that it would not have been beneath the title of Queen. He created it only for me and it would not have existed after me. His intention was to make it by a senatus-consulte an office of Grand Dignitary, and as superintendent, I would have had a step above the Queens of Spain[7] and Holland[8]. You see that the Emperor wanted to do a very kind thing for me, but the separation I would have had from my family caused me too much pain, and without offending the Emperor, who always has a perfect kindness for me, I managed to see him forget this plan, because he perceived that it hurt me too much. The intention of the Emperor in fixing me with the new Empress for two years was to have her led as he desired and to prevent a crowd of people who think badly from surrounding her and showing her their bad feelings.

The Emperor wants me to go to Braunau to meet the Empress. It will be a bit of a tiring journey, but the Emperor puts so much grace in his prayers, he is so good for us, that I cannot refuse him that which he regards as a great service. Because among the people who have to go meet the Empress, he can only be sure of me, and he desires above all that she not experience any bad impression. The day when my departure is decided, I will send you a courier.

The known nominations of the new Empress are those of M. de Beauharnais, the husband of my lady of honor, in the office of knight of honor, and that of Prince Aldobrandini in the officer of first equerry. I will make all the other nominations known to you by the courier I will send.

I recently accompanied the Emperor to Grignon, where we spent two days. Marshal Bessières spoke to me a lot about M. Baudus[9] and his family. He told me that an excellent suitor, enjoying a good existence, had presented himself for the daughter of M. Baudus, that this suitor would make the young lady and her father happy, for you know that M. Baudus would be happy if his daughter was well married, and the person who presents himself is suitable in every way. But what prevents the marriage is that a dowry of fifteen thousand francs is requested and M. Baudus, who is not rich, cannot afford it. Would you not think it well to further attach her to our House by establishing his daughter and by giving him the means of providing her a dowry? From what Marshal Bessières told me, I see that you would be completely assuring his happiness by according him such a kindness, because he is tranquil over all his children and has worry only for his eldest daughter, whom he loves, I believe, above all. You are going to be obliged to remove yourself from Naples, it is to him that we confide the health and oversight of our sons and you will perhaps judge that it is good in this circumstance to fix his devotion to your service by a signal favor. I leave this matter to your generosity.

Send the cross to d’Arlincourt, you have promised it to him in front of me and you haven’t given it to him.

The Emperor does not want to consent to the marriage of Mlle La Vauguyon with the Prince of Carignan. He has adopted a system to which he holds greatly and which is contrary to this marriage. He now wants to unite the ancient houses to the new nobility and he says he will never be sure of the old nobles, until they are mingled with the new ones. He has the design of marrying Mlle La Vauguyon with Reille, his aide-de-camp, and he is very keen to make this alliance. But the young lady refuses it and persists in her idea of marrying Carignan. You should advise General La Vauguyon to write strongly to his sister in order to determine her to do as the Emperor desires, because the Emperor holds to it and will be dissatisfied if this is not done.

M. Guéhéneuc was just named senator.

The day of my departure is not yet fixed, I will inform you.

I thought of my dignity in asking to travel in my carriages and to be followed by my Neapolitan service and this has been granted to me. I will travel only with my court. I will be returning with the Empress, and my court will follow.

Farewell, my friend, I embrace you.

Caroline

*****

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[1] Governess of the Murat children.

[2] The Order of the Two Sicilies

[3] Cnrtl.fr defines this archaic word as “an unpleasant city, poorly built or sparsely populated.”

[4] Murat had spoken openly against Napoleon’s intention to take an Austrian bride, favoring a Russian match instead. He was less than pleased about Napoleon’s decision to marry the niece of Queen Caroline of Sicily, who had formerly ruled Naples alongside her husband Ferdinand. His relationship with Napoleon was also increasingly contentious at this point.

[5] Eugéne de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy.

[6] Louise Antoinette Lannes, widow of Marshal Lannes.

[7] Joseph Bonaparte’s wife Julie.

[8] Louis Bonaparte’s wife, Hortense de Beauharnais.

[9] Tutor to Murat’s sons, Achille and Lucien.