Among the many things Murat inherited from Joseph Bonaparte upon replacing him as King of Naples in the summer of 1808 was the Order of the Two Sicilies, which Joseph had established in February. Generous by nature, Murat was soon enthusiastically doling out the decoration (pictured above, via eMedals) with reckless abandon. While some of …
Author: Sarah
History lover. Highly caffeinated. Introverted. Devoted to researching/writing about Murat, and translating his letters; someday I would like to publish at least one book about him. Slightly obsessed.
“So thorough a coxcomb I never beheld”
Some entertaining Murat-related excerpts from the rather acerbic diary of Sir Robert Wilson, during and immediately after the peace negotiations at Tilsit. Wilson was a British general and diplomat; in 1806 he joined General Hutchinson on a diplomatic mission to the Prussian court, and witnessed the battles of Eylau and Friedland. He would later participate …
“Her insinuating nature, adroitly dominating…”
Part 6 of my translation of Albert Vandal’s Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. While staying in Paris together for Napoleon's wedding to Marie-Louise, Murat and Caroline are reconciled after years of tension in their marriage. But in the aftermath of the imperial wedding, Murat and Napoleon have an explosive quarrel that marks a turning …
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Announcing my first book!
I know many of my readers here are already aware of this from following me on social media, but it's only fitting that I announce the publication of my very first book here too! Joachim Murat: A Portrait in Letters, is nowavailable through Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle editions. In the coming weeks, it …
“So many vexations…”
Part 5 of my translation of Albert Vandal’s Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. Caroline Murat has been specially chosen by Napoleon to go and retrieve Marie-Louise, his soon-to-be second wife and new Empress, from the Austrian border, and accompany her back to France for the upcoming wedding. It is an exhausting journey for Caroline, who …
“It is for us to follow and obey”
A little interlude before I get back to translating Vandal: three letters from Napoleon’s chief of staff, Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier, to Murat. The first letter is written weeks before Murat was officially crowned King of Naples; the other two are several months into his reign, carrying into the 1809 campaign, which Murat was forced to …
“Surrender yourself thus to his orders”
Part 4 of my translation of Albert Vandal’s Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. Caroline Murat is in Paris, preparing for Napoleon's second wedding, while her husband remains in Naples. The Emperor, perhaps hoping to drive a further wedge in the marriage of his youngest sister and Murat, offers her the prestigious position of superintendent of …
“Discreet complaints and… caressing reproaches”
Part 3 of my translation of Albert Vandal’s Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. We have the beginning of what will be, for Caroline, a very long period away from Naples--first to be present for the proceedings of Napoleon's divorce from Josephine (an event which Caroline was arguably instrumental in helping bring about), and …
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“A permanent state of distrust”
Part 2 of my translation of Albert Vandal's Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. In this part, Vandal describes the rifts which began developing between Joachim and Caroline Murat soon after taking the throne of Naples. These largely stemmed from Murat's insecurities about being potentially overshadowed--or dominated--by his wife, especially due to Napoleon's wording …
“For your subjects, be king; for the Emperor, be viceroy.”
This is Part 1 of what is probably going to be a very long translation project. If there is one part of Murat's life which is less well understood than any other, it is his reign as King of Naples. Military historians naturally place more of an emphasis on Murat as a cavalry commander, his …
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Project Murat 