Following up on my previous post, I've been looking further into the alleged Fouché/Talleyrand plot to designate Murat as Napoleon's successor. Primary sources on the episode appear to be few and far in between from what I've found so far; while Pasquier's memoirs mention a letter supposedly intercepted by Eugène de Beauharnais (of which no …
Continue reading “In order to ruin him… in the Emperor’s mind”
Two letters from Caroline Murat, newly-crowned Queen of Naples; the first to her uncle, Cardinal Fesch; the second, to her sister-in-law/friend/rival Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland. Caroline has only recently arrived in Naples, and is not quite adjusted to her new home yet; her accommodations are dreadful, and she already feels forgotten by her …
I translated a couple amusing little letters exchanged between Murat & Eugène de Beauharnais recently as part of a longer write-up on their relationship in response to a query from a Tumblr friend of mine, so I figured I'd post them here as well. In June of 1805, Napoleon made his stepson Eugène the Viceroy …
Continue reading “You have deigned to notice that I was a bit late…”
Continuing with the series of letters in Louis Murat's memoirs leading up to her father's defection from Napoleon. We left off in July 1813, with Murat writing to Napoleon prior to departing to join him for the 1813 campaign, his pride still wounded from Napoleon's treatment of him following his return from Russia. Sensing that …
Continue reading “This first spark of revolt might become a general inferno”
Nearly two months after writing to Empress Marie-Louise with the hope that she would be willing to mediate between himself and Napoleon, Murat wrote the following letter directly to the Emperor himself. The Allies were on the verge of moving against the French once more; Napoleon had requested Murat to send troops to support him. …
The following letter was written by Eugène de Beauharnais, adopted son of Napoleon (and therefore Murat’s nephew by marriage) to Murat in the days following Murat’s treaty with the Allies, as Murat continued to stall at, and agonize over, the prospect of taking up arms against his own countrymen at the Allies’ behest. Source: The Romance …
Continue reading “These conflicts which arise in your heart do not astonish me…”
Project Murat 