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”
I've been trying to dig more into the relationship between Murat and Fouché lately, which has led me back to an episode I've always found particularly interesting: the alleged plot between Fouché and Talleyrand, while Napoleon was in Spain in late 1808, to have Murat succeed Napoleon in the event that the Emperor died before …
As delighted as Murat initially was to be back in the field in 1812 after having been made to sit out during the 1809 campaign, it was not long before the rigors of the invasion of Russia, and his anxiety over the state of affairs in Naples, combined to set his mind towards returning home. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Her insinuating nature, adroitly dominating…”
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Project Murat 