I've been wanting to translate the relatively short manuscript on Murat left behind by Murat's childhood friend, the Count of Mosbourg, for a while now, so I'm going to start working my way through it and posting it bit by bit; it'll be a nice break in between the ongoing translation of excerpts/correspondence from Louise …
Tag: History
“Everything announces a revolution”
Ten days after writing to Napoleon on the situation in Italy and imploring him to unify the country and grant its independence, Murat wrote to the Emperor once more. In the interim, he had not received a reply from Napoleon, who was ignoring his brother-in-law's correspondence (again), believing that Murat was deliberately exaggerating the situation …
“This first spark of revolt might become a general inferno”
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 …
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“General Murat… had not forgotten his studies”
Jacques Claude, Count of Beugnot, appointed by Napoleon as administrator of the Grand Duchy of Berg & Cleves, recalls his surprise at finding that Murat possessed a knowledge of literature. (Source: Life and Adventures of Count Beugnot, Vol I, pg 278.)
“You have undoubtedly forgotten the 25th of March”
One of my favorite historical coincidences is the fact that Joachim and Caroline Murat share the same birthday–the 25th of March (of 1767 and 1782, respectively). Unfortunately the nature of Murat’s duties often led to the two spending their mutual birthday hundreds of miles apart–after 1805, they would not be together on that particular day …
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“You do not tell me a word of your advent to the throne”
I’ve been terrible about updating lately. Sorry! Here’s a short letter from Jerôme Bonaparte to Murat, as I continue translating more from Louise’s memoirs. Jerôme wrote this shortly after Murat became King of Naples; he was a little miffed with Joachim for forgetting to tell him about it. *** Jerôme Napoléon, King of Westphalia, to …
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“I owe it to myself not to deviate”
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. …
“He gave them each a glass of wine”
A random tidbit I figured I'd toss up here as I continue working my way through translating Murat's letters in Louise's memoirs. I first came across this little anecdote--an observation of Murat by Sergeant Adrien Bourgogne in the aftermath of the Battle of Borodino--paraphrased in a couple biographies of Murat, but this morning I found …
“I dare to beseech you, Madame…”
Louise Murat includes in her memoirs six letters written by her father between 1813 through his defection from Napoleon (the last letter in this series, from immediately after his treaty with Austria was signed, can be read here from Jean Tulard's biography of Murat). The following letter is the first in the series, addressed by …
“My Father… showed less firmness than the Queen”
Picking back up with Louise Murat's memoirs, we reach Murat's fateful decision to abandon Napoleon and ally himself to Austria. Louise makes a compelling argument in defense of her father's choice; she also contrasts her father's visible torment over the decision with her mother's stoicism. Source: Souvenirs d’enfance d’une fille de Joachim Murat, by Louise …
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Project Murat 