An archive of primary source material relating to Joachim Murat, Marshal of France and King of Naples
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 …
Continue reading “The Emperor is excessively occupied with his future”
This second installment of Napoleon's letters (via the Fondation Napoléon) to Murat spans from 3 November - 15 December 1808. There is a noticeable change in tone in these letters from those of the first few months of Murat's reign, with the Emperor beginning to unleash a torrent of criticisms against Murat about matters great …
As many Napoleonic history buffs are already aware, the Fondation Napoléon has recently published the the entirety of Napoleon's correspondence online (here). This will be the first part of a series of translations of the Emperor's letters to Murat. Rather than going from earliest to latest, I'm starting with the letters from the beginning of …
Continue reading “Distinguish yourself and make yourself loved”
Mademoiselle Avrillion, who served as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Josephine, published her memoirs with the intention of “recounting with simplicity and in good faith what I have seen and heard during the more than twelve years I spent in the service of an excellent woman, who, in fatal circumstances, also had her own kind …
Continue reading “Deep down, the emperor did not like Prince Murat…”
Going back to the memoirs of General Dedem de Gelder this week. In this excerpt, Dedem discusses Murat's defection from Napoleon in 1814. It is a surprisingly sympathetic take from a man who is far from being an admirer of Murat, and who is deeply critical of his conduct at other points in his memoirs. …
Continue reading “The allies… paid him the blackest ingratitude”
Continuing with excerpts from the memoirs of Madame Cavaignac. This part delves more into the events of 1811, which was possibly Murat's most difficult year on the throne of Naples, marking the lowest points not only in his relationship with Napoleon, but also with his wife Caroline. Madame Cavaignac, no fan of Caroline as illustrated …
Some more excerpts from the memoirs of Madame Cavaignac, with her views on the personalities of Joachim and Caroline Murat, and their quarrels and mutual infidelities in Naples. While her portrait of Murat is fairly balanced (and in my opinion, pretty astute, especially with her observations regarding his fear of Napoleon), Mme Cavaignac was clearly …
Marie Julie Olivier de Corancez Cavaignac was the wife of Jean-Baptiste Cavaignac, who, as an elected deputy of the Department of the Lot during the Revolution, was instrumental in Murat's re-entry into the army after an earlier dismissal. During Murat's reign in Naples, Cavaignac served in his ministry, where he was shown great favor by …
Part 7 of my translation of Albert Vandal's Le Roi et la Reine de Naples. Still in Paris in the aftermath of Napoleon's wedding to Marie-Louise, Caroline Murat continues to serve as an intermediary between her husband and the Emperor. New conflicts arise between the two men as Napoleon struggles to get his finances in …
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. …
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